Me! Me! I want to be a millionaire!

Since I never met a game show I didn’t like, today’s Who Wants to Be A Millionaire auditions here in Houston seemed like a fun way to spend a morning. Up at 5AM, I headed into town to get in line by 6. My fellow auditioners were friendly and fascinating (Hi Barbara and Jackie!) and made the 2 1/2 hours much more bearable.
After being herded inside (hooray for air conditioning!) we played some trivia games and I won a t-shirt! The most fun part of this story is that I wouldn’t have even known the answer if it weren’t for the fact that my facebook friend (and fellow Jeopardy! enthusiast Megan) was on Millionaire herself last month. This was one of her questions! Like I tell my students: “You don’t have to be smart; you have to pay attention!”
I guess this particular game show appearance isn’t in my future because I didn’t pass the test. They didn’t tell us what a passing grade was, but 25/30 isn’t it.
Have a great week and don’t pass by the chance to pursue your dreams – whenever it pops up!

Free Chocolate!

Is this a great country or what? Just when I was thinking "Renee, this blog should have a post about chocolate every once in a while, if for no other reason than the title of the blog.." Anita to the rescue. Here, you can find out for yourself how to get a coupon from our friends at Mars Candy (home of M&Ms, Snickers, and other things that make life worth living.) You have to show up on Fridays, beginning this week to get your free coupon. Yum!
Free Chocolate

You Don’t Even Have to Try!

Today was my first day back at The Homeschool Store, my part-time summer job where I get the chance to help homeschoolers choose curriculum and find treasures back in the used book room. The owner’s mom, going strong at (I shouldn’t give away her age) still comes in to do the books for the store. Of course I had to share the news of Emmie and show her a picture or two. Being brand new at this grandmother stuff, I love talking (ok “gushing”) with those sweet women who have gone before me in this area. “Ethel,” I said “I couldn’t believe how much I loved this little baby girl the first time I saw her.”
“Oh, I know!” she replied. “You don’t even have to try.”
I am trying to do one thing and that’s play with my new blogging software. Mind if I put up another picture or 2? Or 3?

   

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What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I don't remember ever getting this writing assignment in school, but why wait for September to roll around?

On our recent trip to Nashville we managed to fit in LOTS of cuddle time with Emmeline.




















We went to the Pancake Pantry for breakfast and The Loveless Cafe for lunch. This is me and Carol Fay, aka "The Biscuit Lady." Mine are pretty good but they are no match for hers!















Steve and I went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where I took a picture of Trace Adkins' suit. Yes I did.




















Did I mention Emmeline? We played "put the baby in the basket and see if you can find her". Can you?


















Emmeline didn't just spring up from nowhere; a mention of her parents is in order don't you think? Here's Mommy with her sleeping angel and Daddy with his little music maker.










We visited beautiful downtown Franklin and ate cupcakes at The Curious Gourmet. Have you ever seen that much buttercream on one cupcake? Oh my!




















Oh yes, the baby. Cupcakes aren't nearly as sweet as little baby arms, chubby baby thighs, fuzzy baby heads, and pudgy baby tummies. Even when they are fast asleep.

26 Years Ago Today

Today's baby pictures aren't the ones everyone has been asking for lately, but you'll have to indulge me a little bit. June 23, 1983 saw me going from young woman and young wife to young mom (and that's why I'm a young grandmom, but that's another story!). No Steve did not "rob the cradle", I think I was just pretty determined to do things ahead of schedule. After moving to Houston and adjusting to new job (Steve at Exxon), new school (me at U of H), new church, new apartment, and new friends, we found out we were in for an even bigger surprise: new baby!

Kyle, you got parents who had no idea what they were doing but you have always been a good sport. You have blessed us with your sweet smiles, mischievous antics, accomplishments, and most of all, your heart for the Lord.

For those of you reading who don't know him that well, he graduated from our homeschool, then Hardin Simmons University with a 4.0, and is now serving the Lord full time on staff with Kaleo Church here in Houston as their Community Life Director. He married the lovely Jaimee 3 years ago and they are expecting baby Jack in October.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Make-Ahead Summer Supper

I know these aren't pictures of my grilled chicken skewers or the orzo salad, but what would YOU rather see? :-)
This is Emmie at 3 weeks in her new outfit and also making one of her cute faces.

