Weasel's Journey

Our Christmas picture.

2012-01-26T22:13:00.000-06:00

This was the picture I used for our Christmas cards this year. I was SO very happy with how it turned out!

As you might guess, getting Vivian to cooperate for a picture is quite a feat. First of all, I cannot let her have any inkling that we are going to take a picture or she will take off her clothes and climb under her bed. Secondly, getting her to wear anything other than a Dumbo, 101 Dalmatians or Curious George t-shirt and her beloved strawberry pants is a Herculean task in and of itself.

For this picture I picked Vivian up from school, and I instructed Will and Dots to clean out everything from Vivian's drawers except for a white 101 Dalmatians t-shirt and some black velveteen pants.

When Vivian and I walked in our house, I pointed out that what she was wearing was no longer clean. Vivian cannot stand the thought of her clothes being dirty, so she immediately headed upstairs to change (I have worked really hard to teach her not to begin changing her clothes until she is in her own room - again no easy task!). Vivian opened her drawer, looked at me questioningly and asked, "What happened to my clothes?" I told her they were all dirty and were being washed. That seemed to satisfy Vivian as she promptly changed into the only things left in her drawer.

I then suggested that we take Tucker for a walk. Vivian liked that idea, so we found Tucker's leash and walked with him and Dots and Will outside. It was chilly that day, and as we walked down our block, Vivian agreed to put on the sweater I had brought only because nothing else was available.

When we arrived at a park near our house (a favorite destination of Vivian's on walks), lo and behold, someone was there with a camera! I convinced Vivian that we should ask these nice people to take a picture of Tucker. Vivian was amenable to this idea and sat right down next to Tucker. She even pulled on Tucker's lips and told him to smile!

Vivian was very cooperative as the photographer snapped off pictures "of Tucker." I thought we were really pushing our luck, though, when the photographer wanted to move the kids to a second spot in the park. Vivian initially balked, but Will and Dots convinced her that Tucker needed her help for his picture and she agreed to move.

For this set, Vivian insisted that Tucker sit right in her lap and she didn't want any part of Will or Dots touching him (I was very afraid Tucker would run off, but fortunately he didn't!). It was in this second location that we got the picture above. I truly think it is one of the best pictures ever taken of Vivian.

To the uninformed observer, these pictures look natural and easy. But now you know the real story!

Notice Vivian's shoes. I had brought some dark shoes for her to wear in the picture, but she was cooperating so unexpectedly well that I dared not rock the boat by asking her to change them. The photographer kindly darkened Vivian's shoes in the picture we used for our card

Cooking Club Gadget Exchange.

2012-01-24T21:44:00.000-06:00

My friend JoAnn asked for details on my Cooking Club's gadget exchange at our Christmas gathering. Naturally I should have posted on that right away because my feeble mind can now only remember what I brought and what I took home. {sigh}

***

I brought this salad emulsifier this year. I received one like it at our exchange last year and have loved it! It works really well and is quite therapeutic - lol. You pull the trigger and the plastic corkscrew spins around to blend the dressing. It's handy because you can store extra dressing in it and it has a spout.

This sleek expandable trivet was what I received this year. I don't have any decent-looking trivets so I have tended to use my really lovely potholders under hot dishes. This is a big improvement!

This wasn't from our gadget exchange, but I bought this can opener this fall and have LOVED it. It is very easy to use (even though it is manual, the dial turns easily) and it uncrimps the top of the can rather than cuts it so there are no sharp edges.

I had not bought a new garlic press in a really long time. I did not quite realize how decrepit my old one was until I started using this one. It works so well and is super easy to clean up.

Even more time had passed since I had bought a new box grater. The one I had dated back to my graduation from college some 25 years ago! My new one is notable for its lack of rust and its handy detachable measuring cup. I use it for making egg and olive and for grating cheese.

One last gadget that I love and use often: my immersion blender. It works great for blending soups and is so much easier and safer than pouring hot soup into a blender in batches.

Cooking Club, January 2012, & catching up.

2012-01-23T20:50:00.001-06:00

Eek! I don't think I've ever gone a month without posting! Clearly I should have made a New Year's resolution to be more attentive to my blog. I will resolve to do better!

At any rate, Happy New Year! We had a great Christmas up in Jackson Hole and a nice New Year's here in Dallas. We enjoyed having Will home for a month, though he wasn't "home" a whole lot - kept all sorts of crazy hours hanging out with his high school friends. Vivian is slowly getting back into the groove of school after two weeks off. She has had several seizures over the past month, which certainly haven't helped her transition as they tend to leave her sleepy and off-kilter for a few days afterward. Dots is doing well; she is busy selling Girl Scout cookies and has finally completed the paperwork for her Girl Scout Silver Award.

Here is the recipe for the wonderful entrée we had at our December Cooking Club:

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

1½ pounds mushrooms, sliced
1 small bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup butter, melted
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups cooked wild rice
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup half-and-half
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4-ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Sauté the mushrooms, onion, garlic and bell pepper in the butter until tender. Add the shrimp and stir until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat and stir in wild rice, soup, half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes. Serves 10-12.

And finally, here are pictures from our January gathering:

I absolutely love the way my friend Barenda sets her table!

Barenda has so many beautiful pieces that belonged to her husband's grandmother, and she has great stories to tell about each of them. I especially covet her silver roosters and pheasant

Isn't this salt cellar exquisite?

Ellen, Priscilla, Karey and Leslie enjoy the fabulous and festive milk punch that Leslie brought

Susan keeps Thayer company as she puts the finishing touches on her Potato Soup

Jill, Barenda and me

I liked these pretty antique cups that Barenda used for our soup

Lunch is served!

We all laugh that we don't eat like this every day

Ellen wasn't happy with how her first dessert (pralines) turned out, so she made an assortment for her second effort

Menu:

French Quarter Cheese (this was really good and very pretty)
Pirate's Milk Punch (yum)
Three-cheese Drop Biscuits
Potato Soup
Crunchy Romaine Toss
Chicken Asiago with Hickory Smoked Bacon
Squash Casserole 1 (I brought this and was not impressed with it - my tip-off should have been that it was sourced from a cookbook I already own that was copyright 1977!)
Michigan Nut and Berry Bark
Oreo Balls

All recipes from Recipes Worth Sharing

Cooking Club: December 2011.

2011-12-22T11:30:00.000-06:00

My Cooking Club met in December at my friend Priscilla's house. We are just starting at new cookbook,Recipes Worth Sharing, and our first meal from it was very promising!

Thayer, Lyn and Leslie enjoy some wassail before lunch

Jill, Barenda and Ellen

Here was our menu:

Cherry-Sauced Meatballs
Buttery Biscuit Rolls
Pumpkin Soup
Dried Cherry and Toasted Pecan Salad with Maple Dressing (I brought this)
Marinated Asparagus with Cherry Tomatoes
Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole
Our Famous Bread-and-Butter Pudding

Susan serves her Pumpkin Soup

My lunch on non-Cooking Club days doesn't look like this!

Priscilla's placecards/favors were these darling bags of Hungarian paprika that she bought on her trip to Budapest this fall

Priscilla and me

Gifts awaiting our annual Kitchen Gadget Exchange

All aboard.

2011-12-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

Dots and I volunteered through our NCL chapter at the Trains at NorthPark last weekend. This annual exhibit benefits our local Ronald McDonald House and is a popular attraction at the mall during Christmas. Dots and I collected admission tickets and had a great time together!

Vivian goes shopping.

2011-12-20T09:39:00.002-06:00

Vivian's class went Christmas shopping at NorthPark, a nearby mall, last week. Vivian selected and paid for several gifts for her family, and she seemed to enjoy herself. After school I asked Vivian where she had gone shopping, and she told me, "North Pole."

Vivian's teacher sent this note along with some pictures.

Dear Parents,

We had so much fun today! We arrived at the mall a little after 9 a.m. The students were assigned buddies (staff and peer tutors), and off they went. We owe the peer tutors a huge thank you for giving up a free day to help with this trip. Their presence and assistance made the whole experience so much better for all of us. Everyone shopped a while before meeting the group in the food court for lunch. After lunch, more shopping and sight-seeing, and watching the various performers throughout the mall. At 1:00 o’clock we had the privilege, thanks to a lady who substitutes for us who knows the pianist at Nordstrom’s, to gather around the piano to watch him play. He played the theme from Charlie Brown’s Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, among others. We took pictures and sang songs and the kids just had a blast! Thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to share this holiday experience with them.

Can you see why I am so appreciative of Vivian's wonderful teachers and school?

My favorite sandwich: Egg & Olive.

2011-12-11T13:27:00.001-06:00

When my sister and I were growing up, our mother often made egg and olive sandwiches for us, and we loved them. I assumed everyone grew up up eating egg and olive, but I found that most people in Texas have never even heard of such a thing; many are familiar with egg salad, but that doesn't always have olives.

I googled "egg and olive" and found an article from the "Southern Foodie" in the Birmingham paper who claims that, "You can't be a Southerner unless you at least know someone who makes themselves an egg-and-olive sandwich." So, this recipe must be an Old South creation hearkening back to our family's roots in South Georgia.

Every Monday my bridge partner, Leslie, and I play in a duplicate game at a local club. Our arrangement is that she drives and I fix our lunch. I started out making egg and olive often because it was a given that I had the ingredients on hand. After Leslie raved so about this sandwich, it became our standard Monday lunch.

As you can tell from the recipe, it is not hard and not exact! But it sure is good.

Egg and Olive

2 hard-boiled eggs, grated
scant tablespoon light mayonnaise (just enough for eggs to be a cohesive mixture)
4-5 olives, chopped finely
sprinkle of seasoned salt
2 slices of toasted bread

Stir together egg, olives and mayonnaise. Season to taste. Spread over toasted bread and serve.

Mid-night Vivian.

2011-12-03T16:02:00.001-06:00

Last weekend the girls and I made a quick trip to Houston for my cousin Nancy Baby's wedding. While we were there Vivian and I slept in twin beds in a guest room upstairs in my parents' house.

At some point in the middle of the night, Vivian woke up and wandered downstairs to my parents' bedroom. I was sound asleep and blissfully unaware of this until my mom brought Vivian back up to our room.

My mom lay down with Vivian to try to get her back to sleep, but after a minute Vivian declared that she was thirsty and got up and walked to the bathroom to get a drink of water. When Vivian returned to our room, she looked at my mom and exclaimed, "Hey! You're in the wrong bed!"

My girls and me at the wedding reception

My sister Marian and me with "the bride"

Vivian taking a break from the reception

Me, my dad, my mom, my brother Jonathan and Marian

Ladies lunch.

2011-11-17T21:47:00.001-06:00

I was invited to lunch at someone's home a few weeks ago to see an old friend who was visiting from Canada. There were just four of us that day, and I don't know when I've spent a more enjoyable afternoon. Our hostess's home was a beautiful setting, and our conversation and food were delightful.

When I decided to host a lunch meeting for the National Charity League Tea committee that I'm co-chairing, I took inspiration from that afternoon's menu and served Poppy Seed Chicken Salad with Apricots, Leslie’s Tomato Soup and a slice of baguette with my perennial fall favorite Pumpkin Bars for dessert. The chicken salad was light and fresh with a lot of flavor and a nice crunch to it. The tomato soup was heavenly, and the pumpkin bars were a hit, as always. Several ladies requested the recipes.

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad with Apricots
from South of the Fork by the Junior League of Dallas

½ cup chopped almonds, toasted
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup salad oil
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
½ cup sliced green onion tops
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
4 cups chopped cooked chicken (2 pounds)
1 red apple, diced

Combine lemon juice, oil, honey, mustard, poppy seeds, onion and lemon peel. Add apricots and let stand at least 30 minutes. Toss chicken with dressing mixture. Before serving, add almonds and apple. Salt to taste. Serves 8.

Leslie's Tomato Soup

1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cans Campbell's condensed Tomato Soup
1 can chicken broth
1 can stewed tomatoes
½ cup sour cream
fresh ground pepper to taste
crisp bacon, chopped (for garnish - optional, but delicious!)

Sauté onions in butter. Stir in soups, tomatoes and sour cream. Heat and serve topped with chopped crisp bacon.

**Eloise's note: I added some fresh basil because I wanted to use what's left in my herb garden before the cold gets it. I also puréed the soup with my immersion blender before serving; my friend Leslie prefers a chunkier texture. Either way it's delicious!

Pumpkin Bars
adapted from this recipe on Epicurious.com

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil

Sift together dry ingredients. Stir in pumpkin, eggs and oil. Spread batter in greased 15½ x 10½ x 1" baking sheet. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack before frosting.

Frosting: 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons butter, room temperature

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter together until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled cake in a thin layer. Refrigerate until cold then cut into bars (can be cut at room temperature, but it is messier). Makes 24.

Please forgive the bad pictures; the ladies I was sitting with for lunch thought I was crazy, I'm sure, for photographing my plate. I was too embarrassed to explain or take more!

Dots the baker.

2011-11-06T19:53:00.000-06:00

Dots had a Revolutionary War assignment for school that she worked on this weekend.

For her project Dots decided to bake a cake in the shape of the Liberty Bell (she also had to write a report about the Liberty Bell). She made the whole cake from scratch using this recipe from the Gourmet cookbook. Dots baked the cake in a 9x13 pan and then used a paper template she had cut out based roughly on the measurements from this website to slice the rectangle into a bell shape.

The cake after Dots had cut and assembled it

For the frosting Dots used the buttercream recipe on the box of Domino's Powdered Sugar, adding varying amounts of melted chocolate to achieve different shades of brown. She pasted facts about the Liberty Bell around the side of the box holding the cake.

Dots frosting the cake. She used a slightly lighter brown for the bell itself and darker shades for the wood holding the bell and for the details

Outlining the bell and adding finishing touches

I thought Dots' project turned out quite well and am very proud of her!

Ready to take to school tomorrow

Rangers to the World Series!

2011-10-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

photos from the Dallas Morning News

As a lifelong baseball fan, I am SO excited that the Texas Rangers are back in the World Series! I look forward to watching each game and cheering them on.

Robert and I were able to attend Game One of the American League Championship Series with Will and his friend, Ty. Despite two hours' worth of rain delays, we had a great time.

We've been invited to Game Three of the World Series, and I can hardly wait! Go, Rangers!

Catching up on Cooking Club.

2011-10-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

Yikes! I have not posted on my Cooking Club in a long time! So long, in fact, that we have started a new cookbook and have almost completed our rotation with it.

Our latest cookbook selection, Savor the Moment from the Junior League of Boca Raton, was recommended by a commenter on my blog. Thanks, Bridget! Our group has really enjoyed Savor the Moment.

