So, we had tickets to the Saturday afternoon Cardinals/Twins game at Busch stadium in St. Louis. We, being thirteen members of my family, because my brother, Jeff, ( number 14) stayed at home as they are so behind in the planting. The temperature at the stadium was 99 degrees. Our group included a two-year-old, a queasy pregnant woman, and two 70-ish ladies. Did we have fun? Well, let's just say we were committed to following through on it. And the Cardinals won and Albert Pujols hit two home runs and my favorite player, Yadier Molina bulldozed this runner at home plate and got him out, and we all lived through it and not one of us fell out of our seats during the singing of the national anthem (which really happened there on Friday night) so we considered the whole thing a success. Here we are after the game, looking a little rough, and any money in our pockets was moist money, very moist.

Since there was such an overwhelming response to my query a couple of weeks ago about the best rock and roll song of all time, a-hum, I thought I would pose another question to blog readers. Which product brands do you buy faithfully? I'm talking about brands that you are so loyal to, that you would refuse any substitute, even if it was given to you free of charge. Here are mine:

Heinz Ketchup

Jif Peanut Butter

Kraft Miracle Whip and Mayonnaise
Tide

Oscar Mayer Bacon

Duncan Hines Cake Mix

I'm sure there are more, but these are certainly critical ones. What are yours?

Getting ready for the One Room Schoolhouse Camp tomorrow. I was there this evening, writing spelling words on the blackboards and I took this picture of some cornhusk dolls and twig stars that Debbie and I stuck on these small trees, just for fun. We used these trees at a Halloween event a couple of years ago, and certainly have got a lot of mileage out of them.

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." Jack Handey

Cartoon Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog is celebrating an occasion this weekend that merits even more fanfare than her usual five-woof salute. So, she composed a celebratory song that should be sung to the tune of YMCA by the Village People

Young Girl!

No more need to feel down.

Young Girl!

No more reason to frown.

You went there

And you gave it your best

And you fin-ally passed

The last test.

DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO

Now Lindsey is A CPA

It's fun to be A CPA

She can count all your stuff, She can take you to lunch

Just give her the numbers you want her to crunch.

Because Lindsey is A CPA

It's fun to be A CPA

Hmmm hmmm hmm and so on and so forth

Yes, we're very proud. I also find it pretty amusing that my daughter is a CPA. In fact, what I'd really like to do is call up all my old high school math teachers and give them this little tidbit of information. I think they'd be very surprised.

I spent the week reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins for my English Lit class. I also had a couple of meetings and went out to lunch on Wednesday with the Tri Kappa ladies to the Adam's Lake Pub. On Thursday, I had another lunch date that was scheduled for the park, but was moved to my kitchen because of rain. Tuesday evening was my second cake decorating class of the year. Here are a couple of photos from that evening:

From the Archives: Just a couple of years ago. Rob and I are happy grads. (But we are not CPA's)

Recipe of the Week: I fixed this pasta salad for my Thursday lunch with Vi. I've been looking for a mayo-based pasta salad for some time. I found the recipe for Ruby Tuesday's pasta salad online, but it called for ham chunks and I was already serving my dilled chicken salad on croissants, so I didn't try it. (but I will in the future). This one is pretty good. I did blanch the broccoli and carrots slightly. I would also double the recipe, as this doesn't make a whole lot.


Creamy Shell Pasta Salad

1 cup small uncooked shell pasta
3/4 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cubed cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup sunflower kernels
1 hard-cooked egg, peeled and chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup may
1/4 cup Ranch salad dressing
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, carrot, cheese, cucumber, celery, sunflower kernels and egg. In a small bow, combine the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.





"Beauty is like a fox in winter bouncing through the snow. All is well, all is innocent. But there! Lurking behind that tree trunk is the fox's mortal enemy, the fox. He waits until the fox is within range, then he springs. Fox on fox. Man, what a sight." Jack Handey

After much research, well, not much... some, after some research, Bob and I have decided that the most bathingest bird on the block is the American Robin. Every time I look out into the backyard, there's a robin sloshing about in the birdbath. In fact, Bob insists that recently, while mowing, he was harassed by a couple of robins who wanted fresh water added to the bath. Do they just like water or are they trying to keep their orange chests nice and bright? We may never know. Second place in the bird-bathing competition goes to the always-pushy, but also body-conscious blue jay.

