Always and Forever

I want a love that lasts forever, just like these two. This is a picture of my grandparents, Bill & Estelle. Oh, Bill! That's what my grandma always said to him when he was being a stinker. And boy was he a stinker! But I think that's why she loved him. He was flirtatious up until the day he died. In fact, he's probably up in heaven right now flirting with the ladies and waiting for my grandma to come home in her own time.

This particular picture was taken right before my grandpa was leaving to go to war, I believe. War or boot camp or something with the Army Air Corps. You can't see Grandma's face because she was crying. Sad to have her man leave her. I understand how you felt, Grandma.

Now Kev isn't going off to war. In fact, he's still with me in the city. Working his graveyard shift. Making a huge sacrifice for our family so that we can continue to grow in our transition to NOLA. I appreciate my husband. I love my husband. I miss my husband.

I am fascinated by my many examples of "love that lasts a lifetime". No, not a commercial for a diamond necklace. The real deal. Like my parents and grandparents. The happy times, sad times, sacrifice and heartache that goes into being with someone for 50+ years. Kev has been surrounded by these examples his whole life as well. Both sets of his adorable grandparents and his parents - all very dedicated to each other. That is inspiring and intimidating, all in the same breath. But, these are good examples and good foundations for which to build our own life together.

I can't wrap my mind around how my grandmother felt after Grandpa went off to fight the Nazis. He was flying less than perfect planes across the Atlantic Ocean, often having to "ABANDON SHIP!" in the midst of the flight. Did he ever tell Grandma of the danger he was in? Ummm....he was crazy, but he wasn't dumb. I remember hearing him tell us about one of his missions back in the day, and Grandma saying, "Bill Raitt! You never told me about that before!" He just laughed his grandpa laugh, "aheeheehee, aheeheehee!". That's what made them work, I think. A little bit of mystery, even after all those years, and a lot of love and respect for each other. He gave her the moon and the stars, and she him.

I know that my lifetime happiness is unfolding before me, right here, right now. It's just hard. But change is hard. I just need to be more like my grandma and Rosie the Riveter and think, "We can do it!". Because, you know what? We can. And we will.

A Winter Wonderland

Sans moi and Kev. We missed the snow in Amarillo over the Christmas holiday. Instead, we were treated to cooler weather and oak trees with ornaments hung in their branches. Pretty? Of course! Very pretty, in fact. But, I must say there is something special about seeing a blanket of snow outside your house on Christmas morning.

C & C worked on turning our parents' backyard into a snowman haven. The snowman pictured above has a cat toy nose. I think it works - it's sparkly! If you know me, I'm like a bird - I love all that glitters and sparkles! Plus, I'm sure there were a plethora of toys to choose from. I just hope Elwood didn't get too upset when his glittery red ball went missing.


Here's the real gem of the snowman haven! Mr. Snowman is, ahem, taking care of business. He even has an asparagus fern mustache. I wonder if he's planning on hitting any day after Christmas sales?

Why is there a toilet in my parents' backyard, you ask? Well, they recently remodeled all of the bathrooms in their home, including replacing all the toilets. I'm not exactly sure why this is still in the backyard, but I'm going to chalk it up to needing a good prop for a snowman haven.

One of the things I'm the saddest about missing in the winter wonderland has to be C & C's Siberian Huskies, Sasha & Geordie, running and playing in the snow. And of course rubbing their faces in the snow. Did you know that snow dogs love snow? They don't get to see much of that down in Austin.

Did you get to see snow in your neck of the woods over Christmas? I do hope so! But I pray you all had safe and easy travels through said snow.

We get to visit Texas this next weekend - looking forward to some fabulous Tex Mex and to see my Red Raiders! And the cherry on top? We get to see my Mary and my Judy! Oh joy! That's even better than a snowman haven!

Cheers!

Our Christmas House

Noel. From my Grandma!

Santa bubble light!

The tree - sorry so blurry!

Our snowflakes that we made...and glittered!

Fleur de lis! New to the tree this year!

You can't really see, but she's wearing red high heels!

Here is our Jaime Hayes Cat tree ornament from Jen. Yes, Jen! You did give us this one! I had forgotten...

Christmas tree nesting doll, and an elephant and Mr. Toucan. Oh, and the strawberry is a jam pot from my grandma.

This is the table setting for breakfast. Kevin came home from work to this!

And our Christmas dinner! Kevin had to promptly leave for work after this.

Just a couple of love birds - hanging out in the tree! I hope you all had a blessed, happy Christmas time. Ours was quiet, but good!

