The Gridiron Girl's Guide to the Good Life

Reupholstery Project

2011-08-08T17:15:00.001-05:00

Hello and Happy Monday! It is Monday, isn't it? I always lose track this time of year. With football season in our sights and school starting up in a few days, I'm rushing around to get things done. The players report for training camp tomorrow and Coach is up to his eyeballs in everything football, so my to-do list just got a lot longer!

The Gridiron Gang did manage to squeak out one more relaxing Summer weekend before the football frenzy begins. We spent Saturday visiting with family in Dallas...playing laser tag, bowling and enjoying a nice dinner. Sunday we boiled up a bunch of shrimp, laughed at the length of our list of things we should be getting done, and played in the pool all day. Ahhhhhh, the calm before the storm.

Anyway, as mentioned in a previous post, I've been working on a reupholstery project. My husband and I inherited a beautiful, formal dining room set from his parents. I've been told it might have been a wedding gift to them from their parents, but I haven't been able to confirm that yet. Anyway, Coach and I have had the dining set for years and it's needed to be reupholstered for quite some time. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to doing it. If I had known how easy it was going to be, I would have done it ages ago!

All I needed was 3 yards of fabric to cover the eight chairs, a screwdriver, scissors, and a staple gun. Man, I love my staple gun! My Daddy gave it to me a few years ago and I use it ALL THE TIME. Anyway, here's a little glimpse of my before and after project....EASY PEASY!

Before - Chair with original covering

Removed seat by unscrewing from base

Measured and cut fabric

Centered fabric, stretched to remove any slack and stapled

Screwed seat back onto base

Finished!

Dining room is complete and ready to be decked out for Fall!

Hope you all have a GREAT week!

Blueberries and the Perfert Summer Smoothie

2011-08-05T10:03:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! I hope you all are enjoying your summer and staying cool. This crazy heat is no joke...112 degrees here in lovely East Texas yesterday. Remind me not to complain when there's snow on the ground.

Coach is back to the football grind, so the Knuckleheads and I have been trying to entertain ourselves and enjoy our last couple of weeks before school starts. A hot as it's been, we've been trying to find indoor activities as much as possible. However, a few days ago I got an email from our favorite little blueberry farm, saying that the picking season was coming to an end. That was all we needed to encourage us to brave the heat and spend a morning picking blueberries. It was as hot as the hinges of the devil's door and we were the only ones crazy enough to be out there, but I'm so glad we went! We picked a pile of the sweetest blueberries I've ever tasted. We gave ourselves blueberry tummyaches eating so many right off the trees as we picked!

We've been having fresh berries on our cereal and oatmeal every morning. We've made blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry syrup and fruit salad with loads of blueberries...and we still had plenty to freeze for later. We kinda love blueberries.

Of all the ways to use the berries, my favorite is a simple smoothie. They are so easy to throw together and you can knock out several servings of fruit and dairy in one glass. Here's how I make mine....

Start with 1 cup of 1% milk, add 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 banana, 4 strawberries, a few peach slices and a small handful of blueberries. Then...

Add a big handful of baby spinach. No really, it's awesome! You can't taste the spinach at all and it's so good for you. My kids love love love these smoothies!

Just give them a whirl and I bet you'll love them too!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL WONDERFUL weekend!

Linking up over at

Sunflowers!

2011-07-19T15:02:00.002-05:00

My little vegetable garden is a dried up mess. With the triple digit heat and lack of rain, it didn't stand a chance this year. I'm sad about it. However, our sunflowers have never been more beautiful!

I'm in the middle of tackling a big reupholstery project that I'll share later this week. For now, here are a few sunflower pics to enjoy.

Happy Tuesday!

Chocolate Chip Kahlua Pecan Cookies

2011-07-15T22:36:00.005-05:00

Have mercy! These are some good cookies! I'm forever fiddling with my chocolate chip cookie recipe and this time I hit the jackpot. What I've learned from all my experimenting, is that I like to use a little extra salt to take the edge off all that sweet stuff and I like using Kahlua instead of vanilla. The Kahlua gives the cookies a more decadent flavor, but it's not overpowering. I use real butter and undercook them just a bit to yield a more gooey cookie. One last thing to note, the nuts are called "puh kahns", not "pee cans". A pee can is something oldtimers used to keep under their beds so they didn't have to go to the outhouse at night. ;-) Hope you enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Kahlua Pecan Cookies

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used a little more than 1/2 tsp)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon Kahlua
2 eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate Chips

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and Kahlua until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; place on wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Don't give up on me yet!

2011-07-12T18:55:00.000-05:00

I've been away for awhile, but I'm back. No really, I am! I know you've heard it all before, but this time I mean it...well maybe...we'll see.

We just got back from another trip to the beach. Big fun! Now we're back in East Texas, where it is currently hotter than sin. We've been busy trying to find some creative ways to enjoy the rest of our summer without having a heat stroke.

That's just wrong!

Anyway, this is just my pitiful attempt to jump back into the blog. Hopefully it can only get more interesting from here!

Picking up where we are now...

2011-03-29T08:53:00.001-05:00

I know, it's almost 90 degrees outside and I still have up snow pics. I'm terrible at this blog thing. I have no other excuse other than I'm busy and I'm lazy. That's a bad combination and leaves little time for entertaining the masses with rivoting stories about meatballs, kids and melted crayon art projects.

There, no more snow pics!

Lately we've been swamped with school stuff, football stuff, scout stuff, baseball stuff, choir stuff, photography stuff, hanging out on the beach stuff and a few other things. Like I said, I've been busy. Today, I'm busy with trying to kill a woodpecker stuff.

There's this stupid woodpecker that has taken up residency in our favorite Willow tree and he is really making a mess of it. I'll post some pics later...you will not believe how bad it is! Anyway, I tried to be nice. I tried reasoning with him, even offered him a nice new spot in the neighbors tree. I tried the no harm approach. I hung one of those silly plastic owls with demonic eyes from one of the branches and that worked for all of 3 hours and 27 minutes. I tried screaming at him and throwing things. To date, I have hit him with a garden spade, numerous pool toys, several sticks and a house shoe. He just laughs at me and continues to wreck havoc on my tree. Today, he meets the bb gun and if that doesn't work...I'll spare you the gory details!

Anyway, I do have lots of fun beach pics to share, and I've even managed to whip up a few new recipes and crafts. I'll be back later, right now I've got a woodpecker to deal with.

Snow Pics!

2011-02-04T16:48:00.000-06:00

The snow was fun for a few hours, but now we're ready for Spring!

Snowboarding on the hill in our backyard.

View from the kitchen window this morning.

Sledding on the hill at our football practice field.

Miss Priss has had enough. She's a beach girl like her mama!

Coach suiting up for some fun in the snow.

Ready to hibernate until it's flipflop weather again!

Sweet and Spicy Mini Meatball Sliders

2011-01-29T12:42:00.002-06:00

Hello! I hope none of you have been holding your breath waiting on that Meatball Slider recipe. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get around to posting it. Football recruiting has taken over our lives (as it does every January), and has left us little time for anything else. This is our final recruiting weekend and National Signing Day is next Wednesday...Can I get an AMEN?! I'm really looking forward to getting back to normal, at least to our normal level of crazy.

Without further adieu...

Sweet and Spicy Mini Meatball Sliders

The first thing you need to do is make some meatballs. As crazy as it sounds, the most important thing to know about making meatballs is to not use too much meat in your mixture. Using too much meat makes hard, dense meatballs. I use 1 pound of ground beef, combined with a cup of crushed Saltine crackers (you can use bread crumbs if you prefer), 1 egg, 1 cup finely diced onions, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, salt, pepper and Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning to taste. Gentle mix all your ingredients and form into golf ball sized balls.

Brown meatballs in a small amount of oil, over medium high heat.

While meatballs are cooking make the sauce.

Combine 1 cup of ketchup, 1/3 cup creole or spicy brown mustard, 1 cup brown sugar, Tony's creole seasoning to taste, and a few dashes of hot sauce (I prefer Crystal). You can easily adjust ingredients to your own tastes. Once ingredients are combined, set aside until meatballs are browned.

Once meatballs are browned, add 1 can of Ro-tel tomatoes (including juice) to the meatballs. Cook a couple of minutes until the tomatoes start to break down a bit, then add the sauce to the skillet.

Cook an additional 5 minutes until sauce becomes thick and starts to carmelize.

Spoon 2 meatballs into each roll. I use Hawaiian sweet rolls from my bakery, but any roll will do. Top with remaining sauce and shredded pepperjack cheese.

Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

This recipe is super easy, economical and a real crowd pleaser. It can also easily be changed to suit your taste. You can use any kind of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey) and your favorite cheese. My version has quite a kick to it, but you can make it less spicy by using mild Ro-tel and omitting the hot sauce.

Whip some up for the Super Bowl...They're YUMMY!

