Category Archives: Family Stuff

I grew up with four funny, fabulous sisters who couldn’t be more different. We’re loud, creative, rambunctious, hilarious and competitive, especially when croquet or boardgames are involved. We’re a mixed bag, but we fit together really well. Yes, my family is kind of kookie, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

August 17, 2011 · 7:30 AM

Fun with Food: Chicken Shawarma

NanaBread's Chicken Shawarma

I’ve had an itch to try new recipes lately. Exciting new recipes. Exotic new recipes. Inspired by our impending vacation plans, I decided to tackle something from far away lands – chicken shawarma. Have I ever tried it? No, I have not. But that’s the beauty of trying new things. Sometimes you just have to crawl out of your comfort zone.

Enter the TasteSpotting website. Ever seen it? It’s a visual feast, for sure, but it’s more than that. It’s a network of bloggers who post their recipes for the world to see and enjoy. It’s where I found this gorgeous recipe for Chicken Shawarma by kurryleaves. Her gorgeous photo on TasteSpotting peaked my interest, but her post convinced me to give it a try. It convinced me hard.

Now fast forward to our trip on Monday to our local Mediterranean grocer. If you remember, I mentioned it in my rambling Dr Pepper-induced rant about my new bargain designer purse from Macy’s. (Do I owe you an apology if you read that one? I feel like I might.) Anyway, The Complete Package and I dropped in for lunch and while we were there I browsed the grocery selection. What else is a girl to do while waiting for her gyro with extra feta and hot sauce? While browsing, I found garbanzos to make hummus with, the most fabulous bag of warm pita bread I’ve ever seen in my entire life, a small block of my beloved haloumi cheese, and the new love of my life – pasteurized kefir cheese. Have you seen this stuff? Have mercy – I’m in love. Big love. It’s like slightly soft, slightly salty cream cheese that melts in your mouth. It’s like Greek yogurt on steroids. It’s what my new Syrian buddy at the Mediterranean market recommended. My new bestest kefir eating buddy. We’re tight now.

Oh, kefir cheese... where have you been all my life?

So, I tell The Complete Package that I’ll be branching out and making him chicken shawarma with all my market goodies, and you know what he ordered for lunch? A chicken shawarma. Go figure. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I know what I was. I was thinking “great, now I can be judged for a recipe I’ve never made against a Syrian kefir-eating shawarma guru.” A lesser woman would have thrown a little hissy fit and put the pita back on the shelf, but not me. I’m tenacious. I love a challenge. And at the time, I was hopped up on Dr Pepper. (Again…I apologize.)

So here’s what I done did. Basically, I used kurryleaves’ recipe for the chicken marinade, the toppings and the method, then went out on my own for the tahini and tzatziki. So let’s take a look at how it all went down. Ready, Freddy?

First, I bought a package of chicken breast tenders. I brought them home, removed that crazy tendon that runs down the middle, and threw them in a gallon Ziploc bag with the marinade. I should clarify that I used kurryleave’s marinade as a guideline. For instance, I left out cumin (yuck), substituted my favorite yellow curry powder for the turmeric, and I added cayenne pepper (because I was unsure of what pepper powder might be). It smelled so good! The chicken has to marinate in the fridge overnight, so start this one early.

Next, I made a batch of my favorite lemon & garlic hummus. I made about a quart so we could eat it as a side dish with the extra pita bread and to use in place of the tahini sauce on the sandwiches.

After the hummus was in the fridge, I mixed up a batch of tzatziki to dress the sandwiches with. I made my own version based on a few I found at Tasty Kitchen, my favorite recipe source. Since I despise dill (except for dill pickles), I used flat-leaf Italian parsley. So in all, it was my new kefir cheese (or you could use Greek yogurt), parsley, finely minced onion, grated cucumber (pressed into paper towels to remove any liquid), salt, lemon juice and a splash of red wine vinegar. Oh, I also threw in a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Using the kefir or yogurt as a base, you add the minced onion, grated cucumber and parsley (or dill) – then add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar and salt to your own taste. This is really good stuff, especially if you’re a Greek yogurt and cucumber lover. I made extra of this, too, so we could really slather it on and eat the leftovers with pita bread. Tzatziki is great as a dip, too.

