Family Pictures

I wasn't planning on having family pictures today.  While running out the door to go Thanksgiving dinner, I grabbed my camera on a whim, thinking I might want it.  My kids were all wearing clean clothes and had their hair fixed, which is an event even unto itself, so when we got to MammaGrandpa's house (as Birdie calls it), I thought I'd snap a few of the kids.  Becca came out to help me with the arm-waggling, funny sound making, attention-getting part (thank you Becca).  It went very well and super fast, so as an after thought, Trev and I jumped in the shot to see if we could get one of us all together.  Becca obliged, and snapped a bunch.  The whole process took maybe 10-15 minutes, and I was rather pleased with what we got.

I didn't coordinate or plan any of our outfits, I didn't hunt for weeks for the perfect accessory or shirt; it's just a picture of my family wearing what we happened to be wearing.  I love them.  I especially love how non-stressful a production it was in comparison to any other time we have tried to take family pictures.

Now, hold on CFA, (that's Control Freaks of America), don't kick me out of the club just yet.  I certainly still have my issues.  Had this been a real planned family picture, you can bet that nary a hair would be out of place (especially Trev's pesky ones...haha...kidding honey).  I'd have the perfect pops of colors strategically placed based on predetermined posing.  My eyes would reflect the crazy frantic desperation of a mom wanting each smile and tilt of the head to be on cue.  And of course my children would be far less cooperative, as is there job when they can sense that something is really important.  :) All I'm saying, dear CFA, of which I am a card-carrying member, it was nice for such a serendipitous occasion to present itself without the frazzled mom as a bi-product.  

You Can't Handle The Truth! NFL Version

One of my buddies from high school commented last night that the situation with Richie Incognito and Johnathan Martin (background story here) was beginning to seem like an NFL version of "A Few Good Men."  With some prompting he took the famous courtroom scene and adapted it to the Dolphins' situation.  I've posted it below for your enjoyment.  It's one of the funniest things I've read in a long time:

Cast:
Coach Joe Philbin: Miami Dolphins' Head Coach
Ted Wells: Lawyer who is leading NFL probe into hazing
Roger Goodell: NFL commissioner 

Philbin: “Sometimes players take matters into their own hands.”

Wells: “No sir. You made it clear just a moment ago that your players never take matters into their own hands. Your players follow orders or Tannehill gets sacked. So Martin shouldn’t have been in any danger at all, should he have, Coach?

Philbin: “You little $%&*@$%.”

Cornell: “Commissioner, I have to ask for a recess to…”

Wells: “I’d like an answer to the question, Commissioner.”

Goodell: “The league will wait for an answer.”

Wells: “If Sherman Turner told his O-line that Martin wasn’t to be hazed, then why did he have to be traded?”

Coach?

Sherman ordered the hazing, didn’t he? Because that’s what you told Sherman to do!”

Cornell: Object!

Goodell: Counsel!

Wells: And when it went bad, you cut Incognito loose!

Goodell: That’ll be all, Counsel!

Wells: You had Turner sign a phony trade order, you doctored the roster…

Philbin: You want answers?

Wells: I think I’m entitled to them.

Philbin: You want answers?!

Wells: I WANT THE TRUTH!

Philbin: YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

Philibin: Son, we live in a league that has quarterbacks. And those quarterbacks have to be guarded by men with cojones. Whose gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Martin and you curse the Dolphins. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: That Martin’s departure, while tragic, probably saved quarterbacks. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves quarterbacks.

You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about in your Fantasy Football League, you want me on that sideline. You NEED me on that sideline. We use words like hut, hut, and hike. You use them as a punchline during your turkey bowl.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps mesmerized by the football I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I’d prefer you just cheered for us, ate your nachos, and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you put on some pads and hit the line of scrimmage. Either way, I don’t give a $%&* what you think you’re entitled to!

Wells: Did you haze Jonathan Martin?!

Philbin: I did the job Ross hired me to do.

Wells: DID YOU HAZE JONATHAN MARTIN!?!?

Philbin: “YOU’RE %^&$*(& RIGHT I DID!!!

Author: Steve Olson, one of the best and brightest.  

Tubby Tuesday: Melanies Gourmet Culinary Kitchen

In honor of Guy Fawkes Day, for Tubby Tuesday we are going to go a little off the conventional path.  Today I'd like to introduce you to Melanie's Gourmet Culinary Kitchen.  As someone who loves the British people, I have certain cravings that are hard to meet in the USA.  Some items, like English chocolate and custard are relatively easy to find.  Other items, like baked goods are much harder to find.
For years, Melanie owned a little shop on Main Street in Pleasant Grove.  