Here are some pictures and menus from some of our gatherings over the past year (in December and April I neglected to bring my camera):

September 2011

We kicked off the new school year with a delicious lunch at Elizabeth's beautiful home

Menu:
Alligator Eye Dip
Creamy Cucumber Soup
Sour Cream Banana Bread
Sun-dried Tomato Potato Salad
Picnic Rice with Cranberries
Chicken with Goat Cheese and Roasted Bell Peppers
Bourbon Butter-Glazed Cake

May 2011

We dined al fresco at Meredith's on a gorgeous spring day in Dallas. Sadly, we also bade farewell to our wonderful friend Lynne who was moving to Arkansas :(

Menu:
Wild Mushroom Brie
Mesclun with Walnut-crusted Goat Cheese Rounds
Black Bottom Soup
Petite Butter Rolls (me)
Artichokes and Spinach
Grilled Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa
Frozen Lemon Mousse (notice the beautiful antique long-stemmed glasses Lynne brought to serve this in)

March 2011

Menu:
Macadamia-Stuffed Mushrooms
Town and Country Salad
Cantaloupe Champagne Soup
Stuffed Bread
Garlic Soufflé (me - I was so proud of how this turned out!)
Baja Shrimp
Cinderella Cheesecake

I'm including this bigger picture because my friend Barenda sets the prettiest table of anyone I know! I covet her beautiful silver pheasants

February 2011

My friend Ellen is incredibly creative. The black and white cachepots with the white hydrangeas in the center of her table had red hots around the plants. So very cute! Ellen also made these precious placecards for each person's seat. Her favor was a pad of little food-themed page flag post-its

Chef Set Page Flags - click here to see them online

Menu:
Sahara Dates
Buttermilk Chive Biscuits
Best Friends Iced Coffee Frappé
Mixed Greens with Phoenician Dressing (me)
Garden Sandwich
Parmesan Cheese-Crusted Zucchini
Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya
Cappuccino Sundaes

January 2011

We gathered on a cold winter's day at our friend Thayer's. She served one of our best-ever entrées

Menu: Pesto Bleu Cheese Tartlets (me)
Florida Spritzer
Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup
Shitake and Warm Corn Salad
Potato and Wild Mushroom Galette
Herbed Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Wine Sauce
Raspberry Cream Pie

November 2011

I'm hosting again next week in place of my friend Lynne. I'm afraid my table is going to look very similar as I'll probably be using the same linens!

Menu:
Walnut and Gorgonzola Crostini
Carrot Soup with Dill
Baby Greens with Pears
Provolone and Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Bread with Garlic Spread
Scalloped Potatoes and Butternut Squash with Leeks
Bourbon-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Sour Cream Sauce (me)
Fruit Tea Cranberry Cheesecake (from Peace Meals)

Vivian at school.

2011-10-06T09:57:00.000-05:00

I was a substitute teacher at Vivian's high school last week, and during my off-period I stopped by Vivian's classroom to observe. I was so impressed with how engaged the students were and with how much Vivian's teachers were able to get her to do!

Here Vivian is reading with her teacher Ms. B. Vivian has learned quite a few sight words and is able to read them in these books

Vivian practices her writing by tracing letters with Mrs. Kemp

Vivian does a "work job" with Mr. Ripley (this one involved matching opposites)

If Vivian stays on task without melting down, she earns check marks. After three check marks, Vivian can do an activity that she chose earlier

Today's reward was listening to Arthur's Halloween

Vivian later in the cafeteria. I was amazed at how well Vivian did amongst all the noise and activity there!

Vivian at a pep rally. Vivian calls it the "pepperoni"

Yesterday Mrs. Kemp sent me this video of Vivian in her Partners PE class. I asked Vivian last night what she used to hit the ball in PE, and she told me a "hockey puck stick." Then she added, "Just like Will."

Parents Weekend, take two.

2011-10-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

TCU Family Weekend was great! We saw MUCH more of our college student this year than we did last; I think Will appreciates the value of a free meal better as a sophomore than he did as a freshman.

Will's room at the fraternity house was in about the shape I expected. He and his roommate had gone to the effort of making their beds, but neither seemed to care about the piles of trash on their floor. Turns out the boys didn't have a trash can; worse yet, they hadn't even noticed they didn't have one. {sigh}

All in all a fun time, though!

Dinner Friday night. My cousin's daughter is a freshman at TCU, and we went to dinner with their family. Will also invited a friend to join us

Our restaurant Friday night, called Nonna Tata, is TINY and doesn't take reservations (we knew this and went very early). While we were there, two different parties arrived with their own tables, chairs, tablecloths, candles and wine glasses and set up on the sidewalk just off the patio! Evidently the kitchen can accommodate more diners, but their space can't, so devotees of the restaurant have solved this problem by bringing their own everything! We were quite intrigued by this concept and thought it sounded like a fun Friday night adventure with friends

At the house Saturday morning: Will had lofted his bed (perhaps to sleep further away from the trash), but it was horribly rickety so Robert helped Will stabilize it (or more accurately, Will *supervised* while Robert fixed the bed)

Will's desk. Hmmm

The boys hosted a cookout at the fraternity house for the parents. Will originally told us the party would start at 11, but he texted me around 10:45 and said, "Uh, I just woke up and I'm the only one at the house who's awake, so you probably shouldn't come until closer to 11:30."

Robert and me with Will before the football game

At the game I spotted this adorable child wearing a precious purple and white gingham bishop dress smocked with TCU's horned frog mascot. Oh, how I miss the days when I dressed my girls like that!

TCU's stadium is under construction. It was unpleasantly hot that afternoon, so I watched the game from under the concourse. TCU beat Portland State, 55-13

Saturday night Will invited another friend to join us for dinner at a steakhouse in the Fort Worth Stockyards

Mother and son at the conclusion of a fun weekend!

What's for dinner: Greek-style scampi over pasta.

2011-09-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to discover I had never shared this recipe here before as it is an old favorite. The preparation time is short, and the dish smells SO good as it's cooking (hard to go wrong with tomatoes and garlic). The original version in Cooking Light was not served with pasta, but I think the noodles and scampi are a delicious combination.

Greek-style Scampi over Pasta
adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light

1 teaspoon olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
28-oz can diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes, divided
½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8-oz angel hair (or other) pasta

Sauté garlic in olive oil for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and 1½ teaspoons parsley and simmer for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 5 additional minutes. Spoon into a shallow baking dish. Sprinkile with feta cheese. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley, lemon juice and pepper. Serve over cooked and drained pasta.

Serves 3.

Off to college, year II.

2011-09-22T11:23:00.001-05:00

Will with Dots and Robert just before leaving for Fort Worth

Will headed off for his sophomore year at TCU last month. Sending him off this year was much easier emotionally and preparation-wise than last! In fact, after a summer of murky curfews and disagreements over the best uses of his leisure time, I can't say I was sorry for school to start back!

Tucker says goodbye

Dots and I followed in my car to help transport Will's clothes

It took us several trips to haul in all of his stuff. Will is living in his fraternity house this year, which at TCU is a designated dorm

"Will, can I take a picture of you in your room?"

Mom made a run to the Kroger's to stock up on nutritious (ha) boy food

Will seems to be enjoying his sophomore year. There's definitely a greater comfort level knowing how things work and where everything is on campus and already having a circle of friends.

Robert and I are heading to Fort Worth on Friday for TCU Family Weekend. I'm looking forward to that! I'll see if I can sneak a picture or two of the room this time. Go, Frogs!

Snapshots from Jackson Hole 2011, part II.

2011-09-18T20:46:00.003-05:00

My dad with my brother and his kids and Dots by one of Yellowstone's thermal features near Old Faithful

My mom and Dots with Jed, Matt and Mary Grace near the Fountain Paint Pots at Yellowstone

Pretty flowers on my mom's table (part of a series of three containers - I have no idea why the picture is so blurry)

Will is here! The little cousins LOVE Will

Even Biba is interested in whatever Will is doing on the computer (I'm guessing he was playing Toontown)

On our way to a picnic at String Lake in Grand Teton National Park. I told you I never tire of this view - or of photographing it!

We coaxed Vivian out of the car by giving her some bread to feed the ducks (there weren't any ducks, but Vivian didn't seem to notice)

Vivian and Dots

This deer walked right by our picnic!

Dots finishing up her summer reading (To Kill a Mockingbird - one of my very favorite books!)

Someone take a picture - I am actually doing something outdoors and active! This kayak was actually very fun - and the scenery and weather were unbeatable

Me in the kayak and Robert on the paddle board

My dad on the paddle board

Wherever Will is, the boys are not far behind

My mom organized a really great picnic - Robert assisted with the grill

Will, Mary Grace and "Smurfette"

My dad loading up the boats to go home

Robert and Dots by Jenny Lake

One of the antler arches in the Jackson town square - Vivian calls these "rainbows"

On our way to my Aunt Judy's for dinner

Matt, Dots and Will playing bocce ball at Aunt Judy and Uncle Frank's

Aunt Judy always sets a beautiful table and serves a delicious meal

The annual Jackson Hole Land Trust picnic - this year held on my parents' property

Entrance to the meadow where the picnic was held

The picnic tent

The picnic tent viewed from the back

Arriving at the picnic

Me, Will, Jonathan and Mary Grace - MG wore the cutest pink cowgirl boots!

Will and Dots with Jed and Matt

Megan, Jonathan, my mom, me and Robert

This band played great bluegrass music

Me with my brother Jonathan

My dad sharing about the history of the property and its importance to the environment and wildlife

Picnic attendees

Family picture

My mom, Dots and Matt playing Mexican Train

Look! I'm working on my stocking!

My mom says Will is like the Pied Piper!

Dots, Vivian and my mom out for an evening walk

My mom, Dots, Vivian and I had a picnic at a park in town

Boo hoo! It's time to go home

Snapshots from Jackson Hole 2011, part I.

2011-09-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

In August Vivian, Dots and I spent ten days in Jackson Hole with my parents. Robert and Will flew up for a long weekend while we were there. We had a fabulous time! Here are some pictures from our trip.

First view of the Grand Tetons from our plane

The first night we were there my Aunt Judy and Uncle Frank, my cousin John and his wife Andrea and their kids came over for dinner (John, Andrea and Aunt Judy are pictured here with my sister-in-law Megan)

The cousins love Dots!

Our first morning there Dots snuggled on the sofa with my brother's children...

...while Vivian entertained herself with her *phone* (iPod Touch)

We ate lunch at the Pioneer Grill in the beautiful Jackson Lake Lodge on our way to an overnight visit to Yellowstone

Vivian refused to eat at the bar so her sweet cousin Mary Grace came over to visit with her

We stopped for a family picture at the entrance to the park

This is what Vivian thought of stopping for a family picture at the entrance to the park

We stayed at the Snow Lodge in the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone. The cousins (sans Vivian) stayed in my parents' room

Next door I caught up on email while Vivian napped

As evening approached, Dots and I took a walk around the geyser basin

The beautiful and historic Old Faithful Inn (built in 1903-1904)

Looking out over the geyser basin at dusk (sorry about the picture quality - my iPhone camera's low-light capabilities leave a lot to be desired!)

Dots by a thermal feature whose name I don't remember

Dots by Old Faithful as it erupted (and my picture quality deteriorated even further)

The next morning as we set out to drive the lower loop in Yellowstone, we stopped to look at the Fountain Paint Pots. Vivian refused to get dressed but at least she agreed to get out of the car!

Jed, Matt, Dots and Mary Grace check out the Fountain Paint Pots

Dots, my brother Jonathan, my sister-in-law Megan and my niece Mary Grace by a thermal pool. Mary Grace did not like the sulphur smell that permeates the air in Yellowstone!

Me and Dots by the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River

Lower Falls - quite spectacular!

Jed, Dots and Matt overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Entering the scenic Hayden Valley we saw a lot of buffalo

Close-up of buffalo taken from the safety of the car!

We stopped for lunch at the beautiful Lake Hotel (originally built in 1891 but substantially expanded in 1903)

The family waiting on lunch. Vivian was obviously not too interested, but at least she finally got dressed!

Dots by Yellowstone Lake. Lake is my favorite area of the park

A majestic elk in the midst of fire-ravaged trees

Passing through Grand Teton National Park on our way back home from Yellowstone. I never tire of that spectacular view!

A litte more pep.

2011-09-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

Vivian seemed a little more engaged at her second pep rally!

Vivian even watched the goings-on instead of looking at her movie!

More from Vivian at school:

Vivian's teacher sent this video clip of Vivian walking on the treadmill at school. I believe this is in the athletic training room?

***I played in a regional bridge tournament every day last week. After I catch up on my neglected duties at home, I promise to post about our trip to Wyoming in August and about dropping Will off for his sophomore year at TCU

Vivian's first pep rally.

2011-08-29T10:01:00.000-05:00

Vivian's teacher sent me this picture of Vivian at her first high school pep rally on Friday. The cheerleaders don't seem to be rallying much pep in her!

Thank you for all of your sweet messages about Vivian's transition to high school. She still seems to be managing remarkably well, although she did have one incident last week where she stood on her chair when it was time to work. {sigh}

Vivian and me eating dinner in Wyoming

My mother reminded me of another funny Vivian story from our time in Wyoming:

When we're visiting at her house, my mom prepares fabulous breakfasts for the kids every morning (pancakes, French toast, eggs, etc.). One day she had fixed fried grits* which are my favorite. I sat next to Vivian at the table, and fried grits are evidently also a hit with Vivian because she ate hers very quickly. I, on the other hand, was savoring each bite and had about half my serving left when Vivian finished hers. She pointed to my plate and said to me, "May I borrow yours?"

*Fried grits are made from leftover grits that have been spread onto a plate and refrigerator. You cut a serving of the grits, dip it in egg and fry in a frying pan.

Funny Vivian story and update on her arm.

2011-08-23T10:04:00.001-05:00

I took Vivian back to the orthopedist last week for follow-up on her arm. You might recall that at our last visit, Dr. Brown determined that Vivian did not dissolve internal stitches as designed but that instead her body "spit" them out, which was causing her incision to open in spots and was resulting in little pockets of infection up and down the incision. At our appointment last week Dr. Brown was satisfied that the antibiotics had taken care of the staph infection. He indicated that he thinks we can address any future flare ups that might result from remaining undissolved internal stitches with more antibiotics and thus more surgery is not necessary (hooray!). Dr. Brown also measured the range of motion in Vivian's elbow. He observed it going from 70 to 110 degrees. Not enough change to have warranted the surgery if we'd known in advance that would be all we would gain, but at least it's some improvement over the stuck-at-90-degrees Vivian had before.

A funny Vivian story: Vivian was perfect on the trip home from Jackson Hole last week. She got out of her stroller and onto the plane without incident and then slept for most of the flight back to Dallas. As we were exiting the plane, Vivian mowed right past an older Asian lady in the aisle (in Vivian's defense, the lady was just standing there blocking traffic for no apparent reason). I scolded her, "Vivian! You need to say, 'Excuse me, please.'". Instead Vivian called out, "Hey! You're in my way!". I am hopeful the lady didn't understand English, or Vivian's English anyway!

Vivian's first day at the high school yesterday seemed to go very well! Thanks for all of your kind words of encouragement. I hope this will be a good year for her.

Back to School!

2011-08-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

Will, Dots and Robert before we left to take Will back to TCU

Lots to catch up on at Casa Weasel. We had a fabulous 10-day trip to Jackson Hole to see my parents, I have a cute Vivian story and a mini-update on her arm and we got Will moved into the fraternity house for his sophomore year at TCU. I promise to post on all of those things this week.

For now, though, time is short this morning so I will just post a couple of Back-to-School pictures. I hope everyone had a great summer! I also hope that the start of school means that the end of 100+ degree days in Dallas is nearing. Fall cannot come soon enough for me.

Vivian started high school today!

Vivian's bus driver is the same one she's had for the last ten years - quite a blessing as this sweet lady is wonderful with Vivian

Today, however, Vivian was quite happy and genuinely seemed so glad to be going to school that she climbed right onto the bus without incident - even kissed me goodbye!

Dots is in 8th grade this year - top of the heap at her middle school!

Dots (left) wasn't too keen on my coming inside to take her picture. She quickly met up with two friends to walk into the building, sans mom. She did not kiss my goodbye

Disney redux.

2011-08-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

My cousin Cathy, me and my sister Marian at Walt Disney World, c. 1971

Marian and me riding Autopia with our dad. I was the older, bossier one, so of course I'm driving

Marian, me and Cathy on the teacups with Uncle Frank

Quick update on Vivian's arm.