Pita bread, hummus and tzatziki - the shawarma trinity

Last but not least, you’ll want to slice up a tomato, a little bit of purple onion, some cucumber and a little lettuce. Set it aside until you’re ready to assemble your shawarmas.

In a hot non-stick skillet, heat a tablespoon or two of canola oil. Fry your marinated chicken tenders until they are well done, turning once, and place them on a cutting board or plate to cool for a few minutes. When ready, chop or slice your chicken into bite-size pieces.

That colorful marinade is pure flavor, baby.

Now for the fun part – shawarma assembly. If you’re using a large, thin middle-eastern style pita, lay it out flat. If you’re using the smallish ones you find in most grocery stores, cut the top edge off and open it up. Give the inside of your pita a schmear of hummus. Top with chicken, then spoon on some tzatziki sauce. If you want, you can give it a shot of hot sauce or some sriracha chili sauce. That’s what I’ll be doing. Top with your choice of cucumber, tomato, purple onion and lettuce, then carefully roll up your pita and dig in. The verdict: loved it! I loved making all the different components. Loved that gorgeous marinade. Loved the tzatziki. Loved it all. I’ll definitely be making this again. It’s a keeper.

We're gonna shawarma all up in this joint.

One last warning. Make sure you have napkins or paper towels close by and push your sleeves up. This sandwich may get messy. Serve it with a side of hummus and tzatziki with carrot sticks or a nice Greek salad. I’d recommend an ice-cold Dr Pepper, too, but that’s where I tend to get in trouble.

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August 1, 2011 · 12:19 PM

LillyFair & Jonahpalooza: The End

The Complete Package and I just wrapped up two glorious weeks with our grandkids. For the first time, we decided to give them each their own special week at our house. Together, they are a whirlwind of constant motion and commotion. But separately, we are able to focus all of our attention entirely on each of them and give them one-on-one time they don’t normally get.

We started on Sunday, July 17th with our first annual LillyFair. After spending a long weekend in Austin visiting family, I brought Lilly home for a week of Yo Gabba Gabba, dress-up, baths in the kitchen sink and lots of snuggles. After 8 days, we feel like we’ve gotten to know our little Lilly Bug much better. She’s a pistol. She’s funny and lively. She loves music as much as she loves food (and girlfriend LOVES to eat). She has a small collection of favorite words. Her two favorites are Papi and snack, and sometimes she uses them in the same sentence. She’s a sweet little elf.

At 22 months, she plays hard to the very brink of exhaustion and loves to sing, especially in the car. She can’t get enough Yo Gabba Gabba, which she calls Baba, and she has a crush on DJ Lance Rock. When he walks onto the TV screen in that orange jumpsuit carrying his boom box, she giggles and lights up like a firefly. Her favorite part of the show is the silly faces segment.

Every time the kids visit, I make them something. It might be a costume for their dress-up box or sword holders for pirate swords or spy glasses made from paper towel rolls. It’s something I love to do, and the kids love it, too. For Lilly Bug, I recycled some of Jonah Bear’s old t-shirts to create Yo Gabba Gabba character shirts. First, I created Muno’s trademark lumpy orange body using felt and French knots. I love Muno. He’s cool. Lilly loved the color and the textures.

Next, I reworked Plex the robot on a red t-shirt using felt & embroidery thread.

If I’d had another week, I might have crafted a Lilly-sized DJ Lance Rock, but time ran out, so we’ll never know if I could have pulled it off. I’m thinking Papi should rent the costume and surprise her some time. She would lose her mind. As if her Papi isn’t already her hero. Papi would rock as DJ Lance Rock!

Last Sunday, we met My Baby and Bama Boy for lunch to trade Lilly Bug for Jonah Bear. Jonah loves coming to visit, and has since he was a little tyke. Now that he’s 4 1/2, he’s an old pro at coming to visit. He had his little suitcase packed and was ready for adventure.

We kicked off Jonahpalooza with a movie night. We made popcorn, broke out a bag of gummy worms and watched his new favorite movie, Rango. He spent the week playing dress up, watching his favorite cartoons and taking private swim lessons. We had picnics and rode bikes and visited the science museum to see the dinosaurs. Jonah is all boy, and is the total polar opposite of his little sister. While Lilly’s switch is always set to “high-energy”, Jonah is active but also sweet & tender and has his quiet moments. He’s thoughtful and polite and big-hearted. He loves to read and tell stories, and his imagination is astounding. He’s exceptionally smart and very creative. This week, Jonah asked for a new Bolt costume. It’s one of his favorite movies. And of course, I never say “no.” This time, Jonah was big enough to help cut the fabric and sew on the machine. Here’s the result, complete with a carrot dog toy.

