FOURTH OF JULY

We had a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Fourth. Sonny has a good friend who works in the Federal Reserve Building. Every year The Fed hosts a Fourth of July party. The big downtown Houston celebration is right in their back yard. Tinsley Park is across the street. Clay Walker preformed and we had a front row seat for the fireworks. We also were treated to dinner and a V.I.P. tour of The Fed. Have you ever tried to pick up a gold bar? They are really heavy! We also got to tour the historical section that included Confederate and Union money among other old bills. Also, a $10,000.00 bill and a $5,000.00 bill were displayed.

We were able to take along some of the younger Goodes. Ethan was absolutely fascinated with the large clear columns filled with shredded worn out bills that had be taken out of circulation. Everyone received a small tube that contained 20 shredded bills of various denominations. He was very disappointed when he was told that he would be unable to piece them back together. Still - the possibility kept him pumped all night.

You will notice that we were so close to the stage that Ben had to wear ear protectors. Ethan looks a little sleepy in this picture (probably dreaming of all that he could buy if he could piece those bills together) and Emma is not pictured as she never sat down. She found a new friend to play with. It was a fun evening and the fireworks were fantastic.

DIRT CAKE RECIPE

As promised, here is the Dirt Cake Recipe:

Dirt Cake

¼ cup (1/2 stick) margarine
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar (sift before adding to mixture)
3 ½ cups milk
2 3-oz pkgs INSTANT French vanilla pudding mix
12 oz. Cool Whip (defrost in the fridge – not on the cabinet)
1 large pkg Oreo cookies
A flower pot or a pail large enough to hold 3 quarts
Gummy worms or silk or plastic flowers

Crush the cookies and set aside .Mix the butter, powdered sugar
and cream cheese until smooth. In another bowl, prepare pudding
by beating pudding mix and milk together; fold in Cool Whip.
Fold the cream cheese mixture and the pudding mixture together.
Wash flower pot or pail well, then line with aluminum foil.
Layer the crushed cookies and the pudding mixture in the pot or
pail as follows: 1/3 cookies, 1/2 pudding mixture, 1/3 cookies,
1/2 pudding, 1/3 cookies. Chill to set.
To serve: garnish pail of "dirt" with gummy worms or flower
pot filled with "dirt" with silk or plastic flowers.

This is the original recipe that I cut out from the Houston Chronicle many, many years ago. Now, I have to tell you that if you make the above recipe, it will not turn out like mine. We do not use instant anything around here, much less instant pudding. However, it would sure be alot easier to use it and hey, if your family is use to it, why not. Another change that I usually make to the original recipe is that I make chocolate pudding most of the time. Not that the vanilla is not good, but we are a bunch of chocoholics around here.

I usually serve this in a flower pot, but since my tablescape was an "ocean theme", I decided to use sand pails. The pails are so much easier because there is not a hole in the bottom like there is in flower pots. Also, you do not have to worry about the lead content of the pot and that saves you from lining it in plastic wrap and foil like I usually do. To get the cookie layer to look like dirt, I highly recommend using a food processor. It is fast and easy. The first layer is the cookie mixture, followed by the pudding layer and you alternate layers until the bucket is full, ending with the cookie layer.

Here is the finished product. When I do this in a flower pot, I put gummy worms on top along with a silk flower. It is really a cute dessert. Also, I have been known to put gummy worms in each dirt layer so that when you spoon it out of the pot, worms hang off the spoon with each scoop like they do in real dirt. Now this is a little too realistic for me, but try telling that to your little girl who thinks that would be the greatest thing. Never mind that several party guests would not eat it. (Jenny Birthday Memories!)

Another variation on this that I have done, especially when you are using a sand pail for a nautical theme party, is to crush shortbread cookies or vanilla sandwich cookies. The cookie layer will then look like sand. I added a little brown sugar on the top layer of the vanilla cookie mixture which made it look even more like sand. I also laid chocolate shells on the top of the final "sand" layer. It was really cute.

Enjoy!

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY JUNE BLOGS!

Alot of people don't blog very often because they just don't have anything they wish to share or they forgot to take pictures. I have a ton of pictures and happening that I need to share with you so that is not my excuse for not blogging in June. Sometimes bloggers just don't have the time. I will admit that I am behind because we were only home 8 days in a 4 week time period. However, the main reason that I have not kept up with my blogging is that I have been traumatized. What Mother wouldn't be when her daughter/baby ups and suddenly decides to move across the country. How can one blog during times like these? Well, OK, if you read the post directly below this one, you know that she did prepare me somewhat, but still! I'm traumatized! However, I did manage to pull myself together and give her a going away party.

Matt & Jenny love the ocean so that was the theme.
I got the cute palm leaf place mats at the Pottery Barn Outlet. The fish netting that I used as a runner was purchased at Wal Mart in their clearance bin. The menu consisted of some of Jenny's favorite dishes. Notice those pink sand pails - they contain one of her favorite desserts, Dirt Cake. I will post the recipe later. No need for a centerpiece when you can use the dessert as one.