A Nice Suprise

2011-01-05T16:53:00.001-06:00

My Broccoli and Cheese Soup was featured on

Thanks for the mention, Amanda!

Tonight I'm working on

Sweet and Spicy Mini Meatball Sliders

I'll be back later with the recipe and pics. I hope everyone had a lovely Wednesday!

Broccoli & Cheese Soup

2011-01-03T20:34:00.005-06:00

I hope you all had a Safe and Happy Holiday Season! The Gridiron Gang had a WONDERFUL Christmas and a RELAXING New Year...just the way we wanted it!

I'm easing back into the blog with a quick and simple recipe that's just perfect for a nice hot lunch on those cold January days that lie ahead. This is my go to meal this time of year when I'm in a hurry, but still want something warm and satisfing to eat. Now all you foodies out there, don't scoff because I use Velveeta. I've tried other "real" cheeses and Velveeta really is the best choice for this recipe. Besides, I'm a Southern girl and using processed cheese products is in our genes!

Give it a try, I really think you'll dig it.

Broccoli And Cheese Soup

1 can of chicken broth

2 cups broccoli, chopped (fresh or frozen)

1/2 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup heavy whipping cream

8oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

salt & pepper

In a medium size sauce pan, add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add broccoli, onion and garlic, and gently boil for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Reduce heat and pour in whipping cream and add velveeta. Stir until cheese is melted and the soup is thickened to desired consistancy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into cup and top with croutons* or serve over rice.

*You can easily make your own homemade croutons, but I love these so much that I keep a bag in my pantry at all times.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

~GG

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-12-31T23:19:00.000-06:00

On New Year's Eve, "A Bayberry candle burned to the socket, brings health to the home and wealth to the pocket"!

I wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with all good things!!!

2010-12-07T19:28:00.004-06:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

As Miss Janey gently pointed out, Halloween is long gone. I completely skipped Thanksgiving and it's almost Christmas. Seems like we just had Christmas, I can't believe it's upon us once again. I'm not ready. Our halls are decked, many gifts have been bought (and wrapped already), I've made a few batches of cookies and we've even Elfed Ourselves... but I'm still not ready. This year just passed WAY TOO FAST. I desperately want things to slow down just a little. I love Christmas, but I can't stand all the hustle and bustle. I can't stand watching people spend money they don't have on things they don't need, watching people fight over the last whatever hot toy is on sale, arguing over parking spots, and completely forgetting to honor what the holiday is really about. It all just makes me kind of sad. I'm not being a Scrooge, I just wish things were different, more simple. I know, I know...be the change you want to see in the world. I'm trying.

Let's see, what exciting things have you missed in my life since Halloween? Well, we had a decent football season. We ended up making it to the Championship game, but got knocked out by the team that ultimately went on to win the National Championship in our division. Bummer, but it was a good run. As good as we were on the field this year, things were really bad off the field. So much player drama! I love those boys, but sometimes I want to wring their necks! Man, they can make some really bad decisions. This was probably one of the toughest football seasons I've been through. To top things off, one of our former players got killed over Thanksgiving break. He was shot by his sister's boyfriend. It was heartbreaking. He was a great kid.

On a much lighter note, we got to spend a couple of days at Halftime, our new condo in Panama City Beach, over the break. It was WONERFUL! I may never go back to the beach in the heat of Summer again. We pretty much had the entire resort to ourselves and the weather was perfect. The water was a bit cool for me, but that didn't slow the kids down one little bit. They played in the waves all day, floated the lazy river and even braved the super cold waterpark. We had our fill of yummy seafood, did lots of shopping at Pier Park and sent some time down the road in beautiful Seaside, Florida.

It was a much needed break and really helped reinforce our decision to get the condo. If any of you are ever interested in a great beach getaway, let me know and I'll give you a good hookup.

I'm going to REALLY TRY to be better about updating the blog, but given my history, there's a good chance you won't see me again until after Valentine's Day. :-p
I hope you all have a happy and peaceful holiday season.

Insert Big Yawn Here

2010-11-01T09:59:00.001-05:00

Coming down from the Halloween candy rush and the excitement of our football team making the playoffs. Too tired to put a complete sentence together. Enjoy some pictures while I recuperate.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

Halloween Fun

2010-10-26T08:32:00.003-05:00

Trick or Treat

Give me something good to eat!

As much as I love Halloween, I have to admit I'm not fond of all the gory food tricks. I don't want to eat anything that resembles a bowl of worms, eyeballs, severed fingers or brains! Eeelck!

These tasty little toasted bones are just gross enough to send the kids into fits of giggles and still cute enough not to turn my stomach. They are so easy to make and highly addictive. You just take a roll of refrigerated breadstick dough (or your own homemade recipe) and seperate it into 12 strips. Lay them out on an ungreased baking sheet and snip and roll each end outward to form a bone shape.

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt. Bake at 375 degrees for around 10 minutes or until golden brown.

If you wanted to up the grossness level, you could always serve them with a side of ~~marinara~~ blood.

Happy Tuesday!

~Gridiron Girl

Fall Festival

2010-10-12T09:41:00.001-05:00

It's a rare occurrence that we get an opportunity to have a lazy Saturday during football season. The kids and I NEVER miss a home game, we drive to all the away games that are within a reasonable distance, and I travel with the team to far away games. This past Saturday, we chose to skip a game. To be honest, we were all tired...really really tired and we needed a break . The team had to travel 8 hours by bus to the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. If there was ever a game to skip, this was the one. Coach gave us his blessing, hopped on the bus and rode off into battle. The kids and I camped out in the backyard Friday night. We ate too much kettle corn, toasted with apple cider, read a stack of library books, listened to the high school football game in the distance, played games, made shadow puppets, told stories and all fell asleep by 9pm. It was WONDERFUL!

Until we all woke up freezing at 4am and took off in a mad dash for the house in search of our warm beds.

On Saturday, we stayed in our pajamas until noon. Again, WONDERFUL! Then we got ready and headed out to a little fall festival. The kids played carnival games, we walked the scarecrow trail and got some yummy hamburgers from one of the church booths. It was such a lovely day and the Knuckleheads were looking so cute, that we decided on a little impromptu photo session. The arboretum and town square were beautifully bedecked for Fall, so I couldn't resist getting some cute pumpkin pics!

We had a fabulous day and made it home in time to hear Coach give us a shout out on his radio show. We then spent the next three hours yelling at the radio, cheering our team on to another big victory!

Homemade Kettle Corn

2010-10-10T20:39:00.006-05:00

I'll just tell you now, this stuff is highly addictive. If you have no self control (like me), you might just want to walk away and forget you ever saw this.

Homemade Kettle Corn

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/3 cup sugar

salt

In a large pot with tight fitting lid, heat the oil over medium high heat and toss in 3 popcorn kernels. Once all 3 kernels have popped, pour in remaining kernals and sugar. Give a quick stir and cover. Once the corn starts to pop, use potholders to lift the pot off the heat and shake vigorously for a few seconds, return to heat for a few seconds and repeat until popcorn is finished popping. Once popping slows, remove from heat, pour in large bowl and toss with salt. USE CAUTION, the kettle corn will be extremely HOT. Let cool completely and enjoy.

Slightly sweet, salty, crunchy...Yum Nummy!!!

The Great Outdoors

2010-10-07T10:26:00.004-05:00

The weather here has been FANTASTIC! The minute the kids get home from school, they drop their backpacks, kick off their shoes and head to the backyard. Their new tent has become their headquarters, a perfect place for a good book, a big bowl of kettlecorn, a game of cards, a hideout from lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) and other big adventures.

Moving in.

When they're not hanging out in the tent, they can be found cooking up some fun over at the

Mud Pie Kitchen.

A week ago, I was ready to take their old plastic kitchen to the curb. The kids protested, so I decided to give it a second chance. I gave it a new home under the little oak tree, gave the knuckleheads a pile of dirt and permission to go crazy with a few jugs of water and...tada...the Mud Pie Kitchen was born.

BIG FUN in the backyard!

Time to make the Pesto!

2010-09-07T19:34:00.005-05:00

My garden runneth over with yummy Basil.

That means it's Pesto time!

Pesto is one of my favorite treats. I love it on pasta, warm bread, grainy crackers...I'm even guilty of eating it straight out of the jar all by itself. So when the garden is packed with basil, I don't like to waste a single leaf. If I time it right, I can put up enough pesto to last us until the next growing season. I always put a couple of jars in the fridge to enjoy right away and I store the rest in quart size freezer bags, making sure to squeeze out all the air and freeze them flat for easy storage. When I'm ready to use the pesto, it's easy to break off the amount I need.

Pesto is so easy to make and almost impossible to mess up. You can easily add or subtract ingredients according to your preferences. I don't have a set-in-stone recipe. It's more of a handful of this and pinch of that. I'll give you a rundown of how I usually make mine, but experiement a little and come up with your own perfect pesto!