Here’s our sweet boy learning to float like an ice cube. Hi, Kaki!

And here’s Jonah at the science museum with the T-Rex. Run, Jonah!

In all, we spent 16 days with our grandbabies. Our house is a mess, our refrigerator is empty, and our energy is completely sapped. But you know what? It was a fabulous 16 days. I know everyone thinks their grandkids are the cutest, the smartest and the greatest. But in our case, it’s true. {wink}

And we already miss them.

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July 27, 2011 · 3:50 PM

Meet House Guest #2 – Jonah Bear!


I don’t know what you’re doing this week, but we’re smack dab in the middle of Jonahpalooza. That’s right – 8 1/2 glorious days of the Jonah Channel. All Jonah; all the time. Last week was LillyFair. We got our girl time on in a big way. Our little Lilly Bug is a firecracker. At almost two, she kept us on our toes and laughing all week. What a hoot! On Sunday, we met Our Baby and Bama Boy to swap kiddos. I meant to post something then to let you know that Jonahpalooza had officially kicked off, but we’ve been busy around here. Real busy.


We’ve been going to swim lessons. A certain 4 1/2 year-old is learning to swim like a sailfish. Why a sailfish? Because his Papi told him that a sailfish can swim faster than just about any other fish and if there’s anything Jonah is determined to be at this tender age, it’s fast. That’s our friend Kaki with Jonah Bear. This is their second summer together. She’s a good swim teacher; she knows sailfish.

We had a fried chicken picnic at the park and played hide-and-seek with Papi.

We’ve watched Rango “sixty-eleven times” (and it’s playing again as I type this). Jonah Bear likes to watch a movie over and over until he’s memorized the entire script and all the songs. Our boy’s got a mind like a steel trap.


And we’ve ridden bikes (or photographed a certain boy riding bikes) at least once or twice a day since Sunday. Jonah Bear is learning to ride his Mommy’s old bike. It’s still just a tiny bit too big for him, but he’s determined to master it. And since Papi outfitted him to look like Tony Hawk (he’s a ‘safety first’ kind of guy), Jonah Bear has found his courage and is slowly gaining in confidence and speed. He’s enjoying it so much, he sometimes rides to the very brink of exhaustion. Sometimes a boy just needs to stop and take a break.

Yep. Jonahpalooza is on like Donkey Kong, and The Complete Package and I are in for the full ride. I’ll be back to my regular blogging schedule next week, and I’ll share more Lilly photos. Until then, I’m committed to my favorite endeavor – being a Nana. Have a great week and an even better weekend.

And now…. we ride!

Uh… I mean, “We ride!”

Wait… that’s not right either. Let’s try this again. “We ride!”

There… that’s more like it.

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July 19, 2011 · 8:35 AM

Meet our house guest – Lilly Bug!

Lilly Bug - our sweet little pixie. Photo courtesy of her mommy.

Our little Lilly Bug is here for a week of Nana & Papi time. This is her special week. She gets us all to herself. No sharing with her older brother. No fighting for attention or toys. It’s just us and Lilly for 7 days of quality grandparent spoilage. Well, our Boston Terrier Ziggy is here, too. He’s having to adjust to having a 2 year-old in the house. It has cut into his napping time, for sure. On the up side, his snack quotient has skyrocketed since he discovered that ‘under the highchair’ is the place to be. He’s digging that part. If I fail to post much this week, forgive me. We’re lost in Lillyland, and we plan to make the most of it. Now if you’ll excuse me, Dinosaur Train is on and we don’t want to miss it!