2011-08-03T09:30:00.006-05:00

Vivian with her stack of colored pictures for my neighbor Karey. Vivian works very hard on these creations, and as she completes each one, she says, "Allison's mom will love it"

We are still experiencing a few issues with Vivian's arm after her surgery in mid-June. Apparently Vivian is *allergic* to Vicryl, the material used for internal stitches, in that her body does not dissolve them as intended but rather *spits* the stitches out. As a result, Vivian's incision has yet to heal completely, and now there are signs of infection there.

The allergy is not serious enough to have been the cause of Vivian's catastrophic fever last summer, but it explains how back in March she developed a staph infection in an incision from her g-tube placement some seven months after that surgery.

Dr. Brown is treating Vivian with antibiotics, and hopefully those will clear up the infection in her arm. Once the infection is gone, we will evaluate whether to schedule an additional minor surgery to remove any remaining internal stitches and sew up the incision externally. I'll keep you posted.

Since her *cactus* was removed, Vivian has a very small amount of improved motion in her elbow, though certainly not enough to warrant surgery had we known this would be the result. Vivian rebounded so quickly from the procedure, however, that I'm not sorry we tried. In typical Vivian fashion, the incision on her arm has not bothered her one bit, even in its current inflamed state, and I am very grateful for that.

As always, I deeply appreciate your prayers and concern for Vivian.

More Disneyland pictures, part II.

2011-08-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney California Adventure - this was a really cute, fun ride, but the lines for it were always quite long, even first thing in the morning

In the interest of full disclosure/keeping it real, I should point out that Will appears in no morning pictures because he was too grumpy to get up early with the rest of us and head to the park before the crowds and midday heat and sun hit (never mind that we had gained two hours going from Texas to California). On Wednesday morning when Will balked at waking up, I told him that was fine as long as he kept Vivian, who was also being sleepy and irritable, at the hotel with him. So Robert, Dots and I headed to the parks by ourselves and had the nicest, most relaxing day! Will had planned to bring Vivian to Disneyland around lunch, but she was so content coloring, looking at books and watching her phone in the room that he decided to stay back. This ended up working out really well because the rest of the week Will got up and went with us in the morning, and he and Vivian were both in better spirits.

All said, we had a great week at Disneyland. Our family was able to spend a lot of time together which doesn't happen much anymore, and it was overall a relaxing and fun vacation. I loved the rides, the shows, the characters; I'm ready to go back!

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I couldn't believe how much I loved this ride! I went on it four times

Dots and me in the hotel lobby of the Tower of Terror

I was especially taken by the conceptualization of the 1930's hotel that served as the setting for the ride. The queue line ends in this lobby

Picture from the Tower of Terror. I'm on the middle row, far right, hanging on for dear life with my eyes closed!

I haven't ridden a roller coaster in about 25 years, but I went on California Screamin' and enjoyed it! I look like Cousin It from the Addams Family in this picture, however (behind Robert and to the right of Dots), because I wouldn't let go even for a second to get my hair out of my face

These sisters are from Charlotte, NC and go to camp with Dots! The girls were in California visiting their grandparents and we made plans to meet up with them one day at Disneyland

Wednesday night Will, Dots and I ate at Bubba Gump in the Anaheim Garden Walk near our hotel. Sweet Robert stayed at the hotel with Vivian so we could enjoy a peaceful dinner

Thursday morning - Will and Dots on the Mad Tea Party

October 2000 - Will, Dots and Robert on the tea cups!

Riding the bus down Main Street

Waiting in line at Toy Story Midway Mania

This ride was so cute! We wore 3-D glasses and played arcade shooting games as we rode through. A monitor on the dash showed our score

Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure

Paradise Pier at night just before the World of Color show

Vivian and Robert at the Mike and Sulley to the Rescue ride (from Monsters, Inc.). Vivian really liked this ride - she enjoyed trying to find the baby in each scene as the little taxi car rode around. This was another attraction that had a handicap-accessible car so we could take Vivian straight on in her stroller. I think that made a huge difference in her whole demeanor

Exterior of It's a Small World at night

Earlier in the week when we rode on Small World, Vivian got out of her stroller and sat with me. This time she refused to get in a regular boat, so we waited on a wheelchair-accessible one. Her stroller was loaded into the back and Robert and I sat on a bench some distance in front. We were both terrified Vivian would melt down and try to get out! Fortunately she was mesmerized enough by the ride that she sat contentedly

Outside Soarin' over California - a simulated hang-glider ride that takes you over the sights of California. This was one of my favorite attractions. Vivian looks so happy you'd never know she just completely fell apart, hence the reason she and Robert were waiting in an empty exit hallway! We were able to trade off afterward so Robert could ride. Disney is very accommodating about parents taking turns. In fact I can't say enough good things about how helpful the cast members (Disney employees) were to us throughout our visit

Dots entertaining the other guests while they waited for their Animation Academy cartoon-drawing lesson. Robert, Will, and Dorothy enjoyed this so much that they went back for a second lesson. Unfortunately the first class was on drawing Chip and the second was on Dale!

Our last morning in the parks. Will had flown home early for a fraternity function, so it was just Dots, Vivian, Robert and me. We took turns riding Space Mountain and Star Tours again before heading to Fantasyland one last time. While I shopped for souvenirs, Robert took the girls to see Captain EO, a 1980's movie with Michael Jackson. Inexplicably, Vivian loved it!

We had a hard time convincing Vivian to give back her 3-D glasses after the show

Back on the Casey Junior Train

You might guess that our entire family knows the words to the Casey Jr theme song by heart

Pretty, manicured miniature gardens comprised the landscape between the train tracks and the canals

On the Storybook Land Canal boats. Vivian was fascinated by our passage through the mouth of the whale from Pinocchio

Dots and I loved the miniature scenes constructed along the banks of the canal. Behind her is Cinderella's castle

Dots chose this California tank top as her souvenir of the trip. If this child were to go to college in California, she would never come back home!

After we discovered Napolini in Downtown Disney, we never ate anywhere else for lunch! They have delicious pizza and fresh salads and sandwiches

Clearing security one last time as we journeyed from Downtown Disney back past the park entrances

Heading back to our hotel

Goodbye, Disneyland! We hope to return again soon!

The children at Disneyland in 2000

More Disneyland pictures, part I.

2011-07-28T09:23:00.043-05:00

Arriving at our hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn Anaheim Maingate. The hotel was about a ten-minute walk from the park entrance. We enjoyed having a suite with a kitchen, and breakfast was included each morning

First stop: Dumbo! Vivian loved the "magic feather" they give you when it's your turn

Vivian tried to give the magic feather to Dumbo so he could fly

Dots on Main Street USA

Fireworks over Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Dots on Main Street USA at night

Back at Disneyland early the next morning when we had early admission

First stop: the crazy busy Star Tours which just reopened mid-June. We loved this ride! (Some of us, anyway - you can see what Vivian thought of Star Tours. She balked at the last minute and wouldn't get on so Robert and I traded off waiting with her - Dots got to go twice in a row)

Back on Dumbo!

Vivian on Dumbo again - this was the morning she was so out of sorts

Robert and his girls on the Casey Jr Train

Robert and Vivian on the Casey Jr Train. Vivian kept repeating, "Just like on Dumbo"

Dots on the carousel in Fantasyland

Vivian liked riding the horse

Vivian gives Minnie a hug

It's a Small World

Vivian and me on It's a Small World

Vivian on the Disneyland Railroad. Who'd have guessed things were about to get ugly?!

Vivian threw herself out of her stroller and tried to get off the moving train. Nice!

The girls and me after we got Vivian settled down. She had a seizure not 20 minutes later, which was likely the cause of her earlier distress. She had another seizure an hour or so later after she and I got back to the hotel

Evening in Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure

The nighttime ElecTRONica show at Disney California Adventure. Will and Dots LOVED this

Report on Disneyland.

2011-07-26T21:23:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful family trip to Disneyland! We left last Monday morning and got home Saturday night. I'm just now digging my way out from under the laundry and mail to take time to share some pictures.

The family just after we entered Disneyland

New entrance to Disney California Adventure

This visit we especially enjoyed Disney California Adventure. The park is in the middle of a $1.1 billion expansion and enhancement endeavor, and the parts that are done are fabulous. Disney had just unveiled a new entrance to California Adventure days before we arrived, and I loved the music that was playing just inside the gates. All of it was California-themed. I'm trying to locate a playlist, but the ones I can remember are:

26 Miles by the Four Preps
San Fernando Valley by Bing Crosby
Do You Know the Way to San José by Dionne Warwick
The Little Old Lady from Pasadena by Jan and Dean
Hollywood Nights by Bob Seger
California Dreamin' by The Mamas and the Papas
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie
and Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys

I used a really slick app on my iPhone called SoundHound to identify the ones I didn't know. I just held it up while a song was playing and in a few seconds it had identified the title and artist. Very handy!

Since DCA is a fairly new park, everything there is completely handicap accessible. This was great with Vivian as there were several rides we could take her on without having to get her out of her stroller (fewer transitions equates to fewer meltdowns with Vivian). We also had a Guest Assistance Pass that allowed us to use the handicap entrances at Disneyland and to wait in a quiet area when there were long lines; that pass was a godsend with Vivian.

A DCA Cast Member loading Vivian onto a chariot on the brand new Little Mermaid ride (that was very cute!). They had me get into my seat in the chariot first, and I was so nervous that Vivian would get upset before the sweet unsuspecting girl got her into the vehicle. Fortunately that didn't happen!

On board the chariot. I am trying to buckle our seatbelt in case Vivian decides to try and escape before the ride is over

Dots and Will seemed to enjoy themselves. Dots loved having her picture taken with the Disney characters. She and Will both loved the ElecTRONica music and special effects show at night in DCA and were big fans of the California Screamin' roller coaster. I haven't ridden a roller coaster in years, but I even enjoyed that one, though I only rode it once where the two of them went upwards of ten times over the course of the week.

Dots and her Disney friends

Dots and Will in Fantasyland

The family sans me in the Paradise Pier area of DCA. California Screamin' is behind them

I was a bit disappointed that Vivian didn't enjoy Disneyland more. She seemed to *endure* our time there rather than revel in it. Tuesday morning Vivian was especially out of sorts. It was difficult to get her onto any rides, even though we were attempting things she should have liked (Dumbo, Casey Jr. Train, Carousel, etc.). We were on the Disneyland Train heading to meet Will (whom I had let sleep in so that I didn't have to deal with another grumpy child) when seemingly out of the blue Vivian melted down, threw herself out of her stroller and started to fuss about getting off the train (not an option as it was moving). Robert was able to calm Vivian down and get her back into her stroller where she fell asleep. Not ten minutes later she had a seizure (Vivian also had another one after I took her back to the hotel to recoup). I should have known something was stirred up in Vivian's little brain as she really was not herself that morning. Vivian did better as the week went on, but she never stopped asking her to go home. She eventually started getting on rides in the hopes, I think, that each would deliver her home! Since we've been home, however, she has said Disneyland was fun and will recount a couple of the rides she liked if asked.

Vivian on the Jungle Cruise

Vivian with Robert and Dots on the Casey Jr Train

Our family's favorite thing this trip was certainly the World of Color fountain show at DCA. My pictures don't do the spectacle justice, and it is also difficult to describe. 1200 fountains are choreographed with lights and Disney music and videos. The show was simply amazing. My reticent teenaged son told me he used up the last of his phone's memory trying to video World of Color. He even requested that we go back to see it again the next night (which we did). You can read a little more about the show here: World of Color.

World of Color

World of Color

Robert commented that he enjoyed this trip even more than Hawaii. That's saying a lot!

Robert and Vivian near Indiana Jones - my favorite ride at Disneyland apart from Peter Pan

Robert and Dots on the Disneyland Railroad

I'm a bit sad that our Disney vacation is over and am already plotting to go back after the construction at Disney California Adventure is complete. Perhaps by that time I'll have finished the laundry and mail from this trip!

Stay tuned for more pictures...

Off to Disneyland!

2011-07-17T22:58:00.000-05:00

Will and Dots, Walt Disney World, 2003

Our family leaves for Disneyland in the morning! I can hardly wait. Besides the fun of the parks, Southern California weather with its highs of 80° sounds like a much welcome improvement over our sustained days of 100+ here in Texas.

Vivian, Walt Disney World, 2003

We took the kids to Disneyland in (I think) 2000 and 2001, but the trips predate my digital camera and I don't have time to dig out my old-fashioned albums and check. I did find these pictures from Walt Disney World in 2003 and Disneyland Paris in 2004 which were our last trips to Disney. As you can see from the age of the children in these shots, our experience this time will likely be much different! I'm looking forward to spending time together as a family, though, since we are so seldom all together for any length of time anymore.

The girls and me, Disneyland Paris, 2004

I'll post back soon. Wish me luck as we try to convince Vivian to ride anything besides Dumbo and the Casey Junior Train!

Love those Chick-fil-A cows.

2011-07-16T08:48:00.002-05:00

In-N-Out Burger recently arrived in the Dallas area. The latest outlet opened a few weeks ago not far from my house. The response has been so incredible that there are several policemen directing traffic, and people are lined up for hours to buy a burger!

About two doors down from the new In-N-Out is a very successful Chick-fil-A franchise. Last weekend I spotted this billboard above the Chick-fil-A. I thought it was hilarious and so very clever! Love those cows.

Dots on a mission. Of sorts.

2011-07-14T17:28:00.006-05:00

Dots left this week for a mission trip to Colorado with a group from our church. They will spend a couple of days helping out with a homeless shelter in inner city Denver and then take part in some backpacking and whitewater rafting near Gunnison.

Her leaders have been posting some pictures and updates on Twitter.

Here some people are planting flowers.

While this group is picking up trash.

But where is Dots?

The only picture of her was taken at "Free Slurpee Day" at 7-11. Hmmm. I can almost promise you I know whose idea that was!

Report on the Fourth.

2011-07-13T17:17:00.000-05:00

Yikes! Here it is the 13th of July and I'm just now posting pictures from the 4th. Will had his wisdom teeth out last Thursday, and I've been playing nursemaid to him. Let's blame the delay on that!

We had a very nice, if low-key, Fourth of July. We had some neighbors over to cook out Sunday night, then went to our community parade Monday morning and to watch fireworks Monday night.

Dots made these patriotic cupcakes from scratch using Cooks Illustrated's cupcake recipe and Ina Garten's buttercream frosting recipe. She thought of dying part of the icing red and blue and piping them to make the design on top. They were as delicious as they were cute!

Vivian helped herself to two cupcakes! (Notice the white gauze wrap that has replaced Vivian's beloved pink "cactus." We covered her incision to keep her from messing with the steri-strips, and it has had the added benefit of making her think she still has a cast!

Casual dinner with neighbors the night before the Fourth

The girls, Tucker and me at the parade

A funny Vivian story: Dorothy and her friend Clare wanted me to take them to get snow cones on the Fourth of July. I asked Vivian if she would like to go with us or stay home with Daddyman and Will. She thought for a minute and then answered, "I want to go with us."

Robert took some video of the fireworks on his iPhone. Listen to the end for Vivian's opinion of the grand finale!

Hope you had a Happy Fourth of July!

What's for dinner: Tuna Marinara with Rigatoni.

2011-07-03T13:48:00.045-05:00

While visiting Anne-Murray in Birmingham, I perused her Cooking Club's latest cookbook, Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Family, and Traditions, and copied down this recipe. I made it one night last week and thought it was fabulous.