Basil & Spinach Pesto

2 big handfuls of basil leaves

2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (not the powdered stuff in the green can!)

kosher salt

red pepper flakes

1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or pinenuts

olive oil (amount depends on how thick/thin you want your pesto)

Whirl it all together in a food processor until desired consistancy. Enjoy!

* I went back through my archives and found this pesto recipe that I posted last year. As you will see, it's a little different from the one above, but they are both delish! As I said, it's hard to mess it up!

Basil Pecan Pesto

4 handfuls of basil leaves (rinse well and dry)

4 cloves of garlic

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup toasted pecans

juice of one lime

salt

black pepper

red pepper flakes

olive oil

Toss basil, garlic, cheese, pecans and lime juice into a food processor or blender. Begin to process and slowly add olive oil to desired consistancy. Add salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste. Store pesto in refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for future use.

Sweet Treats for Teachers

2010-08-28T15:53:00.001-05:00

I'm happy to report that the kids had a great first week of school! My little Punkette loves Kindergarten and my son has declared 2nd Grade to be "totally cool".

Here's a pic of the little treat bags we put together for their teachers at the end of the week.

We used small cellophane bags, added some shredded filler, a big shiny apple, some caramel dipping sauce and tied it all up with a pretty ribbon.

They were a big hit!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

~Gridiron Girl

2010-08-26T13:54:00.001-05:00

August has been insane.

I finished the condo in 7 days. I was in paradise for a solid week and only dipped my toes in the water one time. It was crazy, but the condo turned out great! I'm working on a big post, complete with before and after pics. Until then, enjoy the sunset from our new balcony...

As soon as we returned home, we jumped right into football. This weekend is our first game of the season. I am SO ready...I think.

These little Knuckleheads started school this week. I miss them already and still haven't give up on the idea of homeschooling.

My little Punkette turned 5 and started Kindergarten on the same day. I cried. She didn't.

Coach sent me flowers and thanked me for being a great Mom. I cried again.

August has been wild and wonderful and EXHAUSTING! With the onset of school and football season, I don't see things settling down anytime soon. I guess I'm just going to hop on the crazy train, buckle up and get ready for the ride! After my nap.

It's Official!

2010-08-04T11:16:00.001-05:00

As of this morning...

This view officially belongs to the Gridiron Gang!

We bit the bullet and bought a condo in Panama City Beach. It's something we've thought about for years, and the time was finally right. We love the Gulf Coast and go every year, so we decided it's the perfect place to have a second home. We bought a bank owned unit that has been completely stripped down, so I'm heading down tomorrow to start furnishing/decorating a completely clean slate. I only have one week...pray for my sanity! I had all the floors cleaned and tile sealed yesterday, today the painters arrived and tomorrow all the new appliances should be delivered. Hopefully by the time I get there, I can just start having fun picking out new furniture and adding some special touches.

I'm very excited, but a little nervous about getting it all done in time. I can't believe we're starting this little adventure right as football is back in full swing! This project falls firmly in the catagory of "WHAT WERE WE THINGING?"

Oh well, I guess after we wrap up another crazy football season we can go relax at our new condo on the beach!

~Gridiron Girl

P.S. I've got to keep this baby rented when we're not using it, so if any of you ever find yourselves in need of a little getaway...I can hook you up!

Roasted Roma Tomatoes

2010-07-18T12:46:00.003-05:00

Our garden runneth over...

with Roma Tomatoes!

Thanks to my new friend over at Thy Hand Hath Provided, I've found a wonderful way to use them up...roasted with a little olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs. If you like sun dried tomatoes, I think you'll love these babies! Head on over to Thy Hand and check them out. While you're there, take a look a around. There's a wealth of information about gardening and preserving, as well as lots of yummy recipes and other good stuff.

To learn more about Thy Hand, check out her wonderful interview over at another favorite blog, Clover Lane.

You'll notice I didn't get a pic of the finished product, that's because I ate most of them the minute they came out of the oven! They were all carmelized, kinda chewy and perfect. Right before I took them out of the oven, I popped a little mozzarella pearl in each one....OH. MY. GOODNESS.

Absolutely DELICIOUS!

Happy Sunday!

~Gridiron Girl

2010-07-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

The kids could not have cared less about the science lesson that went along with our touchable bubbles, but they did think the bubbles were really cool. After awhile, even I became bored with the lesson, so we decided to just scrap it and spend our time chasing and catching bubbles. At first we were really bummed because the bubbles were most definitely not touchable, but the longer they were exposed to the air the tougher they got. There were bubbles EVERYWHERE! They were stuck on the bushes, in the trees, and on the patio. There were bubbles floating in the pool, clinging to rocks and dangling from our hair. Unfortunately, the battery in my camera died just as the fun was really starting. Some of the bubbles ended up lasting over an hour! When they finally popped, we had a sticky mess in the yard, kind of like little blobs of Elmer's glue everywhere. Luckily, it was nothing a good East Texas rain storm couldn't handle.

If you're interested in a touchable bubble adventure of your own, there are lots of recipes online for making the solution. Our bubbles came with a little science kit called Test Tube Adventures that I picked up on clearance at Marshall's for less than 10 bucks. It includes several different experiments and has kept my little Knuckleheads entertained for hours!

On a completely unrelated note, we went to see Despicable Me today. It was GREAT!

Happy Thursday!!!

~Gridiron Girl

Adventures in the "Willy Tree"

2010-07-14T16:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone! It's hot as sin here in East Texas today. The house needs cleaning and the laundry needs doing, but I don't want to deal with any of it. In my effort to cool off and avoid housework, I fixed myself a big glass of sweet tea and went outside to hang out in the Willow Tree with my little Knuckleheads. I know I've told you all before how much my kids love the Willy Tree, but it just gets better and better. The bigger they get, the higher they climb. The adventures are never ending. We've been considering building them an actual playhouse, but I don't think they'd get out of the tree long enogh to enjoy it.

While I was hanging out in the tree with the kids, we started to make big plans for Willy. First we decided he needed a face. I just happened to remember that I snagged the face off our Oak tree in New Orleans before we moved and it had been living in the attic ever since. So I climbed out of the tree and into the attic, moments later I descended with a face for Willy.

Next, we decided that we needed a better form of communication while they were up in the tree. Better than me standing on the back porch yelling for them to come in for dinner. What we needed was Tree Mail!

An old soup can, some string and few stinkers would do the trick! Now Coach and I can leave them special little notes and treats that they can retrieve while perched on their branches. My first message to them was a thank you note for letting me play in their tree and a few pieces of bubble gum...you would have thought it was Christmas morning! They are over the moon about Willy's new mail service.

Checking the Tree Mail.

This little Punkette goes higher and higher everyday!

I love that they love their Willy Tree and I love that they let me be a part of the their adventures. When I was little, I spent hours in the big Mimosa tree in our front yard and have such great memories of all the fun I had. I hope that when they're older, they'll remember how much fun they had together with Willy.

Mystery Plants

2010-07-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

As I metioned yesterday, I have two mystery plants that are growing like crazy in the Oleander bed around our pool.

I have a feeling this might be pumpkins.

Or maybe watermelons?

Maybe some kind of squash?

Any ideas???

The second plant has not only sprouted up around the pool, but also along the back fence and in the flower beds in the front yard! I don't know where it came from and I have no clue what it could be.

It grows tall and fast and has tiny white flowers on it.

?????????

HELP!

How does our garden grow?

2010-07-13T00:30:00.003-05:00

This was our first year to give carrot growing a go...Obviously we've got a lot to learn!

This was our one and only survivor.

At least we had something to show for our effort!

As bad as we are a growing carrots, we rock at growing tomatoes.

(Wow. I look really tired.)

The only problem is, no one in our house likes tomatoes!

I take that back, we love tomotoes, just not right off the vine like most proper Southerners.

I've been roasting them with a little olive oil, garlic and fresh basil and eating them as fast as they come out of the oven. I've also made spaghetti sauce, pico de gallo and homemade ketchup. If anyone has any other wonderful ideas on how to use up a pile of Romas, I'm up for suggestions!

In other gardening news, my cucumbers were a flop. I had cukes coming out my ears last year, but this Summer I've had exactly three. Bummer. I wonder if it's too late to start a second crop and see if they do any better? Summer just won't be complete if I don't make pickles!

I know I can just go buy some cucumbers, but what's the fun in that?!

My basil is growing like crazy again, so there's lots o' pesto making in my near future...So YAY! However, my cilantro and dill went to seed really quickly...BOO! I've put down some more seeds and will hopefully get some new plants growing soon.

