Week in Review

I did more subbing this week at an elementary school. It was a sweet gig!. The Book Babes met on Wednesday night to talk about the book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Sandy was the hostess, and all I'm saying is she really got into the circus theme. (I have pictures this time, but not permission to post them) I had arrived late because of another meeting, so the other Babes informed me that this book is currently being made into a movie. I asked if George Clooney might be playing the part of Jacob Jankowski, the almost-veterinarian/circus animal caretaker. Stormy thought that role should go to Toby McGuire because she was sure there was some famous circus performer named Toby. I told her she was probably thinking of Topo Gigo, the Italian mouse who used to ask Ed Sullivan to kiss him goodnight.

Lindsey and Brent went to a Halloween party on Friday night as Dwight and Angela from The Office. Brent gave out Schrute Bucks.

On Friday Bob and I went to Effingham to watch the undefeated Flaming Hearts take on Charleston in their first playoff game. Here's a picture of my 8-year old niece, Baleigh, and me in our Heart-wear before the big game. We took my mom (hereafter referred to in this blog as Maw-Maw) It was a real family affair because my sister Lori (mentioned in the first posting) is a high school counselor and videotapes the games. Her husband, Dan, coaches the offense, and my cousin has a son who plays on the team.

At the game, Baleigh bought a cup of hot cocoa that looked like motor oil. She took the to-go lid off to blow on it. Sitting right in front of her was a player's mom who was wearing her son's letterman's jacket. (At one point in the game, someone sitting behind me, who shall go un-named referred to that boy as a "little twerp" who could not possibly score a touchdown without the help of the offensive line) Baleigh was balancing the cup of cocoa precariously on her knee. I was worried because I knew that one great pass or critical tackle and we might end up dumping motor oil all over that little twerp's jacket.

During the second half of the game Baleigh got really tired and started leaning on our shoulders. The field was muddy and the game was exciting, but Effingham had already beaten Charleston once this season and the moon was full, and the game did not end up the way we would have liked. In the parking lot, Baleigh consoled herself by announcing that now her Friday nights are free.

For the last three summers, Baleigh has spent a week with us so she can participate in our One Room Schoolhouse Summer Camp. This past summer, we co-wrote a song called "Would you Care to see my Mutilated Toe?" (sung to the tune of "She'll be Comin' Around the Mountain when She Comes) This song came about after a toe that was damaged in a last-day-of-school flip-flop incident was re-injured in Target. There's another verse - something about having bloody tissues in my purse. To help her get to sleep at night, I would sing her a lullaby. She just loved it when I sang "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." She's going to be Hannah Montana for Halloween.

Sunday Night Candlelight Supper

We did not host the Sunday Night Supper this week. Instead, we were guests of Nick and Stormy. They served a delicious supper of spinach-stuffed beef tenderloin, horseradish mashed potatoes, carrot souffle, bread sticks, and for dessert, lovely apple tarts and chocolates.

We had a great time. We listened to some old Randy Newman music and some really old Simon and Garfunkel. Stormy broke a wine glass. I'm going to have to replace it because it was my funny joke that made her break the stem right off.

I don't have the recipe for the spinach stuffed beef tenderloin, but I will share a great recipe that I got from my friend, Julia. These green bean bundles first appeared at a church dinner. Julia got the recipe and served them to us a couple of years ago. I took them to a Common Grace potluck dinner where they somehow turned into Presbyterian Green Bean Bundles. So, here's the recipe:

Julia's Presbyterian Green Bean Bundles

3 -14.5 ounce cans whole green beans

1 pound bacon - cut in half

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 dashes soy sauce

salt and pepper

Wrap a half-slice of bacon around 7 green beans. Place in glass baking dish. You can crowd them close together, but do not layer. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over green bean bundles. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Yummy.