Tuna Marinara with Rigatoni
from the Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, Alabama

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil (I think I may have copied something wrong because I never found where to use the extra 2 T of olive oil - I also think I would use a little less than a quarter cup next time for the tuna steaks)
2 6-ounce center cut tuna loin steaks or canned tuna in oil (though Robert doesn't like canned tuna, he enjoys fresh tuna steaks. Albacore steaks were on sale at my grocery store so I used those)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
¾ cup julienned onions
¼ cup peeled and thinly sliced garlic (about 5 cloves)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ cup drained capers, roughly chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (which I forgot to buy)
16 ounces rigatoni, cooked al dente and drained

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the tuna steaks on all sides with 1¼ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add tuna to hot oil and sear on all sides until cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onions. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and red pepper and cook 4 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Return seared tuna to pan and break into large chunks with wooden spoon. Stir 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, capers and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley (assuming you remembered to buy it, ahem). Toss with rigatoni and serve immediately.

I also grated some fresh Parmesan on top as I think that makes everything better!

Serves 4-6.

2038 miles. 8 states. 4 days. 3 nights.

2011-07-02T13:25:00.001-05:00

Crossing the Mississippi River. I gave up on taking pictures while driving after this

Vivian and I survived our road trip to pick up Dots at camp in North Carolina (though as you can see, it's taken me a week to recover enough to blog about it!). On the way there we traveled with a big thunderstorm, which made for some stretches of slow and tedious driving, but other than that, the trip was uneventful. No trips to the ER for me like last year, thank goodness!

First stop: Birmingham to see my friend Anne-Murray and her family (shown here: Vivian, Anne-Murray and A-M's daughter Lauren)

Me and Anne-Murray

Vivian largely did very well, though there were frequent pleas from the back seat to "take the big girl home." I kept reminding her, "But, Vivian, remember we have to pick up Dorothy at camp?" To which she finally replied, "Let's take the big girl home instead."

Stop two: dinner in Knoxville with my roommate from SMU, Mary, and her family

This was Vivian's birthday. Anne-Murray had a cake and balloons for Vivian at her house and Mary and her daughter Lizzy had made Paula Deen's S'mores Cake, which Vivian LOVED

I listened to two books on tape during the trip that really helped the time to pass quickly. The first was In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, which I would highly recommend. The second was State of Wonder, which I thought was good but not great.

Thursday morning: waiting in line (in more rain, of course) to pick up Dots from camp in North Carolina

Mission accomplished! Dots and her friend Cleary Gray, whom we dropped off at her house in Birmingham on our way home

Third night: Jackson, Mississippi, where we stayed with my friend Cynthia (pictured her with her daughter Katie and me)

Vivian loved Cynthia's pets, especially her cat Alpine

Cynthia's dog Isabelle is our Tucker's mother!

Apart from reuniting with Dots, the best part of the trip was seeing three of my all-time favorite friends. I wish I had had more time to spend with each of them. Maybe I'll make the journey again next year and stay longer!

Happy Birthday, Vivian!

2011-06-22T09:00:00.010-05:00

Vivian - age 3

Vivian is 17 today!

She and I are on our way to pick up Dorothy at camp in North Carolina. We'll be back this weekend.

Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes. Vivian is doing GREAT! You'd never know she went through major surgery just a week ago; she hasn't taken even an Advil since Friday morning. The swelling on her arm went down after about 24 hours. It's still a horrendous shade of dark purple, but Vivian doesn't seem to notice.

I'll report back after our trip.

Update on Vivian - 6/20

2011-06-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Vivian tells about her pink "cactus"

I apologize for not updating again sooner on Vivian. She is doing so well that I plumb forgot that everyone didn't know that!

The last time I gave Vivian any pain medicine was Friday morning. That was a dose of Advil, and I don't even think she needed it by that point. The swelling on her upper arm decreased substantially within 24 hours, though it remains every shade of black, blue and purple you can imagine. I can't say that it ever bothered Vivian, though.

Saturday morning I was talking to Vivian and she told me, "Dr. Brown give me my pink cactus. Love it!" It was really sweet. We are scheduled to go back to Dr. Brown's office next week. Vivian may be really sad when she realizes he has to remove her beloved cactus!

I've been amazed at how well Vivian has managed with her "cactus." She dresses and undresses herself frequently and with ease, acting like she's not the least bit encumbered. Perhaps because her arm has been bent at that angle for a year now, Vivian doesn't even notice a difference.

Vivian and I leave in the morning on our little road trip to pick up Dorothy in North Carolina. We are stopping to see dear friends in Birmingham, Knoxville and Jackson on the way there and back. I am quite excited! I also can't wait to see Dots and hear all about camp.

Robert and I are immensely grateful for the many kind expressions of love and thoughtfulness we have received on Vivian's behalf. We truly appreciate your prayers and well wishes. To God be the glory!

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." Isaiah 61:10-11

24 years ago today...

2011-06-20T15:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband Robert! We are celebrating over dinner at the Mansion on Turtle Creek tonight. I look forward to many more happy years together!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T15:12:00.001-05:00

To my own dad...

My dad reading my favorite book, Arty the Smarty, to me circa 1968

...and to Robert!

with Will before a Mavs playoff game

with Vivian in Hawaii

with Dots after her ballet recital

Update on Vivian - 6/16

2011-06-16T20:36:00.001-05:00

Vivian did pretty well last night, though let me say that a hospital room makes for a miserable night of sleep for the patient's companion.

Vivian was intrigued by her hospital bed and kept imploring me to "please make the bed big." I finally realized she wanted me to adjust her bed's mechanical controls. I made the top of the bed sit up a bit, and Vivian told me, "Thank you. Now I can go to sleep in my big bed."

Vivian woke up around 2 and was pretty agitated about her IV and pulse/oxygen monitor. This time I knew to call the nurse for a dose of morphine before the situation escalated. The morphine calmed Vivian immediately once again, but she refused to go back to sleep so I walked her around the 6th floor of the hospital in her stroller for an hour or so. Vivian eventually dozed off and I got her back into her hospital bed where she slept very soundly. I finally fell back asleep around 4, only to wake up at 5 when the nurse took Vivian's vitals and at 6:30 when they needed me to give Vivian her morning seizure medicines.

This morning after Vivian woke up, she was in pretty good spirits and she ate a great breakfast of scrambled eggs, French toast and cantaloupe. Vivian contentedly watched movies on my iPad but kept barking at Robert and me to "turn off that TV" as we attempted to watch the Mavericks Championship parade, and she continually accused us and the nurses, "Hey! You woke me up!"

Late in the morning Robert and I took Vivian for a stroll down to the PICU on the 5th floor where we were able to see many of the nurses who so wonderfully cared for her last summer. Vivian was a bit groggy at that point, and like I've said before, she remembers little of her time there, but Robert and I were glad to see everyone and they were thrilled to see Vivian looking so much better.

Leaving the hospital

We brought Vivian home from the hospital around 1. She was so glad to be in her own room again! Vivian immediately ordered me to go find Percy, but before I could follow Vivian's command, Percy came sauntering in and jumped on her bed where he's slept devotedly near her all afternoon.

Sleeping at home with Percy by her side

Vivian's arm is terribly swollen and hideously purple just above her cast. The cast is split down the front and back, so we used a coin to separate the sides a little more to give her arm some additional space. The hospital nurse called Dr. Brown in the middle of the night and Robert spoke to his office again this afternoon, and Dr. Brown said as long as Vivian's fingers on that hand are not swollen and have good circulation (measured by pushing on her finger and watching for the color to return within seconds) and provided we can fit a finger inside the top of her cast, the situation is not alarming. All of those conditions are met, but that part of Vivian's arm looks AWFUL and appears to me would be uncomfortable. Vivian doesn't seem bothered by it too much, albeit she's not moving that arm around a whole lot. She still loves her pink "cactus" and admonished every nurse who came near her today not to take it off.

We enjoyed a nice visit from Vivian's Aunt Patti and cousins Owen and Hollis this afternoon, but otherwise Vivian and I slept the day away. Robert has attentively administered Vivian's alternating doses of Tylenol and Advil since she's been home, and those seem to be adequately managing her pain.

Vivian and I are planning to take a road trip to pick up Dorothy from camp in North Carolina next week. Vivian is scheduled to visit Dr. Brown and have her cast removed the following week.

Praise God that we have passed the point where Vivian spiked a fever after her original arm surgery. Praise Him that she has responded well to pain medication and seems comfortable. Please pray that the swelling above Vivian's arm subsides and that she experiences no other complications from the surgery. Continue to pray that the range of motion in Vivian's elbow shows improvement.

Thank you for your kind words of support for Robert and me and for your love and prayers for Vivian.

"Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all." I Chronicles 29:11

The hardware Dr. Brown removed from Vivian's arm!

Update on Vivian - 6/15

2011-06-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

Vivian resting quietly this afternoon

I apologize for the delay in posting an update.

Vivian went in to surgery at 7:55 this morning and Dr. Brown came out to speak to us around 12:30. Shortly after that we were taken back to sit with Vivian in recovery, and we were brought upstairs to a room around 2.

Vivian came through the surgery well; there were no problems with anesthesia. Dr. Brown was disappointed, however, with the amount of improvement in Vivian's range of motion that he was able to achieve. He removed almost all of the hardware from her arm and shaved away two cups worth of excess bone, but there was still a lot more that could not be removed without significant risk of damaging a nerve or weakening the integrity of Vivian's arm. Dr. Brown was able to realize about 10 degrees of improved motion in each direction (opening and closing), but he fears that may tighten back up before he is able to remove the cast.

Certainly we would not have put Vivian through the trauma of the surgery if we had known this would be the outcome, but there was no way to predict the result without undergoing the operation. I am thankful that at least we didn't make things worse.

The status screen in the waiting room. Vivian's coded name is third from the top. The Band-Aid next to it showed she was in recovery. When she was in surgery, the symbol was a little scalpel; finishing surgery was a little row of stitches like a railroad track. The monitor was very handy for tracking Vivian's progress. We were so glad to finally see that bandage!

Earlier this afternoon Vivian was awake, she ate a bagel and she drank a Sprite. She was in good spirits and not in any discomfort. Dr. Brown came by to check on Vivian and was pleased with how everything looked. Vivian politely asked him to take out her IV, which is wrapped in a splint on her good arm. He told her it could come off in the morning if she did well tonight. Vivian looked at Dr. Brown and said, "Will you go get the lady?" (meaning "You're no help. Maybe that nurse will rescue me!"). It was pretty funny. She also instructed Dr. Brown, "Don't take off my pink cactus."

Vivian with the wonderful Dr. Brown

About an hour ago, however, Vivian began to cry and pleaded with us to "take it off, it's hurting me" as she attempted to pull at the bandage covering her IV. I crawled in bed with her (shades of last summer) and restrained her feet while Robert stood by the bed and held her hands to prevent her from grabbing the lines. Her crying turned into desperate sobs of, "Take me home. Please take me home. I want to see Percy.". It nearly broke Robert's, the nurse's and my hearts. Finally Robert suggested that Vivian's pain perception might be misplaced and that perhaps her arm that just underwent extensive surgery might be hurting her. The nurse gave Vivian a small dose of morphine, and within five minutes she fell asleep.

I hope that tonight and tomorrow are better for sweet Vivian. I definitely plan to try and stay ahead of the pain.

Please pray that Vivian's pain remains manageable and lessens markedly each day. Pray that she is protected from any infection. Please also pray that Vivian is able to bend her arm even a little bit more after her cast comes off than she was before the surgery. Praise God for Dr. Brown and for the wonderful nurses caring for Vivian. Praise Him for keeping our sweet Vivian safe during her surgery.

Thank you for your love, support and encouragement. Special thanks to Robert's mom Dorothy for meeting us at the hospital with breakfast early this morning and for sitting with Robert and me all day.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalm 28:7

Robert and his mom in the waiting room during Vivian's surgery

His mom and me - I'm working on my stocking - hooray!

Vivian's surgery.

2011-06-15T11:14:00.000-05:00

Vivian went in for surgery at 7:55. She was very sweet and cooperative, even agreed to change out of her favorite clothes into a hospital nightgown (it helped that I *accidentally* spilled water on her shirt). Vivian was easily distracted while the anesthesiologist started her IV, though when the time dragged on, she decided that perhaps she didn't want an IV in her hand. Fortunately Robert caught her before any damage was done while the anesthesiologist quickly added a sedative to her IV.

We haven't received any news from the OR, but I'll update after we do.

Thank you for your prayers and kind words.

Update on Vivian - 6/13/11

2011-06-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Vivian drinking a milkshake

***Copied from an email sent tonight to family and friends***

Vivian is going to have additional surgery on her arm Wednesday morning.

Though Vivian recovered completely in all other areas after her month+ stay in ICU last summer, she has very little range of motion in her left elbow (essentially it is stuck in a 90° angle). This is due to heterotopic ossicifation (excess bone) that grew around the location of the break in her arm and is impeding the elbow joint; essentially Vivian's arm "overhealed."

Vivian's surgery is scheduled for 7:30 Wednesday morning at Medical City Children's Hospital. Her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brown, plans to remove some of the hardware in Vivian's arm that is no longer needed in addition to as much of the excess bone as he can. Dr. Brown expects the procedure to take about three hours. Vivian will spend Wednesday night in the hospital, and I hope that we can take our time getting discharged Thursday so that she can be monitored for as long as possible (last summer Vivian's high fever occurred about 36 hours after her surgery).

Vivian will wear a cast (or in her words a "cactus") for two weeks. After her cast is removed, Dr. Brown wants Robert and me to encourage Vivian to reach for things with her left arm as much as possible, but not to force it as that could cause the bone to overheal again. Vivian uses her left arm a lot right now so Dr. Brown is very hopeful that she will be able to regain some range of motion in that elbow.

I took Vivian up to Medical City for her pre-op visit today, and she did great! Vivian seemingly has little memory of her extended stay there, likely due to the amnesiac drugs that she took when her condition was most grave (I wish they had given me some of that medicine too). The nurse asked Vivian what happened to her arm, and Vivian told her, "Percy scratched me." (Percy is Vivian's beloved and devoted cat who has no front claws.) Then Vivian said to the nurse, "You will give me a Band-Aid to make my arm better?" If only it were that simple!

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for Vivian this week. Please pray that her surgery is successful and uneventful, that Vivian tolerates the anesthesia well, that Dr. Brown is able to remove the excess bone growth without complication, that Vivian remains free of infection and that her recovery is swift. Pray also that the nerves and blood vessels in the crook of Vivian's arm are long enough to allow increased motion in her elbow. Pray that no heterotopic bone develops in Vivian's arm after the surgery. Finally, pray that Vivian remains pleasant and easy to manage during her hospital stay (you might also pray that I remain pleasant as well).

I will post updates on my blog and on Facebook Wednesday morning and will send an email as soon as Vivian is out of recovery.

Thank you so much for your prayers for Vivian. Certainly God honored them last summer; He has used our sweet, funny little Vivian to bless people all over the world in ways I could have never imagined.

I cannot adequately express how much Robert and I appreciate your words of concern and encouragement.

Warmly,
Eloise

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

Vivian tonight with the sweet, long-suffering, patient Percy

The Champions!

2011-06-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks

It's a happy day at Casa Weasel!

Trifecta.

2011-06-10T15:07:00.001-05:00

Last night's Game 5 of the NBA Finals was hands-down the most exciting sporting event I've ever attended! The lead bounced back and forth throughout the game, but the Mavericks were always in contention. At the end Dallas pulled away sufficiently for me to be able to watch and enjoy the victory; really close games tend to send me hiding my eyes behind loosely clasped fingers!