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July 14, 2011 · 7:30 AM

Aunt Teenie’s 14-Day Sweet Pickles


If you read my last post, you’ll know I’ve been on a real canning bender lately. I canned raspberry jam, red plum jam, and peach & cherry marmalade. What can I say? When I jump on a project, I jump on a project. My last canning goal was to make a mess of sweet pickles using a recipe that has been in The Complete Package’s family for more than 40 years. Heck, it may be even longer than that. There is some debate about whether these pickles came from Aunt Una (on my mother-in-law’s side of the family) or Aunt Teenie (on my father-in-law’s side of the family). The sad truth is, both of these sweet ladies passed years ago and no one quite remembers any more. Not that it really matters, but I’ll thank both of them just in case. TCP remembers these as Aunt Teenie’s pickles, so that’s what we’re going with. Whomever started this little slice of sweet pickle heaven has my undying devotion. I simply LOVE this recipe. I’ll warn you… it takes almost two weeks to complete this process, but there’s really very little effort involved. It’s all in the “sitting” with this recipe. You’ll understand what I mean as we go through the steps below. Stick with me. It’s worth it.

Here’s what you’ll need:
clean canning jars, with lids & rings
large ceramic mixing bowls (not metal)
2 gallons of sliced pickling cucumbers
1 gallon of cold water
2 cups of pickling salt (do not used iodized salt)
1 small jar of alum (approx. .5 ounces)
12 cups of white vinegar
14 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of celery seeds
6-8 cinnamon sticks
1 jar of pickling spice (1.5 ounces)

First, cucumbers go for a 7-day swim in the briny sea.

Start with the brining process:
Place your sliced cucumbers into ceramic mixing bowls (do not use metal bowls). In a large saucepan, heat 1 gallon of water and add 2 cups of pickling salt. Bring to a boil and pour over cucumbers until they are completely covered. The recipe says to let the cucumbers sit in this brine untouched for 7 days. I’ll be honest. Mine started getting a little foamy and funky at 5 days, so I poured it off and covered them with a fresh batch of brine. If yours don’t get too funky, let them sit untouched for the full 7 days. (The funk may have been caused by our Houston humidity.) On the eighth day, drain the cucumber slices. Return them to the ceramic bowls and cover them with boiling water (no salt added). Let them soak for another 24 hours.

Next, soak the cucumbers in alum & water:
Alum keeps your pickles from getting soggy or mushy. It’s an important step, as you want your sweet pickles to have a little crunch when you bite into them. So… on Day 9, drain the cucumber slices again and return them to the bowls. In a large saucepan, heat 1 gallon of water to a boil. Add the jar of alum and stir to dissolve. Pour the alum water over the cucumbers and let them sit for another 24 hours. See what I mean about time versus effort? This recipe is not a lot of work, but it does take time. And it’s so worth it.

After their long swim, they get 4 days in pickling spices.

Next, prepare the pickling syrup:
On Day 10, drain the alum water off the cucumber slices and rinse them thoroughly in cold, clean water. Drain them and return them to the ceramic bowls. In a large saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, celery seed, cinnamon sticks and pickling spices to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour over the drained cucumber slices, making sure the cinnamon sticks are divided equally among the bowls. For the next four days, strain the syrup off the cucumbers into a large saucepan (I set a colander into my pot) and bring the syrup back to a rolling boil. Pour over the cucumbers and allow them to sit for 24 hours. Again, you’ll do this each day for 4 days. On the fourth day of pickling, you’re ready for your jars.

You won't believe how good these smell after 4 days!

Canning your sweet pickles:
On Day 14, strain the pickling syrup off the cucumbers into a saucepan. Bring the syrup back to a rolling boil. While the syrup is heating, sterilize your canning jars (either in boiling water, or in your dishwasher if you have a sterilize setting). Dry your jars and set them onto a large kitchen towel. Fill each jar to within 1/2″ of the top rim and pack them in. I like to use my fingers to press them into the jars. I try to put one cinnamon stick from the pickling syrup into each jar, but that’s optional. Once the syrup is boiling, use a ladle to fill each jar – just until the cucumber slices are covered. Using a clean, damp rag, wipe off the top edges of the jars to make sure they are clean. Place your canning lids in a clean bowl and cover them with boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Remove one lid at a time, pat it dry with a clean paper towel, and set it on top of the jar. Place a canning ring over the lid and screw it on until it fits firmly, but there’s still just a smidge of wiggle room. In other words, don’t crank it down until the jar almost cracks. Continue to fill, clean and seal each jar until all pickles are used. If you get to the end and don’t have enough to fill an entire jar, don’t panic. Just put the end of the pickles in a jar and put that jar into the refrigerator for snacking.

A canning sling makes the water bath process much easier.