All the guests were asked to bring a Texas themed gift.

What Texas girl can leave the state and survive without an ice tray that produces ice shaped like Texas!

Also, the number one complaint of displaced Texans is the lack of good picante sauce once you leave Texas. So we fixed them up complete with a Texas shaped crystal sauce bowl in which to serve it.

Jenny and Matt are now safely in Colorado and have settled nicely into their new home. They love it and have already been camping in the mountains. However, Jenny has found a few drawbacks. She cannot find Blue Bell Ice Cream, even though she was told that the Russell Stover candy shops carry it. I think that is about to become a crisis! Also, Colorado does not have the Hair Salon Chain that she uses. She did find one in Wyoming, but Matt would not give the OK for her to make that drive when she needs to get her hair done. Sometimes men just don't understand! (<;

MY BABY IS GONE!!!!!

Yes, it is official, my baby is gone. She moved! Right out of the state of Texas to Colorado! She sold her house and got another job in Colorado. She also took her sweet, wonderful husband, dog, cat and fancy "green" washing machine with her. Yes, I am afraid she really is gone! Not that she didn't warn me or prepare me for this moment. Let me tell you our story. You see, she was not suppose to make it into this world. After many prayers and the doctors declaring her a miracle, God gave our family this precious little girl.
Her pediatrician remembers seeing me sitting in her waiting room for the first time. I was all dressed up in my pink suit with matching shoes and purse. Sitting beside me were two precious and well behaved little boys dressed in their neatly pressed, preppy clothes. The doctor and her nurse, whom I was about to interview to see if they were worthy to care for my precious baby, watched as I carefully explained to the boys that they were not allowed to run and jump in the waiting room like the other children. I then handed them color books and crayons from my perfectly color coordinated toy bag and they quietly colored as we waited. At that point, the doctor turned to the nurse and said, "I think God looked down on this perfect little picture of a mom with her children and decided to liven things up a bit." Oh sure, she tried to tell me that critically ill babies, like the one that I was about to have, had to be fighters, had tremendous wills to live, very strong personalities, and used words like stubborn, head strong, high strung, a challenge to raise, etc. but did I believe her? If I did, that all went right out of my mind the first time I held that tiny, perfect, beautiful little girl with all those dark curls.

At 6 months old, this beautiful child dressed head to toe in pink and lace complete with a pink bow in her dark curls, arrived back in the doctor's office. It was for the third time in one week, with a haggard looking mother demanding tests be run. Surely the baby was in pain. She went from a sleeping angel with a soft feminine cry to a bellowing, screaming machine. One brother, at 3:00am in the morning, sleepily asked if we could take her back to the hospital and leave her! After determining that indeed, Baby Jenny was progressing nicely, the doctor reminded me of that strong personality that she had warned me of. However, she also pointed out that these children are natural born leaders, outgoing, courageous, very intelligent, motivated, achievers, fearless, strong and provide challenges in parenting. Obviously I had alot of work to do!

I was determined that she would indeed be the image of what I imagined a daughter to be. I would provide her with every opportunity to be a sweet, calm little girl. I imagined her sitting happily in her pink carpeted room with her canopied bed playing with all of her dolls and tea sets. And I did provide those! However, I can still see her tossing the dolls aside and picking up one of her brother's large metal Tonka trucks and trying to hit him over the head with it.

She declared her independence at age one! She refused to put on any clothes I picked out for her. At age 4, she found out about college and declared that she would go and would definitely live on campus, away from me. Dolls, tea sets, ballet and tap lessons were very quickly replaced with stuffed and plastic animals of all kinds followed by a real horse and riding lessons. I adjusted. I admired her toughness, fearlessness and courage. Every time I had to tell her no, which was quite often, she told me she could not wait to be on her own.

I don't know if she sensed that I needed help to let her go or if she loved me enough to prepare me, but in her teen years, she often told me she was moving out the day she turned 18. Finding out that she would need me to help pay college bills, she then tried to go to college as far away as she could, which to her was in California. She almost made it, but settled for Texas A & M. When she graduated from college, she also gave me plenty of time to adjust to her next stage of independence. She got engaged to Matt, whom we loved, and she followed the proper wedding time line so there was plenty of time to prepare. The wedding was beautiful and fun, just like she wanted it. They bought a house and lived a mere 30 minutes away. AND THEN they lived happily ever after close to family and friends. Not! This is what happened next!