I doubt that I will ever experience such a banner year of attendance at big sporting events again. What a fun time it's been, though!

World Series, October 2010

Super Bowl XLV, February 2011

NBA Finals, June 2011

LET'S GO, MAVS!

2011-06-09T12:57:00.001-05:00

"It’s not winner-take-all, but it’s winner-take-the-lead-back-to-Miami for Game 6. And I will argue that’s what makes American Airlines Center not only the place to be Thursday night but the site of the biggest local sporting event since the first Cowboys-Packers NFL Championship in the Cotton Bowl."
~Tim Cowlishaw, The Dallas Morning News, June 9, 2011

And I am going!

****************************************

Pictures from Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder and clinched a berth in the NBA Finals

Dots is off to camp.

2011-06-04T18:37:00.003-05:00

Dots left for camp in North Carolina this week. This will be her fourth summer to attend the same camp where I went as a girl. Since we live so far from where I grew up, I love being able to share this part of my heritage with her.

On Tuesday Dots flew to Birmingham, where she stayed with a good friend from camp for a few days.

Waiting for Dots' flight at the airport. You can tell she is trying hard to fight back tears of impending homesickness

"It will be okay, Dots! You'll be home in three weeks!"
Dots: "Really, Mom. You can go now..."

I liked this view of the Dallas skyline from the top of the parking garage at Love Field

I'm guessing Dots was sad to be trading that view for this one from her cabin at camp

I texted Dots Tuesday afternoon, "I miss you! Send me a picture!" She responded with this picture of her with my wonderful friend Anne-Murray, who lives in Birmingham. AM met Dots for ice cream after getting to town. I told Dots that seeing the two of them together only made it worse for me!

Dots rode with her friend CG and CG's mother to North Carolina on Thursday so they could be there bright and early for the first day of camp on Friday.

Dots and CG Thursday night at Sweet Treats, a favorite ice cream and dessert shop near camp. You'd never guess that Dots has a sweet tooth

CG's mother emailed me last night to report that all had gone well dropping the girls off at camp. Dots and CG are in the same cabin, and they have a very cute young college girl for their counselor.

Neon tank tops are all the rage with middle schoolers in Dallas right now. Dots custom ordered two with the camp initials on the front for her friend and herself, and she and CG wore them on the first day of camp (after that the girls will wear uniforms dating back to the camp's founding in 1919 - gray middie tops with dark green shorts and a matching green tie - not nearly as exciting, though I love the tradition!)

CG's mom reported, "Someone came in the cabin right after we got there to take a pic of CG and D in their CMW tank tops. About a million girls asked where they got them. Dorothy is a trend setter!"

I wish I could go to summer camp again.

I'm not thinking anyone ever referred to me as a trend setter, though.

c. 1977

College boy cuisine.

2011-05-31T19:53:00.001-05:00

Will brought some friends home to cook out the other night. They had stopped at the grocery store on the way to our house and picked up their "fixings" for dinner.

Though he has witnessed me cooking and entertaining often over the years, I'm not sure one iota of southern hospitality has rubbed off on Will. Nor has he absorbed much on balanced nutrition or healthy eating!

Here we have dessert, side dishes (two varieties of barbecue potato chips) and beverage, all of which conveniently also served as the hors d'oeuvres

For their entree guests had a choice of bratwurst or steak (not shown because they were whisked out of the kitchen and onto the grill before I could pull out my camera)

I could only take pictures stealthily from inside the house lest I mortify my son and chase off said guests. There seemed to be a lot more supervising than actual cooking taking place, though, from what I could tell

When the food on the grill was ready, I instructed Will to offer his friends a plate and some silverware (since it was clear he was not setting a table). He informed me that he only needed three plates because one of his friends had already eaten his bratwurst straight off the grill in a tortilla.

I had prepared a nice dinner of halibut, shrimp risotto with truffle oil and a Greek salad for Robert, Vivian and me that night. Amazingly, none of that appealed to the boys and they passed on my offer to share. Imagine!

I keep thinking of the Bible verse "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6). I hope that Will does not yet qualify as "old," else I have surely failed in my training duties somewhere along the way!

There are no sufficient words...

2011-05-30T08:48:00.002-05:00

...to express our thanks.

American Cemetary, Normandy, France, 2004

Giggle, Giggle, Quack.

2011-05-28T16:27:00.000-05:00

Two of Vivian's favorite books are Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type and its sequel Giggle, Giggle, Quack. The Dallas Children's Theater was featuring a production of Giggle, Giggle, Quack last weekend, so Robert and I took Vivian to see it.

When we walked in, Vivian spotted a child carrying a copy of Giggle, Giggle, Quack. "Hey! That's my book! Give it back!" Vivian shouted across the lobby.

Fortunately Vivian recovered from her distress and settled down in time to enjoy the show.

Robert and Vivian waiting for the play to begin

I called ahead to reserve handicapped seating. Vivian seems to handle new places much better from the familiar comfort of her stroller

Just after the intermission Vivian fell sound asleep so we left and took her home. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. When I checked on Vivian a little while later, I found her sleeping but clutching her beloved book.

A successful outing, I would say!

Vivian gets tickled.

2011-05-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

Vivian loves to play on PBSKids.com on her computer. Even though she can't read, Vivian can navigate this site amazingly well.

Recently Vivian was watching the "Goodbye" segment on the Teletubbies area of PBSKids.com, and I heard her giggling away in her room. I have absolutely no idea why this particular vignette tickled her funnybone, but I thought it was awfully cute!

Guess who's home?

2011-05-06T16:28:00.001-05:00

Will and his freshman year roommate Daniel

Will's room at home after he unloaded his car. Eek!

Royal celebration.

2011-04-30T15:48:00.001-05:00

Did you set your alarm and get up early to watch the Royal Wedding yesterday? I sure did! Despite having stayed up past midnight to watch the Dallas Mavericks advance to the next round of the NBA playoffs, I did not even need my alarm as I could hardly sleep for my excitement about the wedding.

Dots was invited to a friend's house to watch the royal festivities. Her hostess gave each guest a t-shirt with a picture of the bride and groom on the back, and the girls enjoyed an early breakfast of tea and scones. Dots thought it was so much fun! Of course she and her friends are now plotting how they can meet and marry Price Harry...

After driving carpool, I attended a tape-delayed wedding-watching party at a friend's house. My friend had pulled out all the stops with her British food and decorations, and I had just as much fun viewing the grand event again with friends as I'd had observing it by myself in the dark hours of the morning.

The Royal Wedding certainly did not disappoint! I thought Kate's dress was exquisite - perfectly elegant and beautiful. Prince William looked so handsome in his regimental red jacket too. Westminster Abbey was a spectacular venue; I loved all of the beautiful carved wood and the intricate tile floors. I especially enjoyed the music and thought the hymn and anthem selections were lovely.

If you're also a fan of the royal wedding, you might enjoy the official website which has lots of pictures and details: The Royal Wedding. The British Monarchy also has a page on Flickr where they post lots of pictures: The British Monarchy

My favorite part of the whole wedding may have been the precious little pages. Love those red jackets and brass-buckled shoes! And look at the hemlines on those beautiful little bridesmaids dresses

Notice how the smallest bridesmaids have their flowers tied to their wrists. So sweet

I suspect the little blonde page has a lot of personality!

Kate's father was so dignified. I loved how glad Kate and William seemed to be with each other

I never noticed Kate's blusher being lifted during the TV coverage so it was nice to see this picture

If I were British (and I really think I should have been!), I'd have had my Will sing in this boy choir. He'd have loved the stiff collar, don't you think?

Magnificent!

I thought it was so funny how the little bridesmaid covered her ears during the "flypast" (love those British terms)

"The Royal Wedding Group in the Throne Room" - I like how Camilla is holding her little granddaughter's hand in his picture

I adore pomp and pageantry and love all things formal and regal.

Well, almost all...

Meanwhile, back on the mainland...

2011-04-20T21:54:00.001-05:00

Guess who thought it sounded like more fun to go with ten fraternity brothers to Panama City Beach, Florida for Spring Break than to Hawaii with his family?

I pleaded with Will to send me pictures from Panama City. Once again, I neglected to specify "with you in them" and this was what I received. He took this picture from the dock behind their house which evidently overlooked some sort of inland waterway (shockingly, I also received no detail on the picture!)

I lifted this picture from Will's Facebook profile (he is third from the left)

Tell me, does this look like more fun than Hawaii with the family?! {wink}

Snapshots from Hawaii 2011, Part III.

2011-04-15T20:16:00.002-05:00

Note to commenter lmk: Of course you may copy the picture of Vivian's hospital bed to use in your search for a bed for your daughter! I hope it helps. Keep me posted on what you find. That bed was a godsend for us when Vivian was in the hospital.

***

Vivian loved drinking an Oreo smoothie out of a pineapple cup (which she called a "porcupine")

Dots and her friend Maddie also liked Oreo smoothies in porcupines!

Vivian really enjoyed the fish in the lagoons around the hotel property

We would snag a few extra pieces of bread at breakfast each morning and feed them to the fish. Vivian was really good at tearing the bread into really small pieces to make it last longer

Dots and Maddie at afternoon Happy Hour

Vivian liked Happy Hour too

What's better than a fruity drink and some broccoli dipped in ketchup? Ha!

My friends Bettina and Michelle with me at Happy Hour

We abandoned our dinner plans when Vivian put on her Rudolph pajamas and climbed into bed when we went back to our room to watch the sunset

Robert, Dots and me at sunset

The next morning Vivian checked out the beach and ocean with her daddyman

I thought this little "snowman" on the beach was funny!

Though it took a little convincing to get Vivian into the pool, she had fun on the water slides

Bettina and me on the beach

Vivian loved washing her feet off at this shower. I bought this Aqua Jogger swim belt for Vivian before we left for Hawaii. It worked out really well for keeping her afloat in the water (She still required constant supervision, of course!)

Dots and her friends caught some rays

Robert relaxed by the pool with his book

And Vivian hung out in her stroller in her clothes (she wanted NO part of her swimsuit after she got out of the pool - I had to whisk her into a dressing room quickly before she disrobed in public!)

I met some friends at the Four Seasons next door for lunch

A fun couple of days for everyone, wouldn't you say?

Ugh.

2011-04-12T23:36:00.001-05:00

I changed the privacy settings on my Flickr account tonight and realized too late that such action irrevocably changed the URL addresses on all of the pictures on my blog! Now a lovely "this picture is unavailable" message appears in the place of the pictures. I have to go back to each post and cut and paste the new URL for every picture. I am working backward and have made it through last November. I will finish one of these days and may be even eventually post something new! {sigh}

Snapshots from Hawaii 2011, Part II.

2011-04-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

Note: My bathing suit is Lilly Pulitzer (from last year). I bought a white bandeau to wear under the top because it was way too revealing for my tastes otherwise! Vivian's swimsuits are from Land's End. I had a tough time finding modest suits for her and was very happy with the fit and quality of these. Thanks to those who asked!

After a good night's sleep, Vivian woke up in a cheerful mood. She very willingly agreed to accompany me upstairs to breakfast

On the way there Vivian kept pointing over the rail to a pond in the lobby and exclaiming, "Look at the beautiful waterfall!"

Vivian LOVED the breakfast buffet!

After breakfast Vivian and I walked down to the pool. I was able to convince Vivian to put on her bathing suit, but she didn't want to get in the water at first

Before long, however, she saw someone in the wading pool and decided to give it a try. She was a bit unsure of the situation, though!

Pretty soon her daddyman joined her and she had fun pouring water on his head

(Apparently this was around the same time that my camera ended up on manual focus and my aging eyes failed to realize this was the case)

Lunch by the pool. I'm so sad this picture was not in focus!

Vivian discovered the wonders of an Oreo smoothie

Vivian and me walking back to our chairs. (When Robert used my camera to take this picture, he said, "Something's wrong with your camera - it's all blurry" {sigh})

Dots enjoyed relaxing in a lounge chair...

...until one of her friends from Dallas arrived, then she set off for the pool

Meanwhile all the day's fun and likely a little jetlag caught up with Vivian!

Snapshots from Hawaii 2011, Part I.

2011-03-27T13:22:00.003-05:00

First view of Hawaii from the window of the plane. We were flying to Maui on the day the tsunami hit, but we experienced no delays or any other problems because of it. Our pilot kept us updated throughout our flight

Robert showing the beach to Vivian. She was so good on the long plane flight

Soon after we arrived at the gate, Dorothy spotted her suitcase on top of the luggage cart. Always good to know our things made it!

Waiting on our bags. Dots seized the opportunity to catch up on the eight hours of texts she missed while flying. Vivian still being very good - hooray!

Right as we pulled up in the driveway of our hotel, though, Vivian decided she had had enough of traveling and behaving well and completely melted down. When I finally got her out of the car, she lay down in the middle of the valet queue and began to cry, "Take me home! I don't like this place! Please take me home." It was not a pretty scene. I imagine the hotel employees were wishing we would go home!

Robert finally coerced Vivian into her stroller and we walked around for a bit to calm her down.

Checking out the grounds. Vivian was doing better at this point, but I had a perpetual knot in my stomach wondering what in the world we had done bringing her all this way

Checking into our room. A banana made things much better

Obviously we didn't get an "aloha" picture with our leis as we arrived the hotel! Vivian never would put her lei on, but I did get her to hold it up for this shot

Ah! Once we were in our room, the view began to soothe me a bit

Dots enjoyed a fruity drink on our lanai while watching the sunset

Beautiful Hawaiian sunset

This is what Vivian thought of the sunset!

Aloha!

2011-03-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

Sunset view from our room

We are in Hawaii for Spring Break this week. Our family been to this resort several times before, but this year is a little different because Will is not with us (he elected to go to Panama City Beach with some fraternity brothers instead; can you imagine?!) and Vivian accompanied us here for the first time.

I had fretted about our decision to bring Vivian because she typically has such a tough time with new places and transitions, but she has been great! We've had a couple of meltdowns and have not been able to go out to dinner at night, but overall, Robert and I have been thrilled with how well Vivian has behaved and surprised and delighted with how much she has enjoyed herself here. The first day we arrived, she pleadeded almost incessantly, "Please take me home. I want to go home. I want to go see Percy" but such requests have diminished markedly each day.

One funny Vivian story: Robert and I have bribed Vivian to get into the pool each day with the promise of an Oreo smoothie afterward. Earlier this week I was trying yet again to convince Vivian and reminded her, "Vivian, what do you get if you get in the water?" Without hesitation she replied, "Wet."

No hands! Vivian on the water slide with Robert

More stories and pictures after we get home. Aloha!

Prayers requested.

2011-03-11T09:44:00.010-06:00

Ellen, our friend Karen and me in my den, circa 1975

My childhood friend and neighbor Ellen was recently diagnosed with cancer. She has started a blog to chronicle her journey.

Ellen is an immensely creative and talented artist in addition to being witty, clever, a lot of fun and an overall great person. I would deeply appreciate your prayers for her.

Valentine Luncheon 2011: part IV: Recipes.

2011-03-10T18:43:00.000-06:00

Hors d'Oeuvres

Pesto Bleu Cheese Tartlets
From Savor the Moment by The Junior League of Boca Raton

1 package frozen puff pastry
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces bleu cheese, softened
¼ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup prepared pesto
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Thaw puff pastry for an hour. Unfold the pastry on a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and discard the top half of the squares.

Combine the cream cheese, bleu cheese and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and mix well. Spread about ¼ teaspoon of the mixture on each pastry square. Top each with pesto and sprinkle with walnuts and Parmesan cheese.

Broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve promptly.

(The cream cheese mixture as written makes WAY more than you need for this recipe. The second time I made it I cut everything down proportionally.)

Stilton Tart with Cranberry Chutney
from The Gourmet Cookbook

Pastry dough
1 cup heavy cream
1 whole large egg
2 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5 oz. chilled white Stilton cheese, rind removed and cheese crumbled

Make tart shell:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 17- by 8-inch rectangle and fit into 13 x 4 x 1 tart pan with removable bottom. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line pastry shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes, then carefully remove foil and weights and bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool shell in pan 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Make filling:

Whisk together cream, whole egg, yolks, salt, and pepper until combined.

Put tart shell (still in pan) on a baking sheet and scatter cheese evenly in shell. Slowly pour custard into shell and bake in middle of oven until golden around edge and custard is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool tart completely in pan on a rack. Cut tart into 32 rectangles and serve at room temperature, topped with chutney.

Cranberry Chutney:

2 large shallots (3 oz), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (12-oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed)
⅔ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
½ teaspoon salt
generous pinch dried hot red pepper flakes

Cook shallots in oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, just until berries pop, 10 to 12 minutes, then cool.

(This makes more chutney than needed for the Stilton Tart. Leftover chutney keeps well for several weeks in refrigerator and is delicious on turkey sandwiches.)

Luncheon

Tea Room Rolls
From Compliments Of by the Women’s Exchange of Memphis
Makes 3-dozen+ rolls

2 envelopes dry yeast (I use Rapid-Rise)
⅓ cup warm water (slightly warmer than your body temperature – around 110°)
1 cup shortening, melted and cooled to 110°
⅔ cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1⅓ cups warm water (110°)
5 cups all-purpose flour (I used a cup or two more to get the dough not to be too sticky)
melted butter

Dissolve yeast in ⅓ cup warm water. Combine shortening and sugar and mix well. Stir in yeast, eggs and salt. Mix in remaining water. Add the flour and stir until a soft dough form, adding more flour as needed.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning to coat the surface. Let rise, loosely covered, for two hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough. Roll ¾” thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired size. Arrange one-inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with melted butter and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 325° for 25 minutes.

For heart-shaped rolls, pinch off a walnut-sized piece and roll between your palms to form a small ball. Tuck three dough balls into heart-shaped muffin tins and let rise as above. Baking time may be a little less; check often after 15 minutes.

(This recipe makes a LOT of rolls. It is easily cut in half.)

Tomato Soup with Basil and Vermouth
From Food for Thought by The Junior League of Birmingham

¼ cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 16-oz. cans whole tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chicken broth, divided
¾ cup whipping cream or milk
2 ounces vermouth

Sauté onion in butter for 7-8 minutes over medium heat. Chop tomatoes reserving juice and add juice and tomatoes to onion mixture. Stir in tomato paste, thyme, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add 2 cups broth. Cover and simmer additional 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Purée in batches in blender or with immersion blender adding additional 1 cup of broth. Reheat stirring in cream and vermouth.

Makes 2 quarts

Mandarin Shrimp Pasta
Adapted from Colorado Collage by The Junior League of Denver
Serves 12

2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup Italian salad dressing, purchased or homemade, divided
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
6 green onions, chopped, including tops
24-ounces spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente and drained
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 10-ounce cans mandarin orange slices, drained
⅔ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Marinate the shrimp in ⅓ cups salad dressing in refrigerator for one hour. In small bowl combine peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, ginger, crushed red pepper and remaining ⅔ cup salad dressing. Whisk to blend.

In large skillet combine peanut oil and sesame oil over high heat. Add carrot, cook one minute, stirring frequently. Add shrimp, discarding marinade, and green onions. Cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp are opaque, about three minutes. Remove from heat.

In large bowl combine cooked pasta, peanut butter mixture, shrimp mixture and cilantro. Toss to blend, top with mandarin oranges and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve hot or cold.

Dessert

Chocolate Budini with Caramel Sauce
From Compliments Of by the Women’s Exchange of Memphis
Serves 6

Caramel Sauce
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until mixture turns an amber color (mine took much longer to caramelize – more like 15-20 minutes – watch it closely because it can go from amber to burned very quickly). Stir in cream and remove from heat. Mix in liqueur. Cool slightly before serving. If made in advance, refrigerate and microwave to warm slightly before serving.

Chocolate Budini and Assembly
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups unsalted butter, sliced
6 tablespoons sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1⁄8 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

coffee ice cream
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine chocolate, butter, 6 tablespoons sugar and the salt in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at half-power until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add 6 tablespoons sugar gradually, beating constantly until glossy stiff peaks form. Fold ¼ of the meringue mixture into the chocolate. Fold the chocolate mixture into the meringue until just combined.

Spoon the chocolate mixture evenly into six heatproof ramekins. You may prepare to this point up to two days in advance and store, loosely covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before baking. Bake at 375° on a rack in the lower third of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until puffed with crusty, deeply cracked tops. Top each serving with a scoop of coffee ice cream. Sprinkle with the almonds and drizzle with the sauce.

Valentine Luncheon 2011, part III: Lunch is served.

2011-03-08T21:46:00.001-06:00

Dining room table viewed from my seat

Gathering my guests together before lunch, I returned thanks for the wonderful friends the Lord has blessed me with and asked God to bless our food and our time together. I also thanked my friends for their wonderful support - expressed in myriad ways - during Vivian's illness last summer

My sweet friend Page raised a toast. She recounted recently helping her parents move and declared that when she was their age, she hoped she'd still be coming to my Valentine luncheon!

My menu this year (recipes coming): Mandarin Shrimp Pasta, Tomato Soup with Basil and Vermouth, Heart-shaped yeast rolls

Dining room guests

Some friends in the living room

Friends in the breakfast room

Chocolate Budini with coffee ice cream and caramel sauce. This might have received the most raves of any dessert I've ever served! It was fabulous. The recipe came from Compliments Of by the Women's Exchange of Memphis, a cookbook given to me by my dear blog friend Jan from Bessie Mary

This fun group stayed after everyone else left and sat and unwound with me in the living room

My least favorite part of the party: saying good-bye to my friends

Meanwhile, Miss Linda, DJ and Matt worked hard behind the scenes so that I could enjoy my own party

Clean dishes ready to return to the cabinet

A mix of my silverware (Gorham Fairfax) and my grandmother's (Stieff Corsage)

Dessert plates

And lest I give the impression that everything is perfectly lovely at my house for my Valentine luncheon, this is the attractive threshold that greeted my guests. There was a little bit of ice on my steps from some bad weather earlier in the week. The window washer who came the morning of my party offered to "de-ice" the steps for me with a pot of hot water. Well, the temperature was below freezing, so the hot water promptly froze and created a treacherous sheet of ice on both my steps and my walkway! Hence, old towels to the rescue {sigh}

Coming next... recipes

Valentine Luncheon 2011: part II: guests arrive.

2011-02-28T12:20:00.001-06:00

As guests arrived, DJ greets them with hors d'oeuvres of Stilton Tart with Cranberry Chutney (shown here) and Bleu Cheese Pesto Tartlets and offers them a choice of beverage: Kir Royale (champagne with Cassis liqueur) or almond tea

Friends Camille, Marty, Margaret, Kathy and Carol

Karey, Leslie and Barbara

Lynne, Susanna, Mary and Barenda

Me with my friends Debbie, Wendy, Karey and Heather

Ann, Page, Leslie and Lisa

Heather, me, Priscilla and Melissa

Meanwhile in the kitchen my helpers Matt and DJ plate the food for lunch

Assembly line of plates ready for the tables

Stay tuned: Lunch is served

Valentine Luncheon 2011, part I: tables, flowers and favors.

2011-02-23T16:11:00.001-06:00

The invitation

Dining room table.

Every year I think the flowers can't possibly be as beautiful as the year before, and every year the designers at my florist outdo themselves. I don't give them any direction other than "pink, red and feminine. This year I asked them to incorporate a little purple as a nod to my favorite TCU Horned Frog, Will (never mind the fact that he has ZERO interest in Valentine's Day or my luncheon!). I thought this arrangement was exquisite

Den table

Close-up of den flowers

Breakfast room table

Living room table

Close-up of living room flowers

Party favors on the chest in the entry hall

Close-up of party favor bags: I designed and ordered the boxes of matches on For Your Party and then put two tea lights in a cellophane bag with some purple scrunchy paper and tied it all up with pink and purple raffia ribbon

Coming up next: my guests arrive

Super weekend!

2011-02-16T21:25:00.001-06:00

Eek! I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've posted. Things have been very busy around here.

I was in Houston for several days for a bridge tournament (which went really well!). I also met my parents in Philadelphia for my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary celebration. Then we had the Super Bowl in Dallas and Robert and I went to a whirlwind of fun parties that culminated in the big game. Mixed in there we missed five days of school due to ice and snow, and I spent quite a bit of time getting ready for my annual Valentine luncheon.

My luncheon was last Friday. I'll be posting pictures from it soon. I also will be answering a fun "Five Things I Don't Leave My House Without" tag from my friend Hopsy at Monograms and Manicures. So stay tuned! I may get all of these posts completed before the end of 2011!

In the meantime, I'll start with some pictures from Super Bowl weekend.

First of all, we were corporate guests, which, let me tell you, is THE way to go at an event like this. Friday night the weekend kicked off with a fabulous steak dinner at Del Frisco's (a legendary steakhouse here in Dallas). Ed "Too Tall" Jones was at the party signing footballs and posing for pictures with all of the guests. Growing up as a huge Cowboys fan in the 70's, Robert was thrilled with this opportunity. We don't have our picture back yet, but I can attest that "Too Tall" lives up to his name. I think he is 6'9"!

Clint Black

Saturday night we attended a very fun cocktail party at a local art gallery that featured Clint Black as the entertainment. Clint was very personable and sang a lot of familiar favorites. Robert and I also enjoyed looking at the art on display, and we were even able to watch one of the artists create a new painting live.

Here the artist is beginning his painting

And here he is with the finished product

I liked this painting a lot. Robert didn't quite see the *need* for it

On Super Bowl Sunday we met at an area hotel and rode to the game in a Stretch Hummer limousine our hosts had arranged. It was WAY over the top and certainly not my style at all, but it definitely beat driving ourselves and paying an outrageous price for parking (we saw lots close to the stadium charging $700! We arrived very early so I never actually saw anyone pay that.).

Arriving at Cowboys Stadium

We attended an ESPN pregame party that was fun and then walked over to the stadium around 3:00 (kickoff was at 5:30).

Crowds near the stadium

Unfortunately the logistics for getting through security were awful, and we waited in line two hours and fifteen minutes before entering the stadium.

This mob was waiting to enter the security tent that you can see straight ahead. There was no queue line until about halfway up so it was bedlam with lots of pushing and grumbling until we got to the queue. Once we reached that, the line moved in a pretty orderly fashion. There were only two such security entrances into the stadium. Hard to imagine that no one considered how they were going to funnel 100,000+ people inside in a short amount of time!

Once we were inside I realized that the TCU band was playing on the field, so I popped into an aisle and took this picture for my favorite Horned Frog, Will

Our suite was very nice with a lot of good food! We had seats on a little balcony at the front of the suite. We were up high overlooking the side of the Packers' end zone, and we had a great view of the field and of the (very impressive) Jumbotron

The halftime show was absolutely amazing in person. I've heard mixed reviews from those who watched it on TV, but in real life it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Of course, I am someone who hears "Fergie" and thinks "Duchess of York," so my expectations of the music were nil. But the dancing and the lighted costumes the dancers wore were great

Lots of celebrating by the Packer faithful at the end of the game

As you might imagine, I was plumb exhausted at the end of the weekend.

Attending the Super Bowl was a fabulous experience and I am so appreciative Robert and I were able to go (especially in such style!). Having said that, there is a huge hassle factor involved, and I'm not sure that I ever need to go again. But I'm really glad I was able to attend once. And I am very happy for my blog friends who are Packers fans!

Vivian's new portrait is hung!

2011-02-04T07:42:00.008-06:00

Vivian *consulted* with Robert as he took measurements and hung her portrait. Meticulous Robert got the portrait centered and even in one try. I take more of the multiple-nail-hole approach {sigh}

I picked up Vivian's 16-year-old birthday portrait from the frame shop last week, and Robert hung in it our entry hall next to Will's. I am just thrilled with how it looks!

Will and Vivian - both at age 16

Usually when Vivian sees a picture of herself, she says, "That's me. I was a cute little baby." But when Vivian walks by her new portrait, she comments, "Look! A princess!"

Indeed.

Things we love: Oatmeal Crisp cookies.

2011-02-02T15:39:00.002-06:00

We are iced in here at Casa Weasel. Day Two of no school, so Dots and I decided to bake cookies!

These oatmeal cookies were favorites of my sister and brother and me growing up, and they are also much beloved by my children. Dots also insisted that we make them last weekend when we were hosting our mother/daughter book club here because they are always a huge hit with her friends as well.

One thing I love about this recipe is I usually have all the ingredients on hand

My mother sent me the recipe when I was newly married

The dough is refrigerated in rolls wrapped in waxed paper

One recipe makes 2-3 rolls like this

After the dough is chilled, you simply slice and bake - very easy and much quicker than drop cookies. I use the convection setting on my oven and bake three cookie sheets at one time

Oatmeal Crisps

1 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking Quaker Oats (sometimes I use regular Quaker Oats if that is what I have on hand and I can't tell any difference)

Cream shortening and sugars then adds eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt and soda then add to mixing bowl. Stir in oats.

Form dough into rolls. Wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly. Slice and bake 10 minutes at 350° (325° for convection).

Makes approximately 8 dozen cookies.

***Someone asked if I thought she could substitute butter for the Crisco. Absolutely! The cookies will just be flatter.***

Rose Bowl report.

2011-01-23T14:58:00.005-06:00

For Christmas Will received a trip to the Rose Bowl to see his TCU Horned Frogs take on Wisconsin. (See this post for a picture of the happy frog with his ticket.) If you watched the game, you know what an exciting and great match it was and that it ended very well for the Horned Frogs, with a final score of TCU 21 - Wisconsin 19. By Will's account the Rose Parade was "cool, but long" and Rose Bowl experience itself was "awesome" and "amazing."

I pleaded with Will before he left to please take some pictures for me, and he assured me that he would. You would think that after 19 years with this boy, I would understand the need to be specific when making requests, but somehow the need to add "with you in at least one of them" did not occur to me.

Will's seat was on the front row in the corner of an endzone directly behind the TCU band

Video clip of TCU blocking Wisconsin's 2-point attempt which essentially sealed the win for the frogs

New Year's Eve celebration.

2011-01-22T10:58:00.001-06:00

The past several years on New Year's Eve, we have gathered at the home of our good friends Wendy and Randy and rung in the new year with their family and some of their other friends. My friend Wendy goes all out with her food, decorations and party favors, and we always have a wonderful time. This year was no exception.

Our wonderful hostess Wendy and me

Wendy's husband Randy (far left) and Robert (far right) with some of the other men at the party

Dots and a few friends enjoy some of Wendy's delicious dinner. I can't believe I neglected to take a picture of the bounteous spread of food Wendy served (beef tenderloin, boiled shrimp, fabulous shooters of black-eyed peas - it was as beautiful as it was tasty)

Vivian enjoyed herself at the party too! (Even though she insisted upon wearing her pink Rudolph nightgown on top of her clothes. *sigh*)

Dots and friends don some of the hourly party favors

Randy rolls out long swaths of bubble wrap for everyone to stomp at the stroke of midnight (11:00 central time - we celebrated with New York)

Eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2011

Happy New Year!