Finally, finish your jars in a hot water bath:
You’ll need a tall stock pot for this step. To judge if your pot is deep enough, set your tallest jar into the pot. You should be able to fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars by at least 3/4″ above the top rim. If you’ve used multiple sizes of jars, start by processing the tallest jars first and graduate down in size. This way, as the water boils and evaporates, you won’t have to keep adding more water. If at any time during the water bath process you find your jars peeking out of the water, add enough to bring it back to 3/4″ or more above the rims. Your jars need to be submerged in order for them to seal properly. Once you’re ready to go, fill your stock pot with water and turn it to high, bringing the water to a gentle boil. If you have a canning sling, set a few jars into the sling and lower it slowly into the water bath. I keep a one-cup measuring cup & a bowl handy in case I need to remove excess water once the jars go in. Once they are submerged, set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes. If you don’t have a canning sling, you can use those silicone-tipped kitchen tongs but I would practice lifting jars with them before you get started. It can be tricky.

After the water bath:
Once your 20 minutes are up, carefully remove the jars from the hot water bath. I fold a towel in half and place it right next to the stove (but away from the flame) so I can move the jars from the water straight onto a towel to dry. After I remove each batch of jars, I give the tops a wipe with a paper towel to remove excess water on the lids. Continue to process your jars until they are all done. I like to leave at least 2-3″ between the jars while they’re cooling so they get better air circulation and cool more quickly. I also tighten the rings at this point.

Waiting for “the ping”:
If you’ve done all this correctly, your last step is waiting for the ping. If you’ve canned before, you’ll know what I mean. If you’re new to this, I’ll explain. As your jars cool, the lids will form a vacuum seal. That seal is what keeps your food from spoiling. As that vacuum occurs, you should hear a loud pop or ping as the lid flexes. That ping means it’s working. It’s a good thing. A ping is a very good thing. Occasionally, you will get a jar that seals without a ping, so here’s how to test for a good seal. Once your jars have completely cooled, touch them lightly in the center of the lid. If you press gently and you feel the lid move or hear it pop, you did not get a good seal. If, however, you press lightly and the lid feels very slightly indented and there’s no movement or sound, you have successfully sealed your jars. Don’t panic if your jars didn’t seal. This happened to me with some of my jars of jam. Just check the rings to see if they are on firmly but not cranked down hard. Make sure your water bath is still boiling and there is enough water to still cover your jars, and process again. It won’t hurt to leave them in a little longer if you’re using large jars like quarts. Just put them back in and leave them for 30 minutes this time. Check to make sure the water in the pot covers the lids by at least 3/4″ and try, try again.

Custom stickers are a great way to label your jars.

One last tip about labeling:
Office supply stores carry packages of “make your own” stickers. The package I bought had five sheets of sticker paper. Each sheet was 8 1/2″ x 11″. I created a quick Word document and pasted in a photo to create my own custom labels. It’s a colorful and fun way to label your new goodies. If that’s too crafty for you, you can still use my old method – masking tape & a Sharpie. Don’t laugh. It works.

I know this sounds like a lot of instruction, but I hope you won’t let the length of this post keep you from canning your own sweet pickles. In all honesty, most of this post is about the process of canning, not the actual recipe. If you’re a home canning expert, you’ll be able to rip through these in no time. If you’re a beginner, just take your time, read the entire post once or twice to get comfortable with the process, then jump in. Once you start eating your own homemade jams, jellies and pickles, I guarantee you’ll be glad you tried it. Good luck, and happy canning!

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July 12, 2011 · 7:30 AM

Lost in a jam session & can’t stop. Please send help…and toast or biscuits!

Raspberry and red plum and blackberry...oh my!

Last month, fellow blogger Kirsten at Comfortably Domestic posted several stories about the jam she was canning. Strawberry, to be exact. Since then, I’ve had jelly on my brain (figuratively, of course). I used to can things every summer but that was years ago when we still lived in Owasso, Oklahoma. Summers there were not as unbearable as they are here. Once we moved to Houston, the heat and humidity killed my desire to can anything, since it required hours spent over a hot stove. Then I saw Kirsten’s strawberry jam, and became a woman obsessed. She planted a seed; a crazy demon jelly seed. Suddenly, I couldn’t walk past fruit without imagining it cooked into jelly or jam and packed into cute little Mason jars. Heaven help me; I do love a Mason jar.