This picture represents everything that Jenny and Matt own and it is headed for Colorado. OK, to be fair, she did start preparing me 2 years ago. Each time she and Matt made a trip to Colorado, she called me and said, "You do know we are serious about moving to Colorado, right?" Who would have thought that with the economy in the state it is in, house sales down, and unemployment up, that they could pull this off. Not me! Wasn't going to happen at least not any time soon, right? Wrong! I forgot that beautiful baby with those dark curls did grow up to be a born leader, outgoing, courageous, very intelligent, motivated, an achiever, fearless and strong. Of course they would be able to sell their house and find great jobs and a great place to live in Colorado.

I'm happy for them, no I really am. It makes parents proud when their children achieve their goals and live their dreams. But does it have to be in Colorado? No, I really am happy for them, I really, really am. Yes, my daughter grew up to be everything that I could hope for. She even turned into the dainty, very feminine lady that I wanted her to be, as you can see by the below picture.

OK, maybe not, but a girl has to have one last fight with her older brother before she leaves for Colorado, right?!! Love you and miss you Jenny and Matt!

TEXAS BIRTHDAY DINNER

We celebrated Michael's and Jenny's birthday. I decided on a Texas theme. Michael loves the Houston Rodeo and country music and Jenny has always loved horses and riding. Of course, I love anything Texas and bluebonnets are my favorite! For those of you looking for tablescape ideas, the red stars are cookie cutters and the runner is actually two dish towels from Kohl's clearance table.

The silverware are in a blue jean pocket and the napkin ring holder is a Texas cookie cutter. I was not able to find enough Texas shaped cookie cutters, so some place settings have cowboy hat cookie cutters. Believe it or not, I found those for $1.00 each at Sur la Table. The place card holder is a red heart (for deep in the heart of TX) and I also used these at my Valentine's Day Bunco party. I found these paper sheriff's badges on the internet, which I printed on card stock, and wrote each person's name on them as a place card.

Here is my sweet family and we enjoyed a good old Texas supper of Haystacks. I will include the recipe below. Happy Birthday to Michael and Jenny!

HAYSTACKS

1 bowl of cooked white rice

1 bag Fritos

1 pot of your favorite Chili

Shredded Lettuce

Chopped Tomatoes

Chopped Avocados

Chopped Onions

Favorite Shredded Cheese

Put all of the above in serving bowls in a line on a serving table or counter. Starting with the first ingredient, put the rice on your plate, followed by some Fritos on top of the rice. Next add Chili on top of the Fritos and well you get the picture. You keep building with the rest of the ingredients and create a "hay stack". This dish is great for everyone as each person can make their own hay stack according to their likes/dislikes and dietary needs. Dieters can just have the salad! Of course, we had cherry tarts and blackberry cobbler for dessert and that is not diet!

Enjoy!

FISH FRY

As I mentioned in my last post, Bubba fried fish for us. Please note Saturday's catch in the square pan. Bubba even fried the fish in two different kinds of batter - half in beer batter and half in corn meal batter. Let me tell you, Sonny just kept eating those fish as fast as Bubba could fry them. Of course, that was just so that he could decide which batter he liked best. To be completely fair, Sonny decided that we were going to have to go up another weekend and let Bubba fry another batch. He can then do another taste test, and maybe reach a final decision! This could take all summer - get the frying pan ready Bubba!!

Dorothy has decorated her house beautifully. We stay in the "Rose Bedroom" when we visit and it is as pretty as any Bed and Breakfast that you have ever been to. (Also, remember the pancakes!) So it was with much horror that I discovered the above bag full of bait sitting on Dorothy's pretty kitchen counter tops. I know that Dorothy is probably use to it, but still . . .!!!

Thankfully they did not stay in the house to long. Instead, they went in the boat with the fishermen and were partly responsible for the below picture! Mrs. 25 lb. Catfish decided to have an afternoon snack and did not realize that 3 men were waiting for her. It took one man to drive the boat, one to hook her on the line and another to haul her in the boat with a net to keep the line from breaking or her slipping off the hook. As you can see, they were successful. That is alot of catfish fillets!!

Over our three day stay, the men fished most of the time and they really caught alot of fish! The guys did allow us to go with them the first afternoon and it was so nice to be on the lake.

However, they really got down to business after that and that did not include us, as I think we cramped their style. The lake might be Sonny's favorite spot, but while he is off fishing, I am enjoying my favorite spot. "Sonny, can you bring me a glass of tea before you take off fishing?"

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

For Memorial Day Weekend, we went to Lake Livingston to see Buffy and Daphne who are pictured above. They run the house. However, they did let their people come out and play with us, so we also had a good time with Bubba and Dorothy Kay.

Now Bubba and Dorothy are some of the most hospitable people that we know. If you spend the weekend with them, Dorothy will fix you a fabulous breakfast using fresh farm eggs and her pancakes are to die for. Bubba also cooks for us. As you can see, we had a fish fry, but more about that in the next post. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than Bubba's home cooking on the porch.

This is the beautiful view that we enjoyed as we ate our meals on their front porch. Thanks for a great, relaxing weekend!