Bob and I spent the weekend in Effingham. We went to my nephew, Kyle's wedding in Shelbyville on Saturday afternoon, and then down to my brother's house in Hord for a cookout that night. My sister-in-law, Conni dug up two boxes of perennials, including some great daylillies for me to bring back and add to my own collection. We also got to spend some time with the toddler formerly known as the cutest baby in Springfield, Landon Kutscher, who is a very big Uncle Bob fan. On Sunday, we visited with Bob's mom and dad. We did not get home until late Sunday night, and that is why the blog is late.

Here are a couple of pics from the wedding:

Conni, Landon, (with blue cupcake), me, and Megan

Aunt Kae, Lindsey, and Baleigh at the reception

Are you wondering why there are no men in these pictures? At about the same time these photos were take, the deejay announced that a Bonneville was blocking a service entrance road and almost every man at the reception got up and went outside to check and see if it was his Bonneville. Men. They're hard to keep track of unless you can hold them on your lap.

On the drive to Effingham, Bob and I had a discussion about music. I asked him to name the greatest rock song of all time and he said it was Free Bird, by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I told him I thought it was Layla. Bob said it couldn't possibly be Layla because the ending was too long and repetitive. And the ending of Free Bird is not?????????

Please leave your comment. What do you think IS the greatest rock song of all time???

"I think we should let kids play around in those big underground catacombs they have because, to an adult, a skull is just a skull, but to a kid, it's a truck or a boat, or anything his little imagination can come up with." Jack Handey

Here's what I spent most of my weekend working on - cheesecakes for the lovely Miss Elizabeth's graduation open house. We were pretty busy this week getting estimates for the addition we're planning to add on to the house in August. A new dining room and a bigger kitchen!!!! The old dining room will become a library, I think. Maybe it'll be like a queue "Sit down and read something before you come in and eat in the new bigger dining room! I can't wait. We also got a couple of quotes on siding and shopped for new carpet for the family room.

I met with the one room schoolhouse ladies to plan our summer camp. We'll be celebrating nature this year, I believe. We're thinking about making chicken and dumplings over the fire too. We've never tried that before.

This is the beautiful rose tree that the peeps in my aerobics class gave me as a goodbye and thank you gift. I think I'm going to have Bob plant it right here, by the front door, when he gets home.

Some of those ladies had been in my class for almost ten years, and I will miss seeing them.

Coiffed Canines Crave Cheese Chunks - JUST TELL US WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO GET THE CHEESE!!!!!! I drove Bonnie the Barbarian back to the Gas City/Upland exit Starbucks (we like to think of it as OUR Starbucks) to meet up with Brent so he could take her back home. I sent that rib bone along with her, as a sort of a reminder of all the fun she had at Grandma and Grandpa's. The coffee boys remembered me and asked if I was bringing the dog back again. They're just so nice and chatty at Starbucks.

Recipe of the Week: I believe the following recipe is the only recipe I have that calls for Jello. I don't get Jello - never have. It's nothing. Why bother eating it? I know lots of people like that Christmas ribbon jello salad thing, but am I going to spend my Christmas calories eating Jello? No, no. Bring out the heavy stuff - Bring out the fudge. Bring out the buche de noel - in fact, bring me a figgy puding, but please, no Jello. Anyway, this pretzel salad with Jello deserves to be in my recipe collection. The combination of a salty, buttery pretzel crust, cream cheese center, and strawberry topping is a winning one. For many years, our local Tri Kappa chapter hosted an annual salad bar luncheon in early June. We served a hot chicken and noodle casserole and a variety of side salads. This was one of them. The chapter doesn't do the salad bar anymore, but traded it in for a basket bingo afternoon some time back. Enjoy the salad.

Pretzel Salad

1 (8 oz) package pretzels, finely crushed

3 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup butter melted

1 (8oz) package cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 (8 oz) carton Cool Whip

1 (6 oz) package strawberry Jello

2 cups boiling water

1 (16 oz) package frozen sliced strawberries

Combine crushed pretzels, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press into 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Cool completely.

Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add Cool Whip and mix. Spread on top of pretzel crust making sure to spread completely to the sides of the pan so the Jello doesn't leak down to the pretzels. Put in the fridge.

Dissolve the Jello in the boiling water. Add strawberries. Refrigerate until slightly thickened, then spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate.

"It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of wild dogs." Jack Handey

Yes, we've had a little visitor this weekend. Bonnie, the Barbarian is staying with us while Brent and Lindsey celebrate her birthday in Savannah and Charleston. They ate at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House, and Elizabeth's and at Paula Dean's restaurant, But, I'll let her tell about this adventure on her blog. It's been fun having Bonnie here, (although, I'm not sure Maddie would agree), and tomorrow, I'm taking them both to Judy's to be groomed.