Enter the $1.00 raspberry sale at my local grocery store. As we walked into the produce department, I was slapped in the face by a poster board sign that read “Raspberries – $1.00 a box!” Yeah, you bet your sweet ass it deserved an explanation point, Mr. Produce Stocker Man. Those little boxes have been going for $4.00 all summer. Naturally, I grabbed 10 boxes and thought about grabbing 10 more. Thanks to a spontaneous intervention from The Complete Package, I stuck with the original 10. But as soon as we got home, I broke out the sugar, pectin and jars and got to work. As I said, I was a little jelly obsessed.

Sweet little jars of fruity goodness; labels are print-your-own stickers

This past weekend, TCP and I stopped in at my favorite fruit stand – Froberg Farms in Manvel, Texas. I love this place more than I love chicken-fried steak. Someday I’ll take my camera out there and share it with you. Where else can you walk out with an entire brown paper bag packed full of freshly picked produce for around $20? It’s incredible. We love to stroll slowly through all the gorgeous produce, dried beans, canned fruits and vegetables. They also sell little fried pies, whole pies, farm eggs and fresh milk. AND they have a little trailer outside that sells all kinds of fabulous, smoky meats. This place is crazy wonderful.

Clockwise: Grandma, Mom, Big Sis & NanaBread

When I saw fresh red plums, I immediately grabbed a big bag full, and again we raced home to make jam. Red plum jam. I don’t know why, but it reminds me of Grandma Montgomery, who died when we were young. She had the most magical root cellar stocked with jars of homemade jams, jellies, pickles and canned veggies. Oh, how I loved the smell of that root cellar. Here’s a photo of her sitting with Mom as we all ate berries and ice cream. I love this old photo of us on Grandma’s porch. I’ve often wondered what Big Sis was thinking at that precise moment. She looks stunned & I look happy. I probably stole her last strawberry. Sorry, Sis. If it’s any consolation, I’m the one with the embarrassing ice cream beard. But I digress; back to jelly!

Old-fashioned red plum jam - it's seriously good stuff!

There’s no real recipe for jelly or jam. It’s just fruit, the right amount of sugar, and some fruit pectin. In fact, pectin manufacturers have made it so easy, they’ve printed a how-to which includes the proper fruit-to-sugar ratios inside the pectin box. How easy is that? The real key is in preserving it. I went old-school and used sterilized canning jars and a boiling hot water bath. If done correctly, jars of jam processed this way can have a shelf life of years instead of months. If you don’t want to process your jars in a water bath and preserve them for all eternity, Ball now makes plastic containers with screw-top lids. You can’t store this jam in your pantry, but you can certainly keep it in your fridge or freezer. Kirsten posted a great freezer jam recipe on her blog with a full-color photo tutorial. Please check it out. So now that my raspberry and plum jams are packed away, I’m eyeing a recipe for peach marmalade I got from a friend a few years ago. Peaches, oranges and maraschino cherries all cooked into a gorgeous, sticky marmalade. Oh, my. I may just have to do it. I should do it. I must do it!

Freezer jam courtesy of Kirsten @ Comfortably Domestic Blog

Speaking of my canning bender… do you know what else I used to can years ago? Spicy sweet pickles. And do you know what’s brewing in my kitchen right now? Homemade spicy sweet pickles. It’s been at least 20 years since I’ve made them, but when we found some beautiful pickling cucumbers at Froberg’s last week, I decided to make them again. They’re from an old family recipe that has been passed down through TCP’s family for at least 3 generations. How good are they? Good enough that every time we eat another brand, we look at each other and say, “they’re good, but they’re not Aunt Teenie’s sweet pickles.” Which brings us to a recipe card mystery, a little family controversy, and my next post – Aunt Teenie’s Sweet Pickles: are they or aren’t they? Stay tuned!