Now onto the New Year!

When You Get Tired of Turkey Sandwiches

This is Lillian Champ. She was a champ. Really! Look at how sassy she looks, lounging on that church bench enjoying her treat! She was a good friend of my grandparents in Cincinnati (Cincinnatah - that's how Grandma and Grandpa pronounced it). Anytime I saw her, she was wearing a fetching hat. Usually a red hat - but trust me, this was before the Red Hat Society got big. The recipe I'm about to share is hers originally, but I also attribute it to my mom.

Mom's (Lillian Champ's) Meatloaf. Now before you say, "Blegh! Meatloaf!", you need to give this recipe a try. It's not your usual suspect. It's tangy, it's sweet, and frankly it's delicious!!!!


For the meatloaf, you will need:

1 lb of ground beef
1 medium onion
1 egg
2 - 3 slices of bread
salt & pepper
Worcestershire Sauce

Notice how the ground beef says "Not For Sale"? Well, that's because we got our beef from Kansas. From Kevin's grandparents. Yep. They raised that beef. On grain and no hormones. Nice! Except, I met the cow we are about to eat. At least, I THINK I met that cow. (But I don't like thinking about such things....) She was in a pin, away from the rest of her cow family. I thought, oh, she must be sick! Poor cow. Then the family looked at me funny and Kev said, "Kel, how do you think we get to enjoy those steaks?" Ohhhhhh...... :(


Chop your onions. Oh, Hi Monkey Peeler! Whatcha doing? Monkey Peeler shrieked his monkey shriek at me and informed me he wanted to help me cook. I think I heard him call out to his friends, Mr. Toucan and Jamie Hayes Devil Doll, but it was a whisper and I was distracted with my prep.


Mr. Toucan! How nice to see you in the kitchen. "What did you put in that bowl?", said Mr. Toucan. Well, we have ground beef, chopped onions, about 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce, some bread that I made crumbs in the food processor, salt and pepper, and an egg.


It's time to mix it all together! Use your hands - but wash them first, please! Hi Jaime Hayes Devil Doll! "This looks interesting, lady. Why are you using your hands to mush that concoction? It looks kind of icky...and it's making a weird noise!" Oh, Jaime Hayes Devil Doll! Didn't you learn from our last cooking experience that patience is a virtue?


"Hi Mom!" Oh, Jamie Hayes Devil Doll! You are messing with my cooking mojo! And isn't your "mom" a man? After all, you did come from Jamie Hayes.

Form the meat mixture into loaves. Note that we have three loaves in this picture - when I make this, I make more than we are going to eat because it freezes well. It's good to do that - like a squirrel collecting nuts for winter.


Brown the loaves. I find that if you dust them with a little flour, they brown up very nicely. "There is a loaf for each of us! Ooooooohhhhh!", said Mr. Toucan. Ummm...boys, I hate to break it to you, but we aren't going to be enjoying all this goodness tonight. "You are so mean to us!", said Jamie Hayes Devil Doll.


Once the loaves are browned, pop your pan into the oven. I use a cast iron skillet for everything, but you can always use a regular baking pan. I think Mr. Toucan and Monkey peeler are excited! Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.


The sauce is the key to this recipe. It's the stardust that makes it extra, extra special.

You will need:

Tomato sauce
Yellow mustard
Vinegar
Brown Sugar

Okay, so I don't have exact measurements for this. Pour the tomato sauce into a bowl, add the mustard (maybe 1/4 - 1/2 a cup?), brown sugar (again, 1/4 - 1/2 a cup) and vinegar. You want it to taste sweet, but have a tang to it. The tang is key. You want it to feel it in the top of your head. Or am I the only one who feels vinegar in the top of my head?


Mr. Toucan! Get your nose out of that sauce! "But it smells tangy and I want to taste it!", said Mr. Toucan. Wait, darling bird! It will be worth it!

After your loaves have cooked for 45 minutes, pour the sauce on top and cook for another 15 minutes.


Time to peel the potatoes! "Heeeheeeheee! That tickles! Why are you making me work?", said Monkey Peeler. Umm...because you are a peeler, Monkey Peeler! You have a purpose! "My purpose is to eat meatloaf!" Ahem. Gotta sing for your supper, boy!

Of course, you will then boil your potatoes and mash them. I'm sure everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes!


*DING* Meatloaf is done! "Hooray! We can eat! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" said the 'boys' in unison! Kev was right there with Mr. Toucan, Monkey Peeler, and Jamie Hayes Devil Doll!