And finally, I have two mystery plants that have sprung up around the pool. I'm almost certain one of them is a pumpkin vine or possibly watermelon (the kids tossed their Jack-o-lanterns under the Oleander bushes after Halloween and I've dumped a few watermelon seeds back there on occasion) and I have no clue about the other plant. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow and maybe someone can help me identify them.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

More Vacation Fun

2010-06-25T20:10:00.001-05:00

I still haven't fully recovered from our vacation, but I thought I could at least share a few more pics until I have time for a proper post. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Beach Therapy

2010-06-23T13:54:00.001-05:00

We're just getting back in from a wonderful vacation in Florida. We spent the first part of our trip at Disney World...don't let anyone lie to you about it being the Happiest Place on Earth, it was miserable! Well, miserably hot anyway. We did have a great time, I mean it is Disney World after all, but I knew it was going to be a rough few days when my flipflops started to melt as I walked down Main Street!

After we survived Disney, we headed to Daytona Beach for a couple of days. We had never been there before and since it was so close to Orlando, we decided to check it out. What a hole that place is! I'm sure it was a happening place back in the 60's and it looks like nothing has changed since then! The place we stayed was very, shall be say, vintage. I'm sure Elvis must have had a blast there at one time. At least it was clean and we found lots to laugh about while we were there. Daytona has more than it's fair share of odd people. Really odd people. The beach was nice though, so we stayed outside as much as possible and made the most of our time there...and swore up and down never to return!

This little Knucklehead got to show off his hoop tricks for the crowd at Magic Kingdom, while everyone garthered for the Electrical Parade.

This little Punkette had more fun than she could handle!

After Daytona, we headed back a little closer to home to our beloved Redneck Riviera , the Gulf Coast. We stayed at Gulf Place Cabanas in Santa Rosa Beach, between Seaside and Destin. It was pure Heaven! I would highly recommend it if you're in need of a nice little getaway. The water was clear and warm and the sugar white sand was just perfect. We had a beautiful little condo called "Pottery Barn" and enjoyed several days of true relaxation before heading home.

I literally took hundreds of photos. I'm just now starting to download them all, so I'll post a few here and there as I get a chance. While you wait, you can start helping me think of names for our new beach condo. Coach and I enjoyed our time on the beach so much, that we've just about decided to buy a condo of our own. Seriously. So I'm open to name suggestions!

Bless my bloomers!

2010-06-05T23:14:00.010-05:00

I love walking around the yard this time of year. I find something new in bloom everyday. The flowers are just so gorgeous right now! Everytime I walk outside and see my beautiful yard it makes me smile, so I took a few snaps of some of my favorite flowers to share. It won't be long before our triple digit heat shrivels them all up, so I intend to enjoy them while they last.

The Graduate

2010-05-24T08:56:00.003-05:00

Peace Out, Pre-K!!!

I can't believe my little sweetpea is going to Kindergarten this Fall! Time really does fly when you're having fun. I'll post pics from graduation later today.

And they're off!!!

2010-05-17T12:08:00.001-05:00

Because Coach and I are such stellar role models, we decided to take the Knuckleheads to the horse track on Mother's Day weekend and teach them how to place a bet and play the odds. We're all about having well rounded kids. Learning to gamble is an important life skill...no?

It was actually Family Fun Day at Lone Star Park and was very kid friendly, with lots of fun activities for the little ones. We did place a few bets (we won a whooping $1.28 on Little Miss Know It All), but we spent most of our time riding ponies, hanging out at the petting zoo and jumping from one bouncy house to the next.

This little Knucklehead got more excited about the races than I expected! He spent a lot of time going over the odds, circling his picks and I even caught him doing lots of finger crossing during the races! It was hilarious and a bit troubling.

Coach did a bit of his own studying of the odds and information. Despite his research, I convinced him to bet on The Girl's A Saint to win it all...she didn't.

Despite our losing record on the track, we had a great day. The kids got to experience a new adventure and we all got to get out and enjoy some of the beautiful Texas sunshine!

The best part of the day was when I returned home to find that my sweet little family had taken me away for the day so some fancy landscape company could come to our house and surprise me with totally revamped landscaping! They weeded all my flowerbeds, trimmed all the shrubs, pruned the trees, put in new hydrangas (my favorite!) and annuals, added new mulch, etc. It was the PERFECT Mother's Day gift for me. I had a great day out with the family and someone else did all the hard work I had been dreading for weeks!

Looks like I was a big winner after all!!!

Summer Mode

2010-05-05T11:05:00.003-05:00

Woohoo....there's only 17 days until the kids are out of school for the Summer and Coach just finished up Spring Ball! I don't know who is more excited, me or them. I love the freedom that Summer brings the Gridiron Gang. We spend the majority of the year in overdrive, but soon we'll have our time to just relax and have fun.

The kids are already in Summer mode. It's getting harder and harder to get them out the door for school each morning. They're requesting popcicles, playing in the sprinklers and even went swimming for a few hours last Sunday. The pool is still a little chilly for me, but they were more than ready to take the plunge. The temps are supposed to reach the 90s this week, so maybe by this weekend I'll be ready to join them. Until then, I think I'll just grab a big glass of sweet tea, head out to the hammock and wait.

Dancing in the sprinklers

Road Food

2010-04-27T11:15:00.002-05:00

Looking back through our holiday photos, it didn't take me long to realize why most of my Spring clothes are a little more snug than I remember....

We made a lot of trips from our current home in Texas back to the motherland (Louisiana) during the holidays. There were several trips to Natchitoches to see my parents and then a couple of trips back home to New Orleans. If you didn't know, there is no shortage of good places to eat on the backroads of Louisiana. You won't find any golden arches, but you will find lots of delicious home cookin'. Even the service stations have better food than most fancy restaurants in other states. I'm not kidding. The plate of fabulousness above came from a rundown old gas station in Zwolle, LA. Somebody's granny is in there cooking up some good ol' Southern comfort food 7 days a week. We stop in every time we go home.

Then there are these golden hunks of numminess:

Deep Fried Corn on the Cob and Chick-a-bobs

(deep fried chicken, smoked sausage, onions and bell peppers on stick)

A roadtrip to New Orleans in not complete without a greasy tray of deep fried goodness!

And of course being a born and bred Natchitoches girl, it just wouldn't be a trip home without a few Natchitches Meat Pies!

So yeah, I totally earned these extra 5 pounds and they were so worth it!!! Whoever said "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" hasn't been on a roadtrip with me!

But now that Summer is almost here, I'm trying to do a little better....

I know, I know....That's a lot of bacon, but life just isn't worth living without bacon. I really am trying to do better. My last post was about asparagus for goodness sake!

Baby steps.

Asparagus!

2010-04-27T10:29:00.000-05:00

The Gridiron Gang recently discovered that we love asparagus. We had some delicious grilled spears at a family cookout last month and have been eating tons of it ever since. I've been roasting some in the oven with a little olive oil and Tony's, and it is SO GOOD! Now that we know we love it, we're ready to branch out and try some new recipes. So, if any of you loyal readers or occassional lurkers have some great asparagus recipes to share, we'd love to give them a try!

Distracted

2010-04-20T16:30:00.001-05:00

I keep meaning to post about my husband crashing up the Mom-Mobile, my little Knucklehead getting his front tooth knocked out, me blowing up my KitchenAid mixer, the lawnmower that quit working just when I needed it most, and all the other craptastical things that have been happening around here. Just when I sit down to tell you all about it, I get distracted...Distracted by all the little blessings that make me realize all that other stuff isn't so important.

I have some new recipes to share and tons of fun photos are downloading as I type. I'll be back later, but right now I'm going back to play in the dirt.

Good thing the lawn mower is broken, I can enjoy these pretty weeds one more day!

Trying to Catch Up

2010-04-07T09:28:00.006-05:00

Since my friend, Miz Janey, has insisted in her "teacher voice" that I get back to blogging pronto, I figured I better get something new posted right away. I finally finished the yearbook. (THANK YA, JESUS!)
If I ever raise my hand to volunteer again, I seriously hope someone will slap me. I spend the majority of my time doing projects for other people and rarely get around to finishing all my own projects. No more, I tell ya! For those of you who know me well, stop rolling your eyes. Seriously, NO MORE VOLUNTEERING.

Now, on to more fun things...

My little scout earned his Tiger Cub badge on Monday night and bridged over to the Wolf pack. He is very excited about all the new projects he gets to work on. My eccentric little genius is all about projects. He loves to study, create and tinker...Cub Scouts is perfect for him! In other Knucklehead news, he has given up baseball to tackle tennis this Spring. He's having a blast learning the game and he's pretty good too. I loved watching him play baseball, but I'm secretly thrilled that we don't have that major time commitment to deal with right now. Baseball = 4 nights a week / Tennis = 1 night a week. (So YAY!)

As for my sweet little Punkette, she seems to get taller, smarter and more beautiful by the day. I can't believe it's time to get her registered for Kindergarten in a couple of weeks! She's only making the age cutoff by 5 days. Although she'll be the youngest in her class, she's more than ready. I think having a super smart older sibling that loves to spend time with her and help teach her new things has been wonderful for her. She's already reading like a champ and loves doing math. Sorry to brag so much...but it's true! I have some totally awesome kiddos, who drive me bananas on a daily basis, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world! They are just growing up too fast and I want to slow down and savor every moment. Remind me of that when I'm feeling guilty for not volunteering anymore!

