Wassup?

It appears as if blogging has had to take a back seat to our busy life this week. I'm in St. Louis this week on my way to another of our annual scrapbook retreats at the Wildwood resort in Steeleville, Missouri. I won't be leaving for there until Thursday, but decided to spend the week leading up to it with family.

Butch left last Wednesday for a fishing trip with his brother. They went on a float trip one day. He said, they flipped over the canoe within 15 seconds of launching! I would have loved to see that. Turns out, it wasn't the only spill. The fishing was good, so that made up for it.

I arrived on Friday afternoon. I left Nashville around 7:30 and took my time. I stopped at the only scrapbook store left on the way. There didn't seem to be anything new. I did manage to find a roll of "blackboard" washi tape. I just hope that lack of new stuff doesn't mean that they will soon be going out-of-business. It's just too sad. All of our stores are closing.

I got to Walt and Chris' about 4 p.m. We visited for a bit then went to dinner at Table 3. It was a gorgeous night, so we were able to sit outside. Once we were back home, we had home made coconut cream pie. It was so delicious. She made it just for me---she doesn't even like coconut. Imagine that!

On Saturday, Chris and I had a  movie marathon while the guys when geo-caching. We stitched while we watched: "Boys Town, Girl Crazy," and I already can't remember the third one.

We moved over to Jeanne's that evening. I stopped on the way to pick up 6 Imo's pizzas for Butch to take home. We've already set the date with the "kids" for our pizza party. There's nothing like St. Louis pizza!

Ronnie, Janet, Jackie and Greg came over too. We played poker until about 11:30 and I won $10.00---$9.70 to be exact! I'm on a roll!!

On Sunday, we went to a huge craft fair in St. Charles. For whatever reason, my photos are not appearing on my computer. I'll have to share those later. We found some really awesome things. There were mostly jewelry and yard art booths. Lots of food too.

Jeanne's family were here for dinner to celebrate Johnny's 27th birthday. Aunt Marie and Uncle Tony came too. Kind of a laid back evening.

I spent most of today with Aunt Marie. She's having a few health issues, so we stayed home and waited for doctor calls. Tonight, I'm having dinner with cousins, Judy and Chrissy. That will be a lot of fun. We always have a good time.

Later...

Chaos Ensues

You know how it is. The day of a party---you have a lot to do---cooking, cleaning, finding serving pieces, setting up, last minute grocery store runs, icing down the coolers, hauling chairs, setting up tables, etc. Well, try to do all of that with 14 people in the house! 

It was crazy around here on Saturday as I was trying to get ready for Jordan's "kick-off to college" party. Sandy and Stephanie helped with the food. We ran in to a little snag---refrigerator space---or lack there of. Stephanie picked up the cake. I didn't realize it would be in such a large box.

As a result, I couldn't get everything ready ahead of time. That meant I had to do some of the food right before the party. Never a good plan.

As the family headed out to enjoy some unexpected pool time---the weather men (who are always wrong) predicted rain for the day. Instead, it was sunny, hot and humid---perfect pool weather. I told everyone that I wanted them ready by 4 p.m. so we could do the last minute party preparations and take photos. The party was to start at 6 p.m.

About 3:30, the gang came in to get ready. I had no idea that 14 people would be showering and getting ready all at the same time. Elizabeth came to me and said, "grammy, this is the last towel." I told her that they were just going to have to deal with it. Truly, I must have at least 50 towels in this house. But with cooking all week, I never gave it a second thought. Luckily, Sandy did! She had the foresight to run a load of towels. Little did she know that she saved the day!

I got myself ready. Around 4, I looked around the house and thought, "there's no way to get this place party ready"---it was such a mess.

 Piles like this were all over the house. This one happens to be Morgan's.

 The desk in the kitchen becomes the "catch-all" besides being the charging station for phones, iPods and Kindles.

 This is what happens when people use your bathroom. Can you see the signs of Mindy? The open drawers are the dead give-away. Morgan was showering in here. She called Mindy on her phone. Mindy was in the kitchen. She asked Mindy to find her a razor. That lead to the question: did she have the phone in the shower with her?