Coming soon: spicy sweet pickles from an old family recipe

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July 4, 2011 · 6:43 AM

Happy Birthday to my Baby Sister

My baby sister is a firecracker. Yes, she is a spunky little spitfire, but she was also born on the Fourth of July. She really is an all-American, red-white-and-blue firecracker. If I had to narrow down the field, I’d say she’s either a sparkler (for her extroverted personality) or she’s one of those ginormous multi-colored, layered ring, laced with gold sparkly stars ground shakers they use in fireworks finales (for her impact on the rest of our family). I’m not going to sugar coat this. When she was little, she used to say snotty things to us like, “Mom says you have to make my bed because I’m the baby” which was usually followed by her sticking out her tongue. She was THAT sister. If we heard “I don’t have to do it because I’m the baby” once, we heard it a million times. Luckily, she was cute so we didn’t kill her, rub her with honey and leave her for the fire ants, or sell her to traveling gypsies. Not that we didn’t consider it from time to time. When you grow up in a large family, random thoughts of leaving your siblings on the toy aisle in K-Mart do cross your mind. As she grew older, she became far less of a brat and more of the family comedian. Baby Sister was always the one that could make a face, pull a stunt or break out the slap-stick and make us laugh. She is our “most likely to tickle your funny bone.” She’s still cute, but she’s also smart, funny and thoughtful and can sing the full lyrics to just about any song (she was in choir). And while my own daughter is still my first pick for “crazy dance contest” partner, my baby sister will always be a top choice for family road-trip sing-along partner. She also makes an excellent trivia & board game partner, since she somehow retains random knowledge as well as she retains lyrics. She’s a weapon of mass instruction. She’s Rain Man.

Our baby sister on her wedding day - surrounded by nieces and nephews

Today, our baby sister turns 41. She’s all grown up with a child of her own (Gabe the Babe) and a rowdy, fun-loving husband (I’ll call J-Bird). She makes her own bed now. She may have settled down and created a family, but she’ll never really be tamed, and that’s what I love most about my Baby Sister. She is a free spirit. Her glass is always two-thirds full. She looks for the best in everyone. She rolls with the punches and makes the best of every situation. She’s not afraid to laugh at herself or others. She is the most like me. No wonder I love her. So today, I’m sure I speak for the rest of my sisters when I say, “Happy birthday, Baby Sis!” Now matter how old we all grow together, you’ll always be our baby.

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June 21, 2011 · 12:52 PM

Musings on Austin, Motorcycles, Grandkids & Sleep Deprivation

Well, it’s Tuesday and I’ve just wrapped up 10 action-packed days with the grandbabies, Jonah Bear and Lilly Bug. I thought I would feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after a recuperative night’s sleep, but that didn’t happen. Instead, I was up until 3:00am, and I’m feeling totally wiped out. So instead of crafting a dazzling literary recap, I’m opting for a random run-down of what transpired. I apologize in advance for taking the lazy way out. Forgive me. I beg of you.

1. Our adventure started June 10th when The Complete Package saddled up the motorcycle and Ziggy and I manned the “support vehicle” for our trip to Austin. It was our annual pilgrimage for the Republic of Texas motorcycle rally. TCP attends the bike rally; Ziggy and I spend the weekend with the kids. The ROT Rally is said to be the largest in Texas and one of the biggest in the US. Approximately 200,000 participants were expected. This year, TCP entered his new motorcycle in an open division contest and took second place in the Metric Custom category. Got a trophy and everything. My Baby and I took the kids downtown to watch the motorcycles parade past the state capitol and down Congress Avenue on Friday evening. Have you ever seen a motorcycle parade that runs for 11 uninterrupted miles and takes more than 30 minutes to pass? It’s pretty awesome, even if you’re not that into motorcycles. The kids were enthralled, and seeing their Papi ride by in the parade was a highlight. In their minds, Papi (TCP) is now a rock star. You go with your bad self, Papi. Here’s a shot of his bike, or as I like to refer to it – “the other woman”.

2. Bama Boy, our son-in-law, introduced us to his favorite meat market. It’s called Johnny G’s and it’s located in Manchaca, just south of Austin. It is best described as a small, family run meat palace. We bought two hand-cut ribeye steaks for Bama Boy and TCP (about 1.5″ thick) and two smaller steaks for My Baby and I. Then we snagged some smoked jalapeno cheese sausage and some spices. It’s a great little Mom & Pop shop, and those ribeyes were Uh-May-Zing.

3. Turns out Peter Pan is alive and well and recruiting Lost Boys in the Austin area. Who knew? If I could bottle Jonah Bear’s energy, I’d be a guhzillionaire.

4. If you take two kids and two adult women, put them in a car in the dark of night with a multi-colored flashing disco ball light stick and a cool blue light saber, add vintage rock music and park them at a Sonic Drive-In, you’re bound to draw attention. It may or may not have been a coincidence that a police cruiser pulled in just as we were leaving. Look, kids! It’s the Fuzz!