Coach is busy with Spring Training. The team looks better and stronger than ever before. They seem to be really focused and I can tell they all have a championship on their minds. I love Spring Ball. It's the most relaxed time of the year for a coaching family and there's so much possibility for an exciting season ahead. Of course, Spring Ball also means we only have a few weeks until we're off for the summer! I've been counting the days until Summer break since January.

As for me, I've been booking a few photo sessions here and there. Haven't been able to get out a lot with all the crazy weather (such is the life of an outdoor photographer), but things are definitely starting to pick up with the beautiful Spring days we've been blessed with lately. I finally got my garden planted and am thrilled to see new things spouting up everyday. I can already tell I planted too much basil again, so all my friends and family can get ready for another Summer of abundant pesto! Not that too much pesto is a bad thing. Yummmmmmmm, pesto.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We did! The little Knuckleheads wouldn't slow down long enough for a nice Easter pic, so the above photo is as good as it gets this year. The cobbler's children had no shoes....The photographer's children had no fancy photos.

~Gridiron Girl

Back from Spring Break

2010-03-21T19:55:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Spring Break in New Orleans! We celebrated my birthday, enjoyed a couple of our favorite St. Patrick's Day parades, ate lots of yummy food, went to the Audubon Aquarium and the new Insecterium. We ate Snoballs, rode the streetcars and the ferry, visited St. Louis Cathedral, played in the parks my kiddos loved so much when we lived there and just enjoyed playing tourists. I literaly took hundreds of pictures! I'll share a few now and be back later when I have time to upload some more.

2010-03-05T09:07:00.000-06:00

Sorry I have been so bad at keeping up with the blog lately. As I've said before, I have a bit of a problem with over committing myself. I really do need a twelve step program for people who volunteer too much. My latest little (yeah right!) project is the design and layout of my son's school yearbook. This project has been on going for months, but there's finally an end in sight! However, it's going to be a busy couple of weeks to get everything finished before the deadline. Most people usually have a yearbook staff for these big projects....I am a staff of one. (I kinda like it that way.) Did I mention that in addition to my over-volunteering issues, I also have a few control issues and perfectionist tendencies? We'll have to delve deeper into that when I have more time.

In other news, Spring is definitely in the air around here. My seedlings are starting to sprout and there are little green buds on the trees. I'm so excited! I hate ~~winter~~ being cold. I'm so ready to thaw out and get outdoors again. As soon as I wrap up the yearbook project, I promise to have lots of fun new stuff to add to the blog. I have tons of photos to upload, some fun gardening projects to tackle and a big birthday trip to The Big Easy to document next week!

I hope everyone has wonderful weekend!!!

~Gridiron Girl

Spinach Bacon Penne Pasta from Savory Sweet Life

2010-02-23T17:34:00.001-06:00

When I saw this recipe for Spinach Bacon Penne Pasta over at Savory Sweet Life, I knew I had to make it immediately. Pasta, spinach, bacon, cheese...what's not to love? Alice's recipe sounded perfect just the way it was, but I'm not capable of following a recipe without messing around with it a bit. As with most things I cook, I ended up making it as fattening as possible. (I know I'm terrible, I'm working on it...kinda). Since I'm not cured of my evil pork fat lovin' ways just yet, I substituted half the olive oil with bacon grease, I added a splash of heavy cream, tossed in some red pepper flakes and heaped on some extra Parmesan. It was FABULOUS! I highly suggest you give it a try. The healthy version or my artery clogging concoction, the choice is yours. Either way, give it try, it's YUM!

Coach gave it two thumbs up and the Knuckleheads cleaned their plates, spinach and all!

Crafty Kids ~ Bird Feeders

2010-02-19T22:11:00.001-06:00

I used to make these peanut butter bird feeders when I was a little girl. As a matter of fact, the wooden cutouts are some extras that my Daddy made for me years ago. Over time, they worked their way to the bottom of my big craft bucket. I was thrilled to rediscover them in a cleaning frenzy a couple of weeks ago and knew the kids would love this fun little project.

And I was right...they loved it!!!

Fat Tuesday

2010-02-16T09:52:00.002-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

More Snow Pics

2010-02-14T13:28:00.002-06:00

We were so excited about the little amount we had in the previous pictures, we had no idea we would wake up to this the next morning!

Coach got ambushed in the Great Snowball War of 2010

I've never seen snow like this in our little corner of the world. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! It didn't last long, but we sure had fun while it was here. It was a nice little treat, but now I'm ready for Spring. I honestly don't see how people put up with the cold, slush and sludge for extended periods of time.

This Southern girl COULD NOT HANDLE IT!

SNOW!!!

2010-02-11T21:37:00.000-06:00

And the winner is.....

2010-01-30T19:50:00.000-06:00

The Who Dat Mobile!!!

My little Knucklehead won his first race!

He ultimately got eliminated in the finals, but he was still excited.

He also won the prize for "Best Scout Design".

Big Fun!

Who Dat Mobile

2010-01-29T21:39:00.000-06:00

I sure hope the NFL doesn't send my little Tiger Scout a Cease and Desist Letter

for his Pinewood Derby Who Dat Mobile!

The big race is tomorrow!

A super big THANKS to Grumpy, Uncle Mike and Aunt Boo for their design expertise!

Missing In Action

2010-01-25T22:59:00.003-06:00

So sorry I've been MIA lately. We've been up to our eyeballs in recruiting for the past few weeks. Ah, recruiting, now there's a topic I could write a book about. I love it and I hate it. It's hands down the hardest time of the year to be a coach's wife. Football season is a breeze compared to recruiting. Spring ball...piece o' cake, even two-a-days are tolerable, but recruiting almost breaks me every year. The coaches are on the road all week long and then our weekends are spent entertaining recruits and their families. I really do enjoy spending time with future players and parents, but it's exhausting! The few hours a week that the coaches might be around, they have their cell phones plastered to their ears or their fingers are flying, sending text messages to each other about a hot player they have to get on quick. I went out on whirlwind, hurry up and eat, we have to get back to work, dinner date with my husband and three other coaches last week and all three of their phones were ringing constantly. No really, CONSTANTLY. It's crazy! You'd have to live it to believe it.

My favorite part about recruiting, other than signing awesome new talent, is watching Coach in action. He's pretty awesome. The local newspaper once called him a "recruiting guru" and it's true. I think it's a mix of his knowledge of the game, his great communication skills and his Southern charm that gets them every time. I love hearing him address the recruits. I have to hold myself back from standing up to cheer. If he hadn't been a coach, he could have easily been a preacher. He gets wound up! I keep waiting for him to say "Can I get a Amen?!" during his speeches. I'd totally give him one.

Anyway, I've almost survived another recruiting season. At this point, I might as well suck it up and stop whining about it. Just a few more days until Signing Date. Hopefully, my poor neglected blog will get more love once we get past Feb 3rd.

Speaking of MIA, y'all do know that my beloved Saints are going to the Super Bowl, right?! MIA...Miami...the Super Bowl is in Miami this year...ya get it?

GEAUX SAINTS!!!

WHO DAT? WHO DAT? WHO DAY SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS? WHO DAT?!

Who Dat?!

2010-01-16T20:59:00.001-06:00

Geaux Saints!!!

Bubbles

2010-01-14T08:56:00.001-06:00

Kids in the Kitchen - Golden Shy Lasagna

2010-01-13T16:52:00.004-06:00

Yeah, I have NO IDEA why my Knuckleheads decided to name their lasagna creation Golden Shy Lasagna. These are the same two that named the fish, Spirit Clobby Bullcow & Lion. I've learned to not ask too many questions and just roll with it, so Golden Shy Lasgana it is!

Anyway, I made the sauce and pretty much gave them free range of all the other ingredients and assembly. The dish could have easily been called RicottaPestoParmesanMozzarellaCheddarColbyJackGarlicOnionOregano Lasagna, so I guess I'm glad they just went with Golden Shy.

My Knuckleheads LOVE helping out in the kitchen and it's been really fun to see their skills improve. As expected, they made a HUGE mess, but honestly the lasagna was delicious! They were SO PROUD of themselves, they ate it all up and asked for seconds.

Now if I could just teach them to do the dishes!

Textures in Photoshop

2010-01-10T19:23:00.001-06:00

I'm currently obsessed with learning how to correctly apply cool textures in Photoshop. I haven't mastered it yet, but I'm working on it! This is my first attempt....

...not exactly what I was going for, but I thought it was kind of cool anyway. Once I figure it out, I'll post a tutorial for those of you who might be interested.

If any of you have experience working with textures, please share your wisdom. All hints, tricks and tips are welcome!