And, voila! You have your meal! I serve it with mashed potatoes and corn, usually. I know, kind of cliche but sometimes cliche is nice. Try it! You won't be disappointed. And, I think Lillian Champ would be upset if you didn't give it a try. Don't upset that sassy lady - she might have to chomp you!

Enjoy!

Celebration in the Oaks

Last night, Kev and I visited the Celebration in the Oaks. This is a huge light display/amusement park attraction located in the middle of City Park. Did you know that City Park is the second largest park in the nation? (The first one being Central Park in NYC.)

A ball in a tree...I guess it doesn't really look like a ball in this picture, but it's a ball.


The local elementary schools decorated Christmas trees. I liked the sign for this particular tree. "Joy to you and me!"

This one is pretty! I like the fan with the geisha...isn't she pretty?


Grandma? I didn't know you had an elementary school in New Orleans! Come to think of it, I didn't know you were a sportsman's paradise, either!



All this admiring is making me hungry! I think I need some carnie food....hmmm....funnel cake or cotton candy?


Carrot. Not sure what the carrot has to do with the holidays, but it's New Orleans. They love their food!


Perhaps they are trying to inspire you to go home and make some gumbo. Except I don't think there are peas in gumbo.


A Ferris wheel! Oooohhh...wait, that is high up. I think I'll pass.


Hey, LOOK!!!! It's the Fun Slide! Do they have a guarantee of fun on the Fun Slide?


I don't know about you, but I know my holidays aren't complete without some dinosaurs.


ROOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!


Mr. Bingle? Who is this Mr. Bingle that you speak of?


Mr. Bingle! Um...I think he looks like an upside down ice cream cone/Frosty the Snowman type.


Go ask Alice...When she's 10 feet tall! Again, what do mushrooms have to do with Christmas?


A gator with antlers. I think he's auditioning to be one of Santa's backup reindeer.


Looks like he didn't quite make the cut - Santa has all his reindeer, I mean gators for this year! Happy Holidays, y'all!

For Jenny...and anyone else who needs to spice up the ol' sauce

Cranberry sauce. It might be one of the great dividers during the holiday season. Some people like the homemade kind, some like canned and some could do without completely. Until a couple of years ago, I was the latter, latter type. But then, I discovered that it was actually quite tasty with some turkey. Yummy. (It's amazing to me how your taste buds change over the years...)

Aren't the little berries pretty? I love the color - so bright, so cheery. Get in my MOUTH! Wait! Stop right there, mister! You don't want to eat that uncooked cranberry. You will be making a fish face for days - those puppies are TART!

I tried my hand at making homemade cranberry sauce for the first time this Thanksgiving. It was fun! And uber yummy! Jen is usually a fan of the canned cranberry sauce, but I think this particular recipe made her think twice about the cranberry gelatin with the fashionable rings.


Here's what you need:

16 oz. fresh cranberries (rinsed and picked over - this means pick out the mushy ones)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (you know, the stuff that looks like gnome toes in the produce section)
Finely grated zest from 1 orange

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Turn the heat on medium.


You are going to cook these babies for about 10 minutes, until the berries pop open. How do you know they have popped open? You can hear it! It's actually a very pleasant sound. *Pop* *Pop, Pop, Pop* Oooh......happy!


After you are done popping, ahem, I mean cooking the berries, remove from heat. See that pinkish, white foam that's on the top of the pot? You are going to want to skim that off with a metal spoon and discard. Why? I don't know! Just do it! (Maybe it would make the sauce cloudy or something.)


And voila! You have Ginger Cranberry Sauce! Make sure you cool the mixture to room temperature before refrigerating. And the best part? If you made more sauce than you know what to do with, it keeps for up to 3 months in the fridge.

You could pour some over cream cheese for a nice appetizer, or some brie. MMM...brie. That's a whole other story. Anyway, enjoy the sauce. I promise you will be the hit of your holiday meal!

Skeletal Serenade

I found this guy playing his piano in the French Quarter. I wonder if they enslaved him to play a long time ago and eventually he went *POOF!* and was stuck. A skeleton, stuck at his piano trying to keep the music going, even though he's already played his fingers to the bone.

I sort of feel like that skeleton right now. Christmas is this week! Time to keep pushing through, just for a few more days and then we can drive into relaxation station. I look forward to celebrating the holiday with Kevin. I am sad to not be with family, but I have family here (Kev & the kitties). We will make the most of it and our celebration will be special.

So here's to Monday, folks! Only three days of work this week and a nice break. Don't let the "Man" work your fingers to the bone. It's a time for reflection and celebration and most importantly, love.