5. There’s no such thing as “too many pancakes” or “enough donuts.”

6. Behold the power of cheese! (Remember those commercials?) Hi, Lilly Bug.

7. After spending 6 days in Austin, I brought the kids back to Houston to spend the weekend at our place. My Baby and Bama Boy were celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary, so a kid-free weekend seemed like an appropriate gift. It was a total win-win for all of us. We wore those kids out. Wore ’em out good!

8. This weekend, Jonah Bear and TCP made homemade cherry pecan ice cream and lasagna. There’s nothing better than men who cook, except for men who cook and then do their own dishes. At 4 years old, Jonah is really getting into the cooking part. We’ll work on washing dishes another time. As for TCP, the man can scour a pan. And no, you can’t have him. And no, he doesn’t have a brother.

9. If I’ve seen Disney’s Tangled once, I’ve seen it a millions times. Jonah Bear usually pretends to be the hero. Lilly is the leading lady. I’m usually the villain (totally against type, I know) and Ziggy is the sidekick. This time, Jonah decided the bad guys were cooler, so he played the roll of the Stabbington brothers (twins). That’s right. Just when you think one bad guy’s enough, Disney produces twins. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a really cute movie. My favorite character – the little old cupid dude at the very end. Makes me laugh every single time.

10. Jonah Bear cried when it was time to head home. I cried when he started crying. Then TCP started crying. I’m telling you, we were one hot mess. Everything you’ve heard about being a grandparent is true. There is such joy in watching your babies grow up and have babies of their own. There is such freedom in enjoying your grandbabies without the stress and anxiety you felt with your own children. You really do learn a lot with age, and there’s a great sense of peace that comes with knowing you didn’t screw it up. Our daughter is amazing. Our son-in-law is a blessing. Their children are the greatest gift ever, and in all seriousness, we couldn’t love them more. Life is good. Really good.

Now if you’ll excuse us, Ziggy and I could really use a nap. A really long nap.

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June 5, 2011 · 6:00 AM

Happy Birthday to My Very Best Friend

Yup...you're still super after all these years.

Happy 54th birthday, honey. You’ll always be The Complete Package to me.

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June 3, 2011 · 6:35 AM

Six Flags Over Two Coneheads

Summer has me thinking about family.

Family has me thinking about old photos.

Old photos remind me that our mother used to dress us alike.

When we were little, our parents took Big Sis and I to the Six Flags Over Texas theme park in Arlington, Texas. Once again, Mom made our outfits. I forgot to ask her if this was a special occasion, or if these were “every day” outfits. If so, knowing we wore the dresses regularly would be fine and dandy. They’re cute. Knowing we wore the hats out in public more than once would be tragic.


I’m the garden gnome standing on the bench. “You talkin’ to ME? Are YOU talkin’ to ME?” It’s hard to be tough in a conehead hat. When I see this picture I think, “Okay, I’m pretty sure the guy riding the big tricycle works here, but what about that guy in the front right corner wearing the striped hat and matching shirt?” Does he? I sure hope so, or we’re not the only one with outfit issues. Speaking of… does anyone else think Mom looks a bit like Gaga in that photo?

Hey, Mom…. who’s that old goat? No, not the scruffy gray one we’re petting. The skeevie one watching from behind the fence. Don’t get me started on the fact that his hands are in his pockets and he’s leaning in for a good look. {shiver}

“No! {insert diva moment here} I will not look at the camera! I don’t care if you are pointing and telling me to.” Besides, I know what’s going on in this photo. I’m looking for the barf bag. It’s supposed to be behind my copy of SkyMall. Wait! Where’s my copy of SkyMall?!? Big Sis looks a little too happy to me. I’m starting to suspect she swiped my peanuts and one of those tiny tequila bottles.

Ahhhh….there we go. I’m feeling better now that I have my SeaBand on. And I’m WAY out ahead in this horse race. Beating your Big Sister? Priceless.

This last photo was taken on the Sky Ride, high above Six Flags. Don’t you just love amusement parks and greasy food? All I can say is don’t get between me and my fried carnival food. Oh, sweet glorious corn dogs of my youth!

What’s that Dad? What do you mean we’re not stopping for a corn dog?

Now you’ve done it. That’s it!! I’m outta’ here!

As soon as we get down off this thing.

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