Proof for the Grandparents

2010-01-07T09:08:00.004-06:00

My mom, Big Mama, has been ~~harping on me~~ gently trying to persuade me to get Punkette's hair cut. She's had a haircut before, but it's been a long time (1 haircut in 4 years). I have absolutley nothing against getting the child's hair cut, my problem is that I have no idea how I should get it cut. So, I usually just pull it back in a ponytail and forget about it. The day I realized her hair had reached her waste and I had to get on my knees to brush it all, I knew I couldn't ignore it any longer. So yesterday we went to the Beauty Shop and got 4 inches cut off. I had intentions of getting it cut shorter, but I got there and panicked. I didn't know what to tell the stylist to do, so I just said "clean her up a bit". What does that even mean? I guess it means, take off four inches and call it good, because that's exactly what she did. So, these pics are proof that I at least made an effort.

When Punkette got outside the Beauty Shop, she shook out her hair and said in her most sassy voice "I love it! It feels so good!" :-D

It's Carnival Time!

2010-01-06T21:15:00.000-06:00

It's days like today (King's Day, the beginning of Mardi Gras season) that I greatly dislike living in Smalltown, Texas. If we were still living in New Orleans, no less than five people would have shown up on our doorstep gifting us with delicious Randazzo's, Gambino's or Dorignac's King Cakes. I kept my nose pressed against the glass all day today, and no one ever showed. I called every bakery in town, not only did they not make King Cakes, they had never heard of King Cakes!

So, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I made a King Cake!! I didn't make it from scratch, that's just crazy. That would involve far to much time, precision and kneading. I don't knead. I cracked open a couple cans of cinnamon rolls and placed them in a tight circle and baked according to package directions.

After they cooled, I hid the plastic baby inside and decorated the top with Mardi Gras colored cream cheese icing. I think it turned out really cute and it tasted super yummy!

You can take the girl away from Mardi Gras, but you can't take Mardi Gras away from the girl!

Hibernation

2010-01-04T10:57:00.001-06:00

I know I said I was ready for a fun and exciting new year, but I've decided I'm not quite ready to come out of hibernaton just yet. I want to go back to a time not so long ago when it was perfectly acceptable to stay in my jammies all day and eat cookies for breakfast. A time where we could just hop in the car and head down to New Orleans for weekend of fun. I want to go back to a time of twinkling lights, when my house smelled of fresh pine and my Saints were still undefeated. I want to go back to December.

January is just too cold. January brings long weeks on the road recruiting and long weekends entertaining recruits and their families...frozen plants and dead grass...Christmas decorations that I have yet to pack up and drag to the attic...a fridge full of holiday leftovers that need to be tossed. Did I mention it's too cold? I've decided not to leave the house until Spring. Until then, I have my happy holiday memories to keep me warm.

All the photos are from our recent trip to New Orleans

for the Saints/Cowboys game and some pre-Christmas fun.

Saints vs Cowboys - Sold out Superdome

Me enjoying beignets in Jackson Square and Coach checking out A Miracle on Fulton Street

Fresh produce at the French Market

A Yummy and Relaxing New Year

2010-01-01T22:02:00.003-06:00

New Year's Day is one of my favorite days of the year. The hectic holiday season is over and there's a whole new calendar full of days ahead that have the potential to be wonderful. On New Year's Day, it's perfectly acceptable (and encouraged in our house) to stay your jammies all day, watch a ton of football games and eat a pile of goodies to ensure lots of luck and good fortune for the new year.

What's not to love?

As a proper Southern, I'd never let a New Year's Day pass without cooking up a lucky pot of blackeyed peas with hamhocks and cornbread. In addition to the blackeyed peas, you have to have cabbage for good fortune. I like to fry my cabbage with onions in some bacon grease, with a little sugar and cayenne pepper. And since there's not quite enough pork fat, we also grill some big juicy pork steaks! To top it all off, I serve it all with a big spoonful of candied

jalepeno pepper relish.

SO GOOD!

I've decided not to make any major resolutions this year. My main objective for the new year is to just slow down a bit and simplify my life. As a coaching family with young children, our day to day lives are naturally hectic. My husband and I seem to add to the craziness by volunteering and helping out with just about any project someone presents us with. We are "yes" people, who are trying really hard to learn how to say "no, thank you" more often. I'm so tired of being tired all the time. It makes me tired to think of all the things I obligate myself and my family to do, so I've started reminding myself that all I really have to do is is love and care for my family and the rest is just stuff I can let go of. I know it's easier said than done, but I'm trying.

I wish you all a happy and healthy new year filled with lots of love and laughter!

New Year's Eve Tradition

2009-12-31T22:04:00.004-06:00

Many years ago, while traveling through the night on our way to a ski lodge on New Year's Eve, my future mother-in-law lit a candle in the car and placed it in a bucket. I was perplexed. She explained, that on New Year's Eve, "A Bayberry candle burned to the socket, brings health to the home and wealth to the pocket." I was an instant believer and have never let another new year begin without burning a Bayberry candle.

Tonight, as I lit the candle, I explained the tradition to my Knuckleheads. For a little added fun, I told them that once the candle was lit they could each make a wish for the new year. My 6 year old wished for a big cake and my little 4 year old punkette wished for a clock.

Happy New Year!!!

Easing back into the blog

2009-12-29T21:28:00.000-06:00

Because I know you're sick of looking at Santa's Favorite Cookies.....

Christmas Lights and Fireworks in Natchitoches, LA

The Gridiron Gang has been on the go for most of December. We had a wonderful Christmas in Louisiana and have finally returned home to Texas to ring in a Happy New Year.

I promise get back to blogging as soon as I recoup from all the holiday fun.

~Gridiron Girl

Santa's Favorite Cookies

2009-12-09T11:34:00.009-06:00

Louisiana

Cane Syrup Cookies

1 cup sugar

2 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

3/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1/3 cup cane syrup or molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients and cut in shortening*. Add egg and cane syrup (molasses can be used if cane syrup is not available in your area). Once combined, roll dough into small (1 inch) balls and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, leaving room for cookies to expand. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies will develop a more crackled look and expand a bit more after you remove them from the oven. Yield: 3 dozen

* I use my Kitchenaid mixer because this is a very thick dough.

Happy Holidays!!!

Gridiron Girl

Serena over at The Farm Chicks is having a fun vitual cookie exchange.

Check it out for more great cookie recipes!

Quick photos to make grandparents happy :-)

2009-12-09T09:35:00.000-06:00

I promise I'm working on some new stuff, but until I have time to get it posted, you can enjoy looking at a couple of new pics of my adorable little Sugarplums. :-)

My new camera is here and I'm having a blast trying to figure it all out. It is one serious piece of equipment, with more bells and whistles than I ever imagined!

Hot Chocolate on a COLD parade night.

Snuggled up waiting for the Christmas parade.

Snow in East Texas!!!

2009-12-04T20:24:00.000-06:00

It didn't last long, but it sure was pretty coming down.

Snowflakes on my coat.

Turkey and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

2009-12-01T10:35:00.000-06:00

A few of you have requested my Turkey Gumbo recipe, and I'm happy to share, the only problem is that I really don't have a real recipe. Gumbo is one of those a little of this and a handful of that kind of things. I firmly believe that if you ask 100 different people how they make their gumbo, you'll get a 100 different answers. But since y'all asked so nicely, I'm going to give it a shot.

A few notes before we get started:

~ Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is actually my favorite, so if you don't have any turkey available, by all means use chicken. I like to boil and debone my chicken, reserving the stock, before I get started. To make my Turkey Gumbo, I just used a few handfuls of leftover turkey and some canned stock.

~ The most important part of making a gumbo is the roux. You can find plenty of instructions online on how to make a roux, or you can just buy some of this fabulous stuff....

Savoie's Roux

Premade roux is one of the world's best inventions if ya ask me. Don't think you're being less authentic if you use this stuff, every Louisiana cook I know keeps a jar of roux within their reach. It's the real deal, you just don't have to spend an hour making it yourself!

~ You need a large heavy bottom stock pot. If you use a thin pot, your roux will stick and scorch, and that would be bad.

Okay let's get started....

Ingredients:

turkey or chicken, cooked and shredded

1 lb smoked sausage, cut up

chicken stock

roux

bacon grease

onion, chopped

bell pepper, chopped

celery, chopped

greeen onions, chopped

parsley, chopped

garlic, chopped

salt, pepper and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning* to taste

Method:

Add about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease to stock pot, throw in all the chopped vegetables and saute until tender. Add smoked sausage and allow to cook a few minutes to get a nice color on the sausage. You may have to add a little water to keep from scorching the bottom of the pot. Next, add about 3 or 4 tablespoons of roux and mix well. Add stock while stirring to incorporate the roux. More stock, water or roux can be added as gumbo cooks to achieve desired consistancy. Add turkey, salt, pepper and Tony's and allow to cook for about 45 minutes. Be sure to stir often, add more liquid as needed and add more seasoning if desired. Serve over rice with Saltine crackers. DEELISH!