Friday was my last day of teaching. The 8th grade graduation was held on Friday morning and it was really something to see about a hundred horses and carriages angle-parked around the baseball diamond. I really enjoyed my teaching experience there, and it gave me a new appreciation for the Amish culture.

It's time for the daisies to do their thing and it's a pretty good year for the rhododendron.

Hey! Look what I found in your yard. A rib bone. This is some place.

\

Recipe of the Week: I was watching some cooking show on PBS and this guy was talking about the great hearty meals his mother used to make on a limited budget. He said many of her tried and true dishes started with a pound of ground round. He was making a Shepherd's Pie, and although this is not his recipe, it contains the one pound of ground round, and Bob and I both liked it. (and that Bob, he just hates peas). So, this is a real TET recipe. Enjoy!

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 pound ground round

1 onion, chopped

1 cup each - chopped carrots, corn, peas

2 pounds potatoes

8 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Peal and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a frying pan.

Saute onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 minutes) If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put carrots in with the onions, but add corn or peas at the end of the cooking of the onions. or after the meat has initially cooked.

Add ground round and saute until no longer pink. Add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Add the beef broth and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Mash potatoes in bowl with the remainder of the butter and season to taste.

Place beef and veggies in a baking dish and spread mashed potatoes over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Broil for the last few minutes if necessary to brown.

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at that word itself. MANKIND. Basically it's made up of two words, "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery and that's why, so is mankind." Jack Handey

So, after teaching step aerobics at the Y for fourteen years, I've decided to throw in the towel, so to speak. This Wednesday evening will be my last class, and I'll be looking for new fitness opportunities. Several of us Biggest Loser Buddies have decided to try Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred program. The idea is to maximize your workout and get big results in a minimum amount of time - only twenty minutes a day!


I'm telling you this because it's leading up to a rant. I know I haven't ranted about anything in a long time (maybe not since the evils of the Pitbull and other mean dogs) but I feel the need to rant and my ire, this time, is directed at Barnes and Noble. That's right, Barnes and Noble, a VERY LARGE bookstore. You see, I wanted to give all of my longtime step aerobic peeps a 30 Day Shred DVD, as a parting gift. They were very reasonably priced online, but I knew I'd have to expedite the shipping to get them here on time, with the holiday and all, so I decided to drive into Fort Wayne and buy them at a BIG bookstore, such as Barnes and Noble. I told the clerk there what I was looking for and she took me right to them and handed me one. I told her I needed several more than that, and she said "Oh, we only have this one, but I can order them for you."

"No, thanks," I said, "I can order them myself."
Then I walked back to the children's department because I wanted to buy a certain somebody a boxed set of books for her birthday.

The clerk told me she would have to check to see if they had it in stock. This was right after she told the woman in front of me that they didn't have what she wanted either.

"We don't have that boxed set in the store," she told me, "BUT, we can order it for you."


"Well, I can order it myself. This same thing just happened to me over in the DVD section," I whined. They only had one copy."

"Oh, ma'am. We only carry one copy of most everything. We just don't have the room to store them all."

So, I drove over to Target and got all the 30 Day Shred DVD's I needed. And for you Barnes and Noble, Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog remains completely mute. Good grief!







From the Archives: Blonde cousins Megan and Lindsey in May of 1985. Last Thursday, Megan turned 30 and next week, Lindsey will be 26. Happy Birthday girls!

Recipe of the Week: Stormy came through and mailed me this recipe. I fixed it for supper tonight. It's low in fat and good for you, if you follow the recipe. I, of course, will not allow low-fat mayonnaise in this house, but each to his or her own.

Stormy's Favorite Chicken and Spinach Casserole

2 cups cooked, skinless chicken breasts - diced

1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (whatever)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Light coat an 8 inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine spinach and chicken prepared dish. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Add about 1/4 of the mixture to the chicken and spinach; mix well and spread evenly in the pan. Top with remaining mixture and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.

"Probably the biggest fear of a pharaoh was being mummied alive." Jack Handey

Landon tagged Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog for her 8 things list, and here is her response:

8 Things I Did Yesterday (Monday, my favorite day)

1. Barked at the trash guys - both of them - two different companies

2. Barked at the school bus

3. Barked at the FedEx man

4. Got a pupperoni treat and she said "keep barking" or maybe it was "stop barking" - I get those two mixed up

5. Napped

6. Ate some Mighty Dog

7. Stared at dead bird on the front step. It flew into the front door

8. Barked at dead bird on the front step

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to

I just live in the moment and don't really think about tomorrow - It's all good

8 Programs I watch on TV:

Huh?