 Apparently someone had to do their nails at the last minute. Uh, they couldn't clean up their mess?

Turns out, Elizabeth and I were the only ones ready by 4. She was such a huge help---she cleaned the powder room, emptied trash, hauled stuff around, made the frosting for the brownies and frosted them. I had her running all over the house amidst all the chaos going on around us. Someone came down in a panic that Steph's dress was "broken." Butch to the rescue---a jammed zipper. He fixed it, but it required a trip to the garage. The girls think he can fix anything---and he usually can.

Next, it was Mindy putting the last minute finishing touches on her gift---that she started the weekend before. That also required Butch's help as he did not want her loose with the hot glue gun in his work room. Good thinking. Here's her project:

She spray-painted a cookie sheet orange. She made magnets out of some of my scrapbooking supplies for a cute memo board.

As it turns out, we were ready in plenty of time before the party. When you have that many people---with me orchestrating---it gets done fast!! In hindsight, it was probably the easiest party I've ever done. I kept the food easy too---cheeseburgers and hot dogs, deviled eggs, oven-baked potatoes, baked beans, 9 layer dip, queso, brownies and strawberry cake.

A few pictures---and now I realize that I didn't get a single one of Jackie and Greg! Bummer!

 Nicky, Jordan, Morgan and Stephanie.

 College bound Jordan with her grammy and grandpa.

 And of course, the boyfriend, Eli.

 Morgan and her boyfriend, Will.

 Mitchell, Victoria and my little helper, Elizabeth.

 My beautiful girls, Sandy, Stephanie and Mindy. Although Mindy is taller than her sisters, she does have on heels here. She's not quite that tall!

Sandy and Greg.

I had a "candy bar" set up for the party favors. The color scheme was blue and orange for the University of Tennessee. I couldn't do only the orange, so I added the blue for the Lady Vols.

We had a LOT of candy left over. Jordan is going to take it to school with her so she can share it with her friends.

The party was a huge success. And I got the food exactly right. Just enough leftovers for Sandy and Steph to take home with them. I know how much food it takes for a crowd so maybe Butch and Mindy can stop second-guessing me!

The best part of all? ALL that help with the clean up! With everyone pitching in, we had everything done in a half hour---hauling chairs, trash, recycling, putting the patio back in order, cleaning off the dining room table, emptying coolers, washing dishes and re-arranging the furniture. Whew!

We did have one casualty---the back door got broken. Butch will fix it!

I'm tired.

It's All About the Food

The family has been here all week. Jackie and Greg arrived on Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday, Mindy texted me. She said, "mom, you realize there will be 16 people for dinner tomorrow night---do you have enough food?" I replied, "Mindy, I've got it covered!" How could she even doubt me?

Mindy and Butch are exactly alike when it comes to food---except on opposite ends of the spectrum. She worries about not having enough. He worries about having too much.

Case in point, Butch questions the amount of food I cook when the whole family is here. Yet, I never throw anything out. In fact, we did run out of leftovers on Saturday afternoon. The teens were looking for a snack. I told them that the food was all gone. The only thing left were Cheez Its in the pantry. Instead, they got in to Butch's mixed nuts. 

Really, the amount of food we go through in a week is unbelievable---plus all the cooking and cleaning up that goes with it. Don't get me wrong, the girls are helpful and I really couldn't do it without them. But it got me to thinking about my mom. There were 9 of us counting my parents. She had to cook a large quantity of food every day. For me, it's just several times a year. I'm exhausted after just a week. I can't imagine how she must have felt. We kids weren't really much help. We had plenty of work to do around the house, but cooking was not part of that. It gives me a good appreciation for what she did every day. I mostly recall her either doing dishes, or laundry.

Still, having every one here is a lot of fun. I'll take the work and exhaustion any day!! But, don't even get me started on the amount of toilet paper...

And now, I'm going to share the recipe I made on Thursday night and a dessert I made earlier in the week. Both were so easy and fabulous! That's how I roll!