Here's to a happy, healthy and productive 2011!

Snapshots from Christmas, part II.

2011-01-19T21:48:00.001-06:00

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Christmas morning: Santa has been here! (Will received a trip to the Rose Bowl and Dots a summer mission trip to Colorado. Vivian got some books and toys.)

Robert, Dots and my mom gather in the kitchen...

...while Will tries to convince Vivian to come upstairs and see what Santa brought her

Everyone checks out their presents

Vivian loves her new singing Rudolph toy

Dots opens a "peace" present from Biba and Sir (my parents)

Robert reads one of Vivian's new books to her

Will is very happy with his new vest and a gift of cash

Vivian's favorite gift was a life-size Cavalier King Charles Spaniel like our dog Tucker

For Christmas dinner we went to my Aunt Judy's house. The drive there was so beautiful! It felt sort of like "over the river and through the woods"

Me with my cousin Nancy Baby (known to the rest of the world as "Nancy" but to distinguish her from my Aunt Nancy, our family has always called her "Nancy Baby"). Notice my mom to the left: she is wearing a black leather jacket that she bought to take to college over 50 years ago - it still looks great!

The "adult table"

The "grown-up kids table" plus Robert

The "kids table" plus sweet Aunt Judy

Vivian, meanwhile, found a bed to curl up in and slept through the whole party!

Me, Robert, Will and our cousin Peter relaxing after dinner. I think we were watching the Cowboys game, which didn't turn out too well for our home team

As you can see, we had a very merry Christmas! I hope you and your family did too.

Snapshots from Christmas, part I.

2011-01-14T16:28:00.001-06:00

View from our front porch

We had a wonderful Christmas this year!

Our family went to my parents' house in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a week where we enjoyed a great holiday. Vivian was perfect traveling up there and back (well, except for one complete meltdown at the bottom of the airplane stairs that temporarily blocked other passengers from exiting the plane, but other than that...). Christmas morning didn't seem to overwhelm her as it sometimes has in the past.

Will brought a friend from TCU with him, and they really enjoying snowboarding together. His friend flew home on Christmas Eve. I held my breath that the friend would make it back to his family in a timely, uneventful manner (he did). I would have hated for him to hit some sort of weather snag and have to spend Christmas Day in the Salt Lake airport or somesuch place!

I haven't downhill skied much since my mom quit skiing several years ago. I am wholly uncoordinated and unathletic and very timid on the slopes, and my mother was the only other person in our family who preferred the same level of downhill skiing challenge as I did (minimal). Others will ski with me, but I feel like I'm always making them wait. Also, if I go skiing, I have to leave my mom home with Vivian, and that can make it hard for her to run errands or get other things done. So, I generally stick pretty close to the house, which I really don't mind since at home I spend so much time running here, there and yonder.

This year my dad taught me to cross country ski, which can be done on a track that he grooms around their property, hence involving much less time than a day at the ski village. I loved it! Surprisingly, I didn't find cross country skiing that difficult, though I'm not very fast. It is great exercise, and the experience is very exhilarating.

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas. I hope that you and your family had a merry holiday as well!

My dad (in Rudolph antlers) pulled Vivian in a sleigh while Robert pushed from the back. She seemed to enjoy the ride!

A bundled-up Vivian

What a way to travel!

My mom's sister also has a house in Jackson Hole, and her family came to dinner one night (left to right: Will, my mom, Will's friend Ty, and my Aunt Judy)

Dots holding down the fort at the kids table

Looking out the window at our front deck. There was a lot of snow this year!

With my dad on my first ever cross-country ski outing

Dots in the snow

Ty and Will at the ski village

Vivian, who prefers to stay inside and in her pajamas whenever possible!

Coming next: Christmas Day pictures

Portraits.

2011-01-13T15:36:00.002-06:00

Well, taking 13 days to make my first post of 2011 is not what I'd call getting off to a good start in the New Year! I hope to do better the rest of the year.

I wanted to share two portraits that we had made over Thanksgiving weekend. I was very happy with how they turned out, especially Vivian's belated (for obvious reasons) 16-year-old birthday picture. Doesn't she look great?

Happy New Year!

I used this picture for our Christmas card

Healthy, happy Vivian!

For New Year's Day: Marinated Black-eyed Peas.

2010-12-31T06:04:00.003-06:00

Southern tradition holds that one should eat black-eyed peas on January 1st to ensure good luck for the New Year. I've made this recipe for Marinated Black-eyed Peas for about 15 years and have given them as neighbor gifts many times. I think they are fabulous, and other people seem to enjoy them as well.

Happy New Year!

Marinated Black-eyed Peas
can be halved or doubled easily

6 cans black-eyed peas (without bacon), rinsed and drained
½ large onion, sliced very thin
1½ cups olive oil
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar (the woman who gave me the recipe emphasized that she used good quality balsamic; she told me to add a pinch of sugar for lesser-grade balsamic - I think I use good balsamic so I've never added sugar!)
3 garlic cloves, smashed or bruised
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

Combine oils, vinegar and seasonings in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil. Pour over black-eyed peas and onions. Refrigerate for several days before serving, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic and bay leaves. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Sweet sisters.

2010-12-30T16:02:00.001-06:00

Dots has served as a peer tutor in Vivian's classroom this year. It has been a great experience for both of them. Vivian's teacher sent me this darling picture of the two of them.

Frog on wheels.

2010-12-29T15:53:00.002-06:00

Will is playing for TCU club roller hockey team. He seems to enjoy it and has met some nice friends that way. We've gone to see him play once, which was a lot of fun. I've really missed all of the ice hockey that dominated our lives the past seven years!

My amazing dad, part II.

2010-12-28T10:01:00.001-06:00

I have bragged on my dad's amazing athletic skills here before.

This is a video clip of my dad climbing a rope as a freshman gymnast at Georgia Tech in 1955 and earlier this month at age 74!

Christmas visitor.

2010-12-21T08:52:00.001-06:00

Look who was asleep in my parents backyard here in Jackson Hole this morning!

A rosy frog.

2010-12-20T12:51:00.003-06:00

Guess who's going to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day?!

Christmas baking.

2010-12-19T15:51:00.001-06:00

Cheese Drops, Cookie Press Christmas Trees and Gingerbread Boys

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Last weekend the girls and I did some Christmas baking and prepared gifts for our neighbors.

Dots doesn't like red hots and preferred to decorate her gingerbread boys with French dragees

Dots was indignant that I didn't have a gingerbread girl cookie cutter. She improvised by making some pearl necklaces out of dragees and using extra dough to form ponytails for a few of the cookies

Vivian got in on the action and helped to decorate a few of the gingerbread boys

Vivian was very proud of the ones she did but wasn't happy that she had to wait until they were baked to eat one!

For my birthday a friend gave me this darling ribbon that I used to wrap our neighbor gifts

Ready for delivery!

Great gadgets: Harold Pie Crust Maker and Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peelers.

2010-12-09T21:45:00.015-06:00

As I mentioned in my report on Thanksgiving dinner, I have never had any success with making my own pie crusts. The main problem that I've run into is sticky dough. I've ended up having to add so much flour in order to prevent the dough from sticking to my hands and to the rolling pin, that the dough became tough and not at all a desirable texture.

A year or two ago I read a review of the Harold Pie Crust Maker in Cook's Illustrated magazine. The author praised the pie crust tool, telling of much easier it was to roll out crust using it. The story sounded too good to be true, but the gadget was pretty inexpensive so I decided to order one for myself. It sat in my cupboard until a month or two ago when I made an apple pie for my Cooking Club.

The gadget essentially looks like a flat zippered sweater bag. You toss a tablespoon or so of flour inside, seal the bag and shake so that the flour dusts interior of the plastic disk. You then insert your refrigerated pie dough into the bag and seal it again. Taking your rolling pin, you now roll out the dough while it is inside the plastic. When you've reached your desired diameter, you unzip the bag and peel back one side. Then you invert the crust into your pie plate and peel off the second side. Voila! Perfect pie crust that requires very little handling.

The second gadget that came in handy at Thanksgiving was the Kuhn Rikon Swiss peeler. I recently took a cooking class at Sur la Table, and our instructor recommended these inexpensive little vegetable peelers. I bought one and can't believe how much easier it is to use than my old peeler. The Kuhn Rikon also removes a much thinner depth of peel, leaving more of the inside fruit or vegetable intact. At Thanksgiving I used the peeler for my apple pie, but I've also used it with potatoes and been equally pleased.

Thanksgiving.

2010-12-08T23:43:00.002-06:00

I hosted all of my family here for Thanksgiving - sixteen people (eight children and eight adults)! Everyone came in from out of town Thanksgiving Day so I did all of the food myself. I was very happy with everything turned out, and my family was most appreciative and complimentary.

On Monday I made my lists and timetable and did my grocery shopping. I made a couple of things Monday afternoon, and then spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday cooking the rest. Thursday morning I got up early to make the rolls and to get the turkey ready to go in the oven. My mom and sister did all of the cleaning up for me. That was a wonderful treat!

Grown-up Table (my sister, Marian, made the precious placecards - she's very creative with stamping and crafts; my mom gave me the fabulous Spode turkey plates as a Thanksgiving/Birthday present)

Kids Table

My brother, son and nephew ensconced in technology before dinner

Dinner is served!

Here was my menu:

Crab Bisque, served in mugs while I was getting the rest of the meal ready

Turkey
Port Gravy
Southern Cornbread-Pecan Dressing
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potatoes with Praline Topping
Mashed Potatoes
Ambrosia
Green Beans (Haricots Verts)
Squash Casserole
Homemade Rolls

Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie

I was most pleased with the dressing and the rolls. They turned out even better than I'd expected!

The ambrosia was a sentimental addition to the menu. I distinctly remember my grandmother sitting on the porch at our cabin sectioning and removing all of the pith from oranges and grating fresh coconut. I can hear my grandmother admonishing me, "Don't ever learn to make this! You'll be a slave to it forever!" Well, foolishly, I dug the recipe out of my great-grandmother's tattered copy of the aptly titled Southern Cooking by Mrs. S.R. Dull (copyright 1928). The ingredient list was simple: fresh oranges, freshly grated coconut, a little sugar and a few tablespoons of sherry - how hard could that be? Well... the oranges weren't terribly difficult once I sharpened my paring knife, but they yielded so little! I peeled and sectioned twelve juice oranges (you can't have any membrane or pith on the orange pieces) and ended up with a measly cup or two. Then I attempted to grate the coconut - what a stringy mess! I don't think I had anywhere close to the amount of coconut I was supposed to use, but I tired so quickly of grating it that I quit pretty early on in that process. I think the ambrosia tasted okay, but I'm not sure that anyone other than my mom and sister and me even tried it. I should have listened to my grandmother on that one!

I have never had good luck with homemade pie crust, but I have a new tool that is fabulous, and I was delighted with how my pie crusts turned out! I will write about that gadget tomorrow.

Will with my twin nephews Jed and Matt. I gave Will the choice of sitting at the kids table or with the grown-ups; he chose the former. Good thing, too, as I think the little boys would have been devastated had Will not sat with them! They love their big cousin

Dots with her cousins Guinn and Mary Grace

Vivian did not want to sit at the kids table (and she insisted on a Madeline plate rather than a turkey one), but she ate a GREAT dinner and really seemed to enjoy herself

My mom, sister and brother-in-law

My brother, sister-in-law and dad

Me with my brother

Me relaxing with Tucker after dinner - we were both exhausted!

I am now busily preparing for Christmas. We took family pictures the day after Thanksgiving that I am using for my cards this year. I have never been so late starting my Christmas cards! I still don't even have my cards back yet, though I have ordered them and expect them to be ready any day. In the meantime you'd think I'd at least have my labels and Christmas letter set to go, but sadly, that is not the case either {sigh}.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A joyful noise. Or not.

2010-11-19T21:45:00.006-06:00

Dots and I manned a Salvation Army kettle outside a nearby mall last Saturday as part of our National Charity League chapter's Philanthropy Day.

Vivian sat us with but complained often, "That bell hurts my ears!"

Vivian dines out.

2010-11-18T23:24:00.001-06:00

Vivian with her classmates, peer tutors and teachers

Vivian's class took a walking field trip to a neighborhood Italian restaurant today. They had been practicing ordering and using their best table manners at school before the big outing.

I received these pictures and texts from Vivian's wonderful teacher this afternoon. It sounds like a successful experience!

We had a wonderful time today. Vivian walked to the restaurant and back, used her manners, ordered spaghetti for herself and helped me eat my pizza. She asked to take my leftover pizza home for dinner. Coach Cunningham (Eloise's note: a big PE teacher with a voracious appetite!) drove over to meet us. He offered to carry the to-go box back to school for Vivian. She politely but firmly told him, "I will carry it myself." I'm not sure she trusted him!

Halloween.

2010-11-10T10:45:00.003-06:00

Dots was a "Greek Goddess" for Halloween this year. Vivian did not want to dress up or go to the block party so I have no pictures of her on Halloween!

Some neighborhood children dressed up at our block party

Robert and Tucker visited with neighbors briefly before Robert and I left for the World Series. Notice the neighbor dressed as a Dallas Cowboy. He said that was about the scariest costume he could think of this year - LOL.

Fall gathering.

2010-11-09T10:45:00.001-06:00

Last night I hosted Robert's direct reports from work here for dinner. I set my table using some fall linens that my mother sent me, and I was thrilled with how pretty everything looked. Aren't the flowers gorgeous? Expect to see this table again as I am hosting Cooking Club next week and having all of my family for Thanksgiving!

For the hors d'oeuvres I served Sue's Cajun Shrimp and some Blue Cheese Appetizers (isn't that an exciting name?) that I found on Epicurious. The shrimp is a favorite standby that is always a hit, but this was the first time I'd made the blue cheese appetizers. They were quite good and extremely easy, though I might experiment with using Stilton cheese next time to see if the color looks better on the toast.

For dinner I served Beef Tenderloin, Yam and Potato Gratin, Carrot Soufflé, Haricots Verts with Feta and Pecans, and rolls. Dessert was White Chocolate Bread Pudding, also from Epicurious. I was pleased with how everything turned out. Many of the dishes were favorites of mine from past Cooking Club gatherings.

At one point during dinner I commented that I hoped our guests didn't mind that Robert had elected to have them to our home rather than taking them to a restaurant where they could have chosen what they would eat. One man responded, "Oh, no, I never choose this well in a restaurant!" I thought that was one of the nicest compliments I've ever received!

Recipes

Sue’s Cajun Shrimp

4 slices bacon -- cooked and chopped (I use microwave bacon)
4 oz butter
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp thyme
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
½ tsp oregano
2 cloves garlic -- crushed
½ tsp Tabasco sauce
1½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preheat oven to 375°. In a small pan add the butter and all other ingredients except the shrimp. Simmer for 5 minutes. Place shrimp in an open baking dish, and pour sauce over the top. Stir once to coat all of the shrimp. Bake in an uncovered dish for 20 minutes.

Serve with toothpicks. You can double the amount of shrimp without increasing the amount of sauce.

Beef Tenderloin
Serves 8.

Marinate a 3½ lb. whole beef tenderloin for several hours in:
1 c red wine
¼ c salad oil
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
2 t parsley flakes
2 t black pepper
1 t seasoned salt
1 t sugar
1 clove garlic, minced

Let tenderloin marinate at room temperature for one hour prior to baking.