The longer a gumbo sits, the better it tastes. In my opinion, it'a always better the next day! It also freezes very well.

* If you haven't discovered Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning yet, please order you a case right this very minute! I promise you won't be sorry.

The kind folks at Tony Chacher's and Savoie's have no idea who I am and have not paid me a single cent for giving them some pub. I just love their products and think they're worth sharing.

I know my gumbo instructions are kind of confusing, so if you have any questions just ask! :-)

~The Gridiron Girl

Trying to catch up....

2009-11-30T11:09:00.000-06:00

Finally, I have a little time to sit down and catch my breath. I hope you all had a Happy Turkey Day! Our Thanksgiving was wonderful, full of family, fun and way too much fabulous food. I am actually tired of eating. I may not cook for a week! Coach is on the road recruiting and I think the kids can survive on cereal and pudding cups.

Actually, as good as not cooking for a week sounds, it's too late. I have a big pot of bean soup on the stove right now. I couldn't help it! We had a big beautiful ham bone left over from Thanksgiving and it's really cold outside today. You just can't ignore some things, it had to be done!

Speaking of leftovers, I have to rave about my fried turkey gumbo! On Thanksgiving day, Coach fried up a turkey to perfection and we ate it until we had our fill. Then, Big Daddy pulled all the remaining meat off the bone for me, on Saturday I made a fried turkey and smoked sausage gumbo that was out of this world! We normally serve gumbo over rice, but I tried it over some leftover cornbread dressing and it was yummy. I think we just started a new tradition. Fried turkey gumbo and day full of football is a winner in our book!

We started decorating for Christmas on Saturday and we're still not finished. I started out strong, but I still have several boxes of stuff left to unpack and I'm kinda over it. I was hoping Santa's elves would have finished while I slept last night, but no dice. I guess I better get off the computer and get it finished.

Before I go, I have some wonderful news to share. My third child will be delivered later this week. (I know, I was shocked too!) I can't wait for you all to meet her...I think she's going to weight about 3 lbs, she's black and shiny, sharp and fast! I haven't decided on a name just yet.

Okay...Okay.... it's a camera, but I just know I'm going to love it almost as much as my children. It's the Nikon D700, the camera of my dreams. It's the camera I've considered selling an internal organ to acquire. And now, thanks to the generosity of my loving and super supportive parents, that baby will be mine in just a few days! "Thank you" just doesn't seem good enough to express my graditude to my Mom and Dad for giving me such a wonderful gift.

I LOVE YOU, MOM & DAD!!!

Y'ALL ROCK!!!

P.S. My daddy did try to bribe with a $1500 lens if I would actually give them one more grandbaby. I flatout told him no, but the longer I think about that sweet lens..............maybe.............just maybe................

NO WAY!

My answer still stands! Nice try, Daddy-O!

Big Mama's Southern Sweet Potato Pie

2009-11-24T21:15:00.000-06:00

I couldn't wait another 2 days to start feasting, so I broke down and baked

Big Mama's Southern Sweet Potato Pie

tonight. My Mom is the master pie maker in our family, but since she's doing the Pecan pies (among many other things) for Thanksgiving, I told her I would try making the Sweet Potato pies this year. She handed over her tried and true recipe and promised me I couldn't mess it up.

She was right.

It was as easy as...well...pie!

If you're looking for a simple, yet amazingly delicious pie to serve for Thanksgiving (or any random day of the week), give this recipe a try!

I promise you won't be disappointed.

Big Mama's Southern Sweet Potato Pie

3 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 cup mashed sweet potaoes, drained

2 eggs

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter (do not melt!)

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 pie crust (9 inch)

Combine flour and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Don't overbeat, it is normal for little pieces of butter to remain throughout the mixture. Pour sweet potato mixture into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Cover edges of crust halfway through baking to prevent burning. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!!!

~Gridiron Girl

Let It Snow...or not

2009-11-24T19:35:00.000-06:00

Nevermind that we live in Texas and it's been in the 70s lately, my little Knucklehead needed a snowman for school. So like any Super Mom would do, I made it happen and quick! With a sheet of styrofoam, some scraps of felt, a few buttons, a little pumpkin carving saw and my trusty glue gun, we whipped out a pretty rockin' snowman in no time flat.

Who needs the cold, wet stuff? You can build this super cute little guy while wearing shorts and flipflops...and he'll never melt!

~Gridiron Girl

She's ALIVE!

2009-11-18T19:20:00.000-06:00

I'm not dead, just extremely busy. All of the sudden I'm swamped with photo sessions. That's a good thing for my business, a bad thing for my blog. I promise to be back soon with some fun new stuff. Until then, check out these cute little nuggets I've been spending my time with....

<----This is Mush, he is one cool kid!

This is Mush's big sister. Isn't she beautiful?!

She's super sweet and smart too. Her Daddy is going to need a big stick!

I also got to hang out with these adorable little cousins. They played in the creek, got mud between their toes, rolled down the hill and slowed down just long enough for me to get a few fun photos.

I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Miracle Lemon Pie

2009-11-12T16:58:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to making a pie with my
LEMONS

from the Little Lemon Tree That Could.

I'm happy to report that it was DELICIOUS and did not taste the least bit like chlorine.

I used this recipe for the filling and meringue.

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons of melted butter

1/3 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Mix well and press into 9 inch pie plate, fill and bake as directed in pie recipe.

Look, Mom, I finally did it!

2009-11-11T09:08:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my dear friend, Katy, I finally learned how to make those big, super cute hairbows that my little punkette loves to wear. I've tried to make them in the past, but I could never get it quite right. A few days ago, Katy sent me this tutorial and there's no stopping me now!

I've already made a few bows to match some Christmas outfits and I have so many other fun ideas. I used some of my Nanny's (grandmother) antique buttons to adorn some of the bows and I just love how they've turned out. Now I'm off to the store to load up on more ribbon!

Thanks you so much, Katy, for helping me learn a fun new craft that's going to save me a ton of money!!!

~Gridiron Girl

Who Dat?!

2009-11-09T17:02:00.000-06:00

CAN I GET A
"Who Dat?!"

Needless to say, I am beyond thrilled that my beloved New Orleans Saints are undefeated! It's not always easy being a Saints fan in Cowboy Land. I actually got a few "boos" while wearing my Saints shirt in the grocery store today. I've always loved the Saints, win or lose, but it sure is a lot more fun when they're 8 and 0!

I've been trying and trying to get Coach to take me home to New Orleans for a few days and he has been coming up with all kinds of excuses not to go. I was beginning to get annoyed, but then I found out he's been secretly planning to take me to the Saints vs Cowgirls game on December 19th! OH, HOW I LOVE THAT BOY!!!

I'm so excited I can't stand it!

Geaux Saints!!!

~Gridiron Girl

When Life Hands You Lemons

2009-11-09T09:22:00.000-06:00

My little lemon tree is a miracle in a pot. Shortly after I brought it home, the ~~stupid~~ dog chewed it down to the roots. I left it sitting on the patio and the kids kept watering it, even though I thought it was a goner. I was so surprised when it started to come back. We nursed it back to health and by the end of last Summer, it was shiny and green, but never produced any lemons.

I forgot it on the patio during last year's first frost and shortly after that, it lost all it's leaves and began to shrivel and die. For months it was nothing more than a brown stick that I kept meaning to throw out. Last Spring, as I was finally about to get rid of it, I noticed a few green leaves starting to sprout. Again we repotted it, watered it, fertalized it, and nursed it back to health. A few weeks later, I noticed some little lemons starting to appear. We were thrilled! Of course the kids wanted to pick them right away, but I quickly told them if they even thought about touching those lemons, there would be big trouble! They knew I was serious.

We babied our little lemon tree all Spring and Summer and our lemons kept growing and growing. When Fall arrived, so did the rain, and the little lemon tree loved it! It was finally starting to really thrive. I checked the tree everyday waiting for the perfect time to pick the lemons. One morning after a pretty bad storm, I went out to check the tree and it was gone...vanished! I looked and looked and couldn't find it anywhere. I was perplexed and so upset about my little tree. Then I saw it. It was at the bottom of the swimming pool, sitting upright, with most of it's soil still intact and every lemon still attached, even though it had blown across the yard! It was the strangest thing. I fished it out with the big pool rake and quickly rinsed it with some fresh water. I knew the pool chemicals would kill it, but I just had to try to save it one more time. The branches started to droop, the leaves started to curl and I started to cry.

But wait, my little lemon tree had yet another miracle rebirth! It survived the dog, the kids, the freeze, a major storm and even a night a the bottom of a cold swimming pool. After a few days of recovery from the pool incident, it bounced back and continued to grow. Now my little lemons are finally ready to be picked! I can't wait to make a big beautiful lemon pie...I just hope it doesn't taste like chlorine!