Pot Roast Sliders (I doubled this recipe for 16 and had a little leftover)

1-3 to 4 lb. beef pot roast 

1 cup water

1 cup salsa

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1 envelope Au Jus mix

Whisk together water, salsa and seasoning packets. Place roast in slow cooker. Pour seasoning mixture over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

To Serve:

1 pkg. King's Hawaiian Rolls (I used Sister Shubert yeast rolls)

Swiss cheese (I used Swiss and Muenster)

Creamy Sauce (recipe follows)

Cut rolls in half. Place a slice of cheese on the bottom half and broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese melts. Place spoonful of shredded beef and add sauce.

Creamy Sauce

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. salsa

2 tsp. creamy horseradish sauce

Mix together

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake

 1 box yellow cake mix

2 pkgs. 3.4 oz. French vanilla instant pudding 

4 cups milk

1 container chocolate frosting

Make cake according to package directions. When cake is finished, poke large holes all over the top while cake is still hot. I use the handle of a wooden spoon. Add milk to pudding and whisk until thick. Pour aver the top of warm cake. Put cake in the refrigerator and cool completely (about 2 hours). 

Remove lid and foil from frosting tub and microwave slowly until it's thick, but pourable. Pour over the cake and spread to the edges. Put back in the refrigerator to fully cool and set up.

On the Soapbox

Well, I don't usually get on the soapbox, but I just have to this time. I'm sort of fired up about something that was on the news last night. You should have heard me ranting at how ridiculous I thought it was.

A woman at a Chik-fi-let in Knoxville contacted the news because she was outraged that an employee asked her to cover-up while nursing her baby in the play area as a customer had complained that it made them uncomfortable.

Are you "frigging kidding me?" This woman has gone to the news?? She's also arranged a "nurse in" with friends. They all went in the evening----didn't eat or purchase anything----and nursed their babies to prove a point. I get that the law says a woman can breast feed any where. But should they? And wouldn't hanging out in a place of business without buying anything be considered loitering?

Don't get me wrong. I am a HUGE proponent of breast feeding. I breast fed all three of my girls---no bottles for my "kiddoes." They didn't even get any solid food until they were months old. But never would I have exposed myself in public. I get that everyone has a different opinion about this issue, but really, is it too much to ask to throw light cover over yourself? I don't think so. I managed to nurse discreetly just about anywhere.

The employee was reprimanded---but seriously, what about trying to please the customer that complained. Things are getting so confusing these days with political correctness, that how could anyone know what to do. Actually, if I was the one that felt uncomfortable I would probably have asked the woman myself.

If that had happened to me, I think I would have said, "okay, it's no big deal." And thrown a diaper over myself---of course back in my day, I did use cloth (I thought it made me a better mother---well until Mindy came along and I was all about convenience)!! Remember my post about being nice? Wouldn't it just be nice to cover up---this ONE time rather than start a big "hullaballoo?" And, really, is this newsworthy?

School Shoe Shopping

Every year, I take all the grandkids school shoe shopping. It's been a tradition since they started. I guess  this is about year number 15. Anyway, due to work schedules and a doctor appointment, we didn't exactly get to shop together this time.

We started the day with "make your own pancakes" at the Pfunky Griddle.

The Pfunky Griddle is in an old house that has been converted to a restaurant. It's an unusual place.

Each table has a griddle in the middle. You choose whatever you want to eat from eggs, to pancakes, French toast or grilled sandwiches. We've never gone for lunch. We always get pancakes. Then they have a wide assortment of toppings. Everyone gets their own spatula or---as we like to call them---pancake turners. I don't know if the trees started growing in the house so they decided to just "go" with it, or if they purposely put them there. They don't have any real leaves, but it's still a sort of fun atmosphere.

After breakfast, Sandy took Mitchell, Victoria and Elizabeth in to Green Hills to buy their shoes. I took Morgan to Parker Uniform where she got her "senior" saddles and yellow cardigan that only seniors are allowed to wear. After that, we parted as she went home to get ready for work while I went on to the doctor's.

Sandy and I got home about the same time. It was a successful trip:

The schools require Sperry's or Tom's. Elizabeth got the gold glittery Sperry's with pink sides. I'm thinking I might need those for myself! Then she got a pair of pink Converse.