Now, on to the recipes. I am always on the lookout for recipes that are easy to make ahead of time, flavorful, and family friendly. I adapted these 2 and this is what I came up with. The original called for curry powder, which I can't stand, and raw white onions, which my husband can't stand. Read to the end and find out how to customize this for a whole different flavor profile.


Grilled Chicken Skewers

Marinade:
8 oz yogurt
1 T. Tony's Creole Seasoning (It's spicy and it's red. Who needs curry?)
1 T. minced ginger
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. cooking sherry
salt and pepper

3 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cut in strips, place in a zip-loc bag with the marinade and refrigerate for several hours. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading chicken on and grilling. (If you have stainless kebab skewers, this can be done even faster!)

Orzo Salad
8 oz. tri-colored orzo pasta, uncooked. (Plain is fine, but this is prettier)
1/2 c. chopped cucumber
1/2 c. feta cheese
1/2 c. chopped greek olives
4 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 c. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
juice from half a lemon
1/3 c. olive oil

Cook the pasta, rinse and drain. Mix with olives, onion, cucumber, parsley, and cheese. Blend lemon juice and olive oil and toss. Refrigerate until serving time.

Ready to change things up a bit?
Southwestern Grilled Chicken and Salad-
For the chicken, substitute 2 t. chili powder and 1 t. cumin for the ginger. Substitute 2 T. lime juice for the sherry.
For the salad, substitute avocado for the cucumbers, queso fresco for the feta (a mild, crumbly Mexican cheese), and cilantro for the parsley.

Whole Lot of Motherin' Going' On

Hi Readers!
Since I last posted, as you probably know, our family has been increased by one. Welcome little Emmeline Renee! Our little odd-ball (I say this lovingly. You shall see why.) arrived at 3 on 5/7/09. Her new parents are getting used to their roles and have already survived the first bump in the road: a trip back to the hospital to have the baby treated for jaundice. I understand the Pink Princess is no longer Lady Lemon-yellow, however she does a great Kenny Chesney imitation, sacked out in her tropical green sling chair "no shoes, no shirt, no problem." For those who have asked, her name is pronounced "Emma" as in the Austen heroine, and "line" as in a set of dots traveling on forever in search of a destination. If you'd like to call her "Emmie" for short, that's just dandy as well.

Katie celebrated her first Mother's Day and I was able to join in. This last weekend was another milestone in my mothering career as I celebrated Kevin's high school graduation (3 down, 2 to go) and entrance into the ranks of Eagle Scout. My mom was able to be here for the festivities. Seems every time she comes to see me lately I put her to work preparing for a big event: weddings, Jeopardy parties, graduation parties.... I'll see if I can give her a break here in the next couple of weeks. Think she'd like an all-expense paid trip to see that precious new little great-granddaughter? Stay tuned for Grandmothers On the Road.

And last but not least, in keeping with the motherhood theme (I know this is a lot for one post, but I'm catching up. Bear with me!) I wanted to share a new favorite poem with you. I could go on about how a good poem hits you in just the right place, how it helps you remember things you didn't know you forgot, and how it manages to say in a few phrases what you can't seem to put in several paragraphs.

What I Learned From My Mother
-Julia Kasdorf
I learned from my mother how to love
the living, to have plenty of vases on hand
in case you have to rush to the hospital
with peonies cut from the lawn, black ants
still stuck to the buds. I learned to save jars
large enough to hold fruit salad for a whole
grieving household, to cube home-canned pears
and peaches, to slice through maroon grape skins
and flick out the sexual seeds with a knife point.
I learned to attend viewings even if I didn’t know
the deceased, to press the moist hands
of the living, to look in their eyes and offer
sympathy, as though I understood loss even then.
I learned that whatever we say means nothing,
what anyone will remember is that we came.
I learned to believe I had the power to ease
awful pains materially like an angel.
Like a doctor, I learned to create
from another’s suffering my own usefulness, and once
you know how to do this, you can never refuse.
To every house you enter, you must offer
healing: a chocolate cake you baked yourself,
the blessing of your voice, your chaste touch.