It was not a large shop, but there were many delightful treats to be found.  Having a British import store half a mile from my home was heaven.  Alas, one day I drove by to see the shop was closed.
Happily, through a Facebook post from a friend, I learned that Melanie had opened up another shop that is cleverly disguised as an awning store at 587 W State St, Pleasant Grove.  When I went in, I found many of the items from her previous store that I had missed, but happily I found that she had expanded her fare to include baked goods like Cornish pasties, scones, and SAUSAGE ROLLS!  I love a good sausage roll, so I was pretty excited to find they are every bit as good as any sausage roll I have tried.

Melanie also has a cooking demonstration area upstairs in her store.  For my birthday Janelle took me to one of her cooking classes.  A chef named Scott Weber who was a lot of fun to learn from teaches the class.  For our date night we learned how to make a curry couscous salad, a pork curry, and curry funnel cakes.  It was one of the most fun date nights we have done in a long time! 

Melanie's Kitchen

Station Set Up

Nellie and I Getting Ready To Cook!

Curried Couscous Salad with Lemon Yoghurt Dressing

A Cutie Dishing Up Her Curry

The Finished Product

Halloween: Jessie, Ariel, The Football Player, Gru and the Pretty Mom

Halloween was a lot of fun.  I'm not certain that it isn't one of my favorite holidays.  It's not that I love decorating the house or carving pumpkins much, it's more that I love watching my children get excited about "spooky" things.  I loved looking at the witch that Birdie made for our decorations that she spent a whole afternoon diligently working on.  I love seeing the anticipation and planning that goes on as the family plans their costumes.  Also, I love the excuse to act like a little kid myself.  

Lulu dressed up as Jessie the cowgirl from the Toy Story trilogy.  She loves the movies at the moment and she was so darling.  Nellie made the main part of the costume as an apron which was pure genius.  It was easy to get on and off.  The hat came from the Dallas International Airport from a gift shop.  Oddly, it was cheaper than any hat at the Disney store, but was perfect for the costume.  The boots are the real deal Jessie boots and Lulu loves them.  Cutest cowgirl I've ever seen.

Birdie dressed as Ariel, which she has done at least once before, but she loves the princesses so much.  She was given the Ariel dress as a birthday present from Uncle Mike and Aunt Britt and was so excited to wear it for Halloween.  In lieu of a wig, we used red hairspray with varied results.  Like her momma, Birdie has some thick hair and we could probably have used 3 cans and not gotten full coverage.  

Tut dressed up as a football player.  Fairly generic costume, I know, but I was excited that he wanted to dress as a football player.  I feel like that means the work I have gone to in order to help him enjoy football must be bearing some fruit.  

I dressed as Gru from Despicable Me.  We all love the movie and think it's one of the funniest "kid shows" ever.  The biggest challenge to looking like Gru for a guy who already has a shaved head is his long, pointy nose.  Nellie and I visited shops looking for a witch nose or the like, but ultimately ended up with a foam cone which I shaved and shaped to look Gru-ish and then covered in masking tape and used duct tape to stick to my face.  

I got outfitted with some great evil super-villain accessories like a silly string "freeze ray" gun, a shrunken moon, some balloons that I made into balloon puppies and promptly popped, and a couple of minion mylar balloons from the grocery store.  The costume and requisite accent and oddness were enough to win second place in my company contest.  It was a lot of fun acting like Gru when our office opened up to the trick or treat portion of the day where are the employee's children come around for candy.  There were even some kids who insisted on getting a picture with me.  In the department of going completely over the top, Nellie was kind enough to make a fantastic replica of the book that Gru writes in the movie called "One Big Unicorn"

One Big Unicorn by: Gru

One big unicorn strong and free thought he was happy as he could be

Then three little kittens came around and turned his whole life upside down!

They made him laugh!  They made him cry.

He never should have said goodbye.

And now he knows he could never part, from those three little kittens that changed his heart.

The book was the hit of the day!  Most people who recognized it from the movie could not believe Nellie had made it.  Somewhat par for the course for Nellie who even made illustrations for the last page in the book which we only hear and don't see on the movie.  The past two nights I have read it as a bedtime story for our little girls and they love it also.  

It's a puppet book

Nellie declined to dress up as anything other than what she normally is: a beautiful mom.  She was great to haul the kids around and help out at school parties etc.  She is really superwoman in everyday life, maybe it's nice to not dress up.