 I guess there's a time in every girl's life that she wants a pair of boys shoes. At least they are pink.

 Victoria got silvery Sperrys. They are really cute too---with glittery sides.

Mitchell has just wake up from a nap when we had "show and tell" and wasn't camera ready. So here are his Sperry's---suede. His shoes are as big as the box!

We girls played "fan tan" for pennies. After I won the first game and was being a little too zealous for winning 10 pennies, Elizabeth said, "Grammy, this is the game you play to GET RID OF YOUR PENNIES!" Took the wind right out of my sails!! I ended up winning 14 cents after the game was over. A far cry from my last poker night winnings of $30.00!

Tonight, Greg arrives. Tomorrow night, my niece, Jackie arrives with her husband, Greg. Elizabeth asked how we were going to tell them apart. I said, "well, we could call them "big" Greg and "little" Greg."

She said, "hmm, I think I'll just call mine "DAD!"

Do you think she set me up? She's one smart little cookie for almost 8.

Sorry to Be MIA!

The Lapps family arrived on Saturday. It's been crazy as usual and I've been sick. Starting to feel better now, but in the meantime, you have to see this. A friend of mine (Lola) posted it on Facebook. It is too darn cute.
 Ella Sings Elvis

Hard Work Agrees with Me!

I've always been a hard worker. I'm fast too.

Today, I had an organization job. I don't remember if I mentioned that or not, but I got a call a few weeks ago from the office manager of an international construction company. This office has about 50 employees. They had moved recently and needed some help with the HUGE kitchen area and storage closets. They do a lot of entertaining there, so they needed a lot of help making the space more efficient.

I haven't taken a "regular" organizing job in over 10 years. I have focused on craft rooms for the last 10+ years. Besides, I was tired of cleaning out closets and files. Still, when I got the call, I was intrigued. There's nothing I like more than making order out of chaos.

My immediate reaction when I consented to the initial consultation was, "Barb, what are you doing? You don't have time for this." As soon as I saw the situation, I knew immediately what needed to be done. I told them it would take about 4 or 5 hours. Plus, that really was about the only amount of time I could spare.

I got there at 8 a.m. this morning. Boy have things changed in the work world since I was there in the 1970's. Wait, who am I kidding! I haven't been in the work world since Sandy was born in 1971!! I'm still not sure if what I encountered with this company is the "norm" or just one fantastic place to work.

I started in and wasn't surprised that people were in and out to get their coffee. But at 8:30, the office manager informed me that their daily "stretch and flex" was about to begin. What the---? I told her that I  was doing all the bending and flexing I needed by moving stuff around the cabinets. I moved myself to the far end of the kitchen to stay out of the way of flying arms and legs.

After the exercising was finished, they got their breakfast. The company provides that---cereal, oatmeal and whatever else they want. Honestly, I just wanted them OUT. It was a little hard to work around them, but luckily, it didn't take too long.

The job was a lot of fun and I finished---except for a huge storage closet that the CEO asked me about during the initial consultation. He's going to have it built out with floor to ceiling shelves and one of those ladders that rides around the track. When that's done, I'll go back and finish up.

I have a feeling that this place is a great place to work. The company is out of Sweden, so they must do things a lot differently there. They provide the employees with a "Wellness Room" where you can go to recline, listen to soothing music, calm down and nap. I have never heard of that before. I think I could like a place that lets me have a rest in the afternoon!

They also have this:

I was told that fresh popcorn was important to the employees. And, if they have too much and get a tummy ache, there's always this:

The company provides them with medicine!! That sure is a far cry from when I ran the health room at St. Therese in Kansas City. We only had Bactine and Bandaids. If I couldn't take care of it with that, then I had to call the parents. Here, they have cold/flu, stomach, pain relievers and allergy medicines. Considering the cost of meds, that's a nice perk.

Things certainly have changed since I had a "real" job. But, I think I'll stay sami-retired! Still, it was a lot of fun and the place looks great! And I did it under 4 hours!!