Preheat oven to 500° F. Place tenderloin on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle to taste with lemon pepper and seasoned salt. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes. Turn off oven but leave tenderloin in the oven for 45 more minutes. Do not open oven door. At the end of 45 minutes remove tenderloin from oven and allow to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before carving.

Haricots Verts with Feta and Pecans
Serves 6.

1½ lb. fresh haricots verts (or green beans), trimmed and snapped into 1" pieces
⅔ c olive oil
2 T fresh dill weed, chopped
⅓ c white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ t salt
¼ t black pepper
1 c chopped pecans, lightly toasted
½ c diced red onion
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Blanche green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes. While draining them, run cold water over to stop cooking. Whisk together oil, dill, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and onions. Place beans in serving dish and toss with pecans and feta. Just before serving, pour vinaigrette over top. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Yam and Potato Gratin
Serves 8.

¾ c whipping cream
¾ t salt
¾ t ground white pepper
dash freshly ground nutmeg
1½ lb. Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
1½ lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
⅓ c snipped fresh chives
½ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Butter baking dish. In a small bowl combine cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover bottom of pan with a single layer of Russet potatoes, slightly overlapping slices. Drizzle lightly with cream mixture. Cover with a single layer of sweet potatoes, arranged similarly. Drizzle lightly with cream mixture. Sprinkle with chives and Parmesan. Repeat layers, ending with Parmesan. Cover with foil, dull side out. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 30-45 minutes longer, until cheese is browned and potatoes are tender.

Carrot Soufflé

2 pounds baby carrots, cut in half
¾ cup butter, melted
6 eggs
1 c sugar
6 T flour
2 t baking powder
2 t vanilla

Cover carrots with water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, add butter and purée with a stick blender. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 2-quart soufflé dish and bake at 350° for an hour.

Vivian's Summer Story.

2010-10-26T19:45:00.001-05:00

I apologize that I have been neglectful of my blog since my wild summer.

I feel like I have been suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder: I cannot hold a thought or complete a task; I have been unable to concentrate well enough to read (until I picked up The Hunger Games for my Book Club and read it in a day last week!); I just generally don't feel like I'm accomplishing much.

When I reflect on Vivian's stay in the ICU, much of it is a blur. Every now and then I will remember something thoughtful that someone did for us while Vivian was in the hospital, and I fear that I never thanked that person properly. (I apologize if that was you! Please know that we appreciated, indeed thrived on, each and every email, note, card, meal, gift and prayer.)

Now that we're on the other side of the whole ordeal and Vivian has miraculously returned to her old self (Praise Jesus!), sometimes I find myself thinking that perhaps I exaggerated how bad things were. I've only recently been able to revisit my posts from July, and then the worry and fear come flooding back as I read my accounts of those dark days and I remember, "Oh, yes, we thought our Vivian might be severely brain damaged and we wondered if we'd ever be able to bring her home again." {sigh}

I believe that I am emerging from my haze. I hope to be cooking, entertaining, having fun adventures and blogging about them soon!

In the meantime I thought I'd share this little photo journal that I made and sent to the wonderful staff who cared for Vivian in the PICU. When we visited there after Vivian's minor surgery last month, the nurses told me how much they'd enjoyed receiving it and that they'd taped the pages up in their break room.

I printed a copy for Vivian that she likes to look at, though she gets very disturbed by the tubes and wires (especially the feeding tube in her nose, which you may recall was not real popular with her in the hospital either). She'll tell me, "The nurse needs to take that yucky string out of my nose!" Given where Vivian was this summer, what a delight and privilege it is to hear her say that!

With thanks to our Heavenly Father and the wonderful doctors and nurses in the Pediatric ICU at Medical City Children's Hospital, I present:

Vivian's Story

June 25, 2010. When I arrived at Medical City Children's Hospital, I was a very sick little girl. I had a fever of 107° and was having a lot of trouble breathing.

The nice doctors and nurses in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit hooked me up to all sorts of machines to help me get better.

For 12 days I slept while a machine helped me breathe.

When the doctors were sure I could breathe by myself, they let me start to wake up. But I was very sleepy and grumpy.

Not long after I woke up, my arm needed more surgery and I got a nice new pink cast.

I wasn't very happy about the tubes and wires that were helping me get better. The nurses ordered a new bed for me to keep me from hurting myself when I kicked and fussed. I also got to wear a funny hat and lots of ribbons on my head while the doctors did a test on my brain.

I was awake for more than a week before I said much. My first sentence was, "I don't like this place." The doctors and nurses did not take offense and instead thought that was a good sign.

Gradually I got out of bed more and took rides around the PICU in my stroller. I was too weak and wobbly to walk.

It took a while for me to get used to not being on a lot of medicine, but I became more alert each day.

I even started to laugh again!

I smiled more often.

I enjoyed spending time in my stroller with my baby Sarah, a book and a banana milkshake. I wouldn't eat real food, though, so I had to be fed through a new button on my tummy.

Finally, after 32 days in the PICU, I was well enough to go home! My mama and daddy were so grateful to all the nurses and doctors who cared for me. It was hard to say goodbye!

But it was so nice to be home!

At first I was happy just to be in my own bed with my beloved cat, Percy.

It didn't take long for me to start enjoying some of my favorite activities like coloring again.

My teacher, Mrs. Kemp, came over to work a puzzle with me. She was so impressed with how well I did!

My dog, Tucker, was glad to see me!

In no time at all I could walk by myself, though my big brother, Will, assisted me with carrying Percy.

>
Some nice nurses helped my mommy and daddyman take care of me at home, but after two weeks I was doing so well that I didn't need them. I didn't have to wear a cast or take IV antibiotics anymore either!

Now I eat regular food, so my family enjoys going to our favorite Mexican restaurant on Friday nights again.

I like eating my old special foods like ice cream too.

August 18, 2010. I am my happy, funny, (mostly) sweet self again!

"I prayed for this child and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him."
I Samuel 1:27

Some of Vivian's nurses

World Series, Baby!!

2010-10-23T12:39:00.003-05:00

Pictures courtesy of The Dallas Morning News

Things I Like: Baseball.

2010-10-18T23:48:00.002-05:00

At a Braves game circa 1972 (I'm in the back - I think this might have been "Cap Night")

In spite of being perhaps the most unathletic person on the planet, I have been a lifelong lover of sports.

Baseball was my first passion. Growing up in Atlanta we went to a lot of Braves games and enjoyed great seats compliments of my dad's job at Coca-Cola (the Braves were terrible in the 70's and I don't think the tickets were in high demand!). I learned to be loyal even when my team wasn't winning, a habit that came in handy when I moved to Texas and eventually transitioned into a Rangers fan.

This would have been around 1974. I had offered this player some of my popcorn and he came over and spoke to me. He told me to stick around after the game, and then he brought me a ball that some of the players had signed. I imagine my dad still has that ball

Sadly, the first time in my experience as a fan that the Braves had any success was in 1982 when I went off to college. I can remember calling in to some recorded hotline at the Atlanta Constitution late at night in my dorm room to find out a game score - this was obviously eons before the advent of the Internet!

This weekend Robert was offered tickets to Game Two of the American League Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. He happily accepted and kindly took me with him. It was my first time to attend a post-season baseball game, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Best of all, the Rangers won!

Our hosts from the game on Saturday have invited us back should the Rangers make it to the World Series. I sure hope that works out.

Go, Rangers!

Vivian shares her Cranberry Pumpkin Bread.

2010-10-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

This weekend Vivian and I made Cranberry Pumpkin Bread for her to take to school. Her teacher sent me an email with these pictures this morning.

Thank you so much for the pumpkin bread. Vivian sliced, then toasted it for everyone. All of the kids and adults had to taste a small bite; three students found out they like pumpkin bread! Johnny, Matthew and Ann Maris, our peer tutor, all discovered they aren't as picky as they thought. Johnny had two slices! Vivian put the oven mitt on her right hand thus wanting to use the left to serve. It was a good exercise for her left arm. I did help her maneuver the spatula under the bread but after that she independently place it on each napkin. It was a great activity for the class.

I've posted about my Cranberry Pumpkin Bread here previously, but here is the recipe again:

Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread

2 eggs
2 c sugar
½ c vegetable oil
1 c pumpkin
2¼ c flour
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
1 c fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin and mix well. Sift together flour, spice, soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in pumpkin mixture. Stir just until ingredients are moistened. Stir in cranberries. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans (2 large or 4 small). Bake at 350° for an hour (large pans) or 40-45 minutes (small pans). Turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool.

Vivian shares her Cranberry Pumpkin Bread.

2010-10-13T09:38:00.001-05:00

Blog friends.

2010-10-01T06:46:00.001-05:00

I had the privilege this summer to meet two blog friends in real life! Both had occasion to visit Dallas and contacted me about getting together.

The wonderful Tami from The Lady in the Stone House and I have corresponded since the early days of both our blogs. Tami unwisely decided to leave beautiful cool Washington state in July for hot hot hot, not so scenic, and did I mention hot, Texas, but I'm so glad she did! Tami was every bit as nice and gracious in person as she comes across on her blog. She kindly brought me a copy of a new cookbook from the school she and her children attended, and I have enjoyed perusing its recipes. I look forward to trying many of them!

Gigi from 2 Little Bugs and I have corresponded by email for quite some time but had never met. I knew that she and her daughter were going to be passing through Dallas on their way to Colorado and we had talked of getting together but had made no definite plans. My friend Cynthia was visiting from Mississippi, and Dots and I took her to our favorite soufflé restaurant. We were enjoying our meal on the patio when a mother and daughter walked in and were seated at the table next to ours. I don't think I'd ever seen a picture of Gigi, but I kept thinking the daughter looked familiar. After I stared at the pair of them a while, the mother looked up and asked, "Are you Eloise?" What are the chances that we would end up at the same restaurant for lunch? In another small world incident, it turns out that Gigi is a longtime friend of my across the street neighbor. Gigi stopped by to visit him and his family and looked across the street and saw Vivian's 'Welcome Home' banner. Gigi told me she was afraid to tell me for fear I was going to think she was stalking me! We were able to meet for dinner before Gigi and her daughter continued on to Colorado, and we had a lovely visit.

My blog friends are such a blessing in my life!

Cooking Club, September 2010.

2010-09-29T21:34:00.014-05:00

My Cooking Club kicked off its 5th year with a gathering at my friend Karey's house. As always, we enjoyed some delicious food! We are winding down with the Junior League of Houston's wonderful cookbook Peace Meals. Does anyone have any suggestions for our next cookbook?

My assignment this month was the appetizer. I brought these Maple Salmon Bites which were a big hit (I also served these at my last Valentine luncheon. See recipe here.)

Other selections were (clockwise from bottom): Texas Corn Pudding, Crab Cakes with Avocado Salsa, Spinach Tortellini Casserole and Greek Quinoa Salad. We also enjoyed Southwestern Chicken Soup (top right above my plate)

Dessert was Frozen Margarita Pie - fabulous

After our meal we discussed what each person had brought and made notes in our cookbooks. Notice how much we enjoyed the dessert!

After lunch with my friends Priscilla and Karey

Our first Parents Weekend.

2010-09-28T09:44:00.002-05:00

Earlier this month Robert and I drove to Fort Worth for TCU Parents Weekend. We enjoyed seeing Will and meeting some of his new friends. He seems to be adjusting well to the college life!

Hmmm. Will's dorm room wasn't quite as neat as when we dropped him off

His desk was none too tidy either (note: what appears to be a pile of money on Will's xBox is a coupon book. I imagine its design caught the attention of many a college student!)

Will and me after dinner at a steakhouse in the historic Fort Worth stockyards

Saturday we had lunch at Will's fraternity house before the football game

Will outside of his fraternity (TCU fraternities have dorms rather than actual houses). My granddaddy belonged to the same fraternity at the University of Georgia back in the 30's!

Lots of fun tailgating around the stadium before the game

Some neighbors whose son is also a freshman at TCU invited us to join their tailgate party

View of the campus and the student section of the stadium during the TCU/Baylor game. TCU won 45-10!

Quick getaway.

2010-09-27T14:18:00.001-05:00

Setting out for breakfast in charming downtown Durango armed with my crossword puzzle and iPhone

Labor Day weekend Robert and I attended a wedding in Durango, Colorado. Because of the uncertainty regarding Vivian's situation, we couldn't commit to going in time to get flights there. We decided to drive with another couple and had such a great time! The four of us were very compatible and were able to take shifts during the 14-hour drive.

Robert texted this picture to Will and Dots, both of whom replied something along the lines of "You got Mom to hike?????"

We didn't have a lot of leisure time because our stay was so short, but the four of us took an enjoyable hike up a nearby mountain. The views were beautiful!

After the hike we cooled our feet in the Animas River behind our hotel

The wedding was in the late afternoon with the dinner reception following. We had such a good time that we stayed much later than we'd intended.

Unfortunately because I am short, I couldn't sneak a very good picture during the ceremony, but perhaps you can get an idea of the beautiful setting

The reception was in this tent near the wedding site. It was quite cool as soon as the sun went down, so the bride's mother had provided baskets of pashminas by the entrance for the guests to take

The flowers on the tables were exquisite

I enjoyed visiting with my old neighbors who were friends of the bride

The bride's cousin is also a neighbor of mine (she was a precious flower girl). When Josie saw me, she exclaimed, "It's Vivian's mom!"

The ring bearer walked the bride's dog, Yogi, down the aisle. Yogi enjoyed himself at the reception, making appearances on the dance floor and partaking of extra wedding cake

We left Durango Sunday morning and drove to Santa Fe. We walked around for a bit there and had some delicious New Mexican food for lunch.

Driving from Durango to Santa Fe we passed some beautiful scenery

Walking around the square in old Santa Fe

My Aunt Judy told me once that New Mexico had the bluest skies. It certainly seemed true this day

Enjoying some good food before hitting the road for Dallas. Our friend Andy (in the blue) was our designated driver from Santa Fe to Amarillo where we spent Sunday night

All in all a very fun weekend!

Mission accomplished!

2010-09-23T16:51:00.004-05:00

In the holding area Vivian contentedly entertained herself watching Madeline in London on her iPod Touch

The surgical procedures to remove Vivian's feeding button and her mediport this morning were successful and uneventful! Vivian was a real trooper and didn't even require a sedative before the anesthesiologist inserted her IV.

Resting in the recovery room after the surgery

Vivian had no issues with the anesthesia, and the surgeon relayed that everything went smoothly in the OR. Despite a 2" incision on her abdomen, Vivian has reported all day that her tummy feels "just fine" when I ask her if it hurts, so I have not given her any medication for pain.

As soon as she woke up, Vivian started yanking off her hospital gown so I quickly found the clothes I'd brought for her. Perhaps Vivian wanted to make it clear she was not staying long!

The best part of the day was taking Vivian upstairs to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where she spent 32 days this summer. The doctor who admitted us as well as many of our favorite nurses were there today. Everyone was elated to see us and could not get over how well Vivian was doing! Even though she was still a tad groggy from her earlier sedation, Vivian answered questions and interacted with the staff much more than she ever did while she was hospitalized.

The waiting room outside the PICU. It was a bit eerie being up here again

Vivian with many of her nurses from the summer

One of the nurses asked Vivian if she was going to school today. Vivian responded quickly, "I don't want to go to school. I want to go to McDonald's!"

On our way home I went to the drive-through at McDonald's and ordered Vivian a hamburger Happy Meal with a Sprite. The McDonald's lady asked if the Happy Meal were for a girl or a boy, and I answered, "A girl." From the backseat Vivian exclaimed, "A big girl!"

Yes, indeed. A big, healthy girl!

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders." Psalm 9:1