Taking Time To Stop And Smell The Flowers

2009-11-05T09:36:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's November already! It seems like this year has absolutely flown by. We closed out the football season with a big win last Saturday and Coach is already on the road recruiting. We were disappointed that we didn't make the playoffs this year, but we had a young team that was plagued with injuries, illness and some bad decisions. It's frustrating that these young players don't yet understand that their actions not only affect them, but greatly impact my family as well. Sometimes I just want to shake them and tell them to grow up, but I guess that's what they're in the process of doing. It's just hard to stand by and watch sometimes.

On a completely unrelated note, the weather has been FABULOUS lately! After school yesterday, the kids and I decided to go out to the beautiful East Texas Arboretum. It's such a great place to spend a few hours. The kids really enjoy walking the trails, "accidentally" getting their feet wet in the creek and playing around the old red schoolhouse and in the Three Bears playhouse. I love looking at all the beautiful flowers and plants, and taking pics of the kids having fun.

While we were exploring some trails yesterday, we came across all kinds of scarecrows in the woods. Different schools and businesses had decorated them and placed them along the trail. It was neat until the sun started to go down, then we realized we were the only ones still at the Arboretum and we had walked a long way from the car. The Scarecrow Trail started to seem kind of dark and eerie! We decided it was time to get out of there and we all took off running! Once out of the woods, we discoved the sun setting on all the beautiful flowers and there were butterflies everywhere! It was so cool.

The Arboretum is such a treasure in our little town. It's very well kept by a handful of volunteers and there's always something new to discover. It's a peaceful place for a relaxing afternoon with the family and a beautiful setting for weddings and festivals. They also host a fabulous Eco Camp for kids every Summer and it's one of my favorite places to take clients for photo sessions. It's one of the things I really love about our little town.

~Gridiron Girl

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T23:49:00.000-05:00

After a wonderful evening of Trick or Treating, we came home to hand out candy to all the many ghosts and goblins that had invaded our neighborhood. I thought I had bought more than enough goodies, but we were completely out by 8:15. The Trick or Treaters were out in full force tonight! We had big fun!

To make a great day even better, our team got a big (41 to 14) victory!

The Knuckleheads are happy, Coach is happy...Gridiron Girl will rest easy tonight.

Fun With The Pumpkins

2009-10-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

The kids love using their Mr. Potato Head parts to decorate pumpkins. I use a small screwdriver to punch the holes, then they can easily push in the pieces. We still like to carve some large pumpkins, but using the Mr. Potato Head parts on the little pumpkins is way more fun for the kids. They like to decorate their pumpkins over and over again!

We've been doing a lot of fun activities this week because our Halloween festivities will be cut short by a football game tomorrow evening. We've done all kinds of fun crafts. We've made pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies, and we ate way too many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! We've been to carnivals, school parties, a pep rally and even a circus! And course we watched It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown...it's a tradition, don't ya know!

I love Halloween and I love hanging out with my little Knuckleheads!

~Gridiron Girl

The Raingutter Regatta

2009-10-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

My little Tiger Cub just competed in his first Raingutter Regatta. Basically, he was handed a block of wood that he and Coach had to make into a boat, to race against the other scouts.

For the race, there were two raingutters set up on sawhorses and filled with water. Each Cub had to get behind his boat and blow it to the finish line. There was some pretty serious competion, but my little Cub won two of his races! In the end, he didn't win a trophy but there was ice cream...and to a 6 year old little Knucklehead, nothing beats ice cream!

Maiden Voyage

2009-10-29T23:53:00.000-05:00

Coach and The Knuckleheads testing out their entry for the Cub Scouts' Raingutter Regatta.

More photos of the actual event tomorrow. Tonight, I sleep.

Putting Away My Soapbox...for now.

2009-10-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

This post was going to be a rant about racism being alive and well in Small Town, Texas. Believe me, I could hop up on that soapbox and rage on at length. I was going to write about how it crushes my sole everytime we go out to dinner with our players and hear all the loud mumbles and grumbles and whispers about "all those big black boys". I even thought about telling you that some kids actually came up to some of the players recently and told them, "We don't like your kind around here" and "My daddy says we don't like black people". But I'm not going to write about that stuff, it's just TOO MUCH.

Instead, I'm going to tell you about some really great young men. Young men who are kind, and respectful, and smart, and funny. Young athletes who are using their God given talents to make a better life for themselves. Young men who care about their education and their community. Young men who would give up a night of freedom to help their coach's wife pull off a super fun Fall carnival for the children.

When no one else would step in to help with the carnival, our players gladly stood up and volunteered to save the day. They helped run all the booths, they handed out treats, they painted faces, they played with the kids, they judged the costume contest...They did it all, and we could have never pulled it off without them! They handled themselves with class and maturity (except when they discovered the hair paint!) and I couldn't be more proud of them!

And I still love them, even though they did this to my little Knucklehead.....

Our Not So Typical Tuesday Night

2009-10-27T22:53:00.000-05:00

One little Knucklehead rode an elephant...

and a pony.

The other little Knucklehead had Cotton Candy for dinner!

There were upside down motorcycles...

and amazing acrobats!

Lots of shiny balloons...

and animals with bad teeth.

Big Daddy's Dirty Rice featured on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen!

2009-10-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

I was pretty excited to discover that my recipe for Big Daddy's Dirty Rice landed a feature spot on The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen!

Big Daddy's Dirty Rice

2009-10-25T20:02:00.002-05:00

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork

2 Tbsp bacon grease

3 cans chicken broth

1 cup water

3 cups rice, uncooked

1 lb smoked sausage, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp crushed garlic
3 Tbsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
1 tsp black pepper

In a heavy stock pot, cook ground beef and pork in bacon grease until very done (when you think you've cooked it long enough, cook it some more). Add smoked sausage, onion, greens onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until onions start to become transparent. Stir in garlic and parsley. Add chicken broth and water to meat and vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Add rice and seasonings. Bring back to a boil, stir once, reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until rice is done and liquid is absorbed. The rice freezes well in Ziplock bags. Microwave to reheat.

Note: It is extremely important to use a a heavy, thick bottomed pot for this recipe so the rice will not stick. Avoid lifting lid during cooking, except to stir once, to avoid scorching.

This recipe was created by my Daddy years ago and is a much requested favorite at family reunions, church potlucks, holidays and tailgate parties!

Thanks Dad!

Game Day Grub ~ Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Pistolettes

2009-10-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Pistolettes

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

1 small block of Velveeta cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 dozen pistolette rolls*

Melted garlic butter

Brown ground beef, toss in onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add broccoli, tomatoes and soup. Mix well and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare pistolette rolls, cut a small piece off the end of each roll and scoop out the inside. Now spoon the broccoli and cheese mixture into the rolls and replace the piece of bread that was cut off. At this point, the rolls can be frozen for future use or baked. To bake, brush the tops of the rolls with melted garlic butter and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until pistolettes are a nice golden brown. Enjoy!

* Pistolettes rolls are small French rolls. If you can't find them in your area, any sturdy roll that will hold the stuffing will work.

Fall in Full Bloom

2009-10-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm working on some more intersting posts, but I wanted to hurry and get up some new pics for those of you who are tired of looking at my spooky spider.

As I walked around the yard yesterday evening (let's discuss that more in a minute), I couldn't get over how beautiful my flowers were looking after all the rain and mild temps. Just a couple of weeks ago they were tired and fading from a long, hot summer. They have obviously been refreshed and are now putting on quite a show! We may not have all the beautiful changing leaves that so many of you get to enjoy each Fall, but our view is not so shabby either!

So back to the walking around the yard business...

It's just something we Southern ladies do, we walk around our yards and admire our stuff. My Grandmother did it, my Mom does it, I do it. We grab a glass of sweet tea or cup of coffee and we wander around the yard admiring the flowers, filling bird feeders, checking in on our spiders and the little lizards and frogs that live in our gardens. We cut frest flowers to bring in the house, we dig up bulbs to share with friends and we baby the roses that have been passed down for several generations. It's not uncommon at all to go outside in our jammies and rubber boots, and we couldn't care less if the neighbors see us, because they're just out admiring their yards too!

When I go back to Louisiana to visit my parents, there two things I can always count on, a delicious meal waiting on the stove and a walk around the yard with my Mom. She's pretty amazing when it come to beautiful yards, I swear she can take a dead stick and make it bloom! So, as much as I enjoy walking around my own yard, there's nothing I like more than going home and having a stroll with my Mom. It's just what we do. : )

And for the record, all the flower photos on this post were taken in my yard yesterday, so just maybe my Mama's green thumb is starting to rub off on me!

Decorating for Halloween

2009-10-20T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've been trying for a week to get a picture of this super creepy, yet strangely beautiful, spider that's taken up residency on our back patio. She didn't seem to mind if I came in close for look at her amazing work, but the second I would pull out the camera, she would run off and hide... camera shy I guess. Late yetserday evening, I was finally able to snap a quick shot of her while she was too busy spinning her web to notice me.