Friday, July 29, 2011

And the umpire says...

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Safe!


(see situation here)

Actually, the guy did get the tag on, according to the umpire (and his coaches and the bench and the parents).  The umpire cited the third baseman and his teammate for obstructing the baseline without possession of the ball.  So there you go.

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We weren't entirely sure the whole thing wasn't going to happen again.

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But in the end, Ben scored that run!

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And with that, we end another season of thrilling athleticism and entertainment.  
Baseball.  That game we love. 

Here they are...number two in the league, number one in our hearts:

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Go Blue!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

You make the call!

OK sports fans!  It's been two years since my first (and last) edition where you got to be the umpire for the day. It's so much fun when you can photograph an entire play unfolding.  We are long overdue.  But wait no more!  Here is today's edition.  Ready?

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This time the stakes are higher, running from third to home.  Ben got himself hung up in a very dramatic game of hot box and headed back to third. Did he make it???

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Kudos to the ump for getting in position to make the right call, which is...

Safe or out?  and why?

Tune in tomorrow, when I will come back and tell you the answer!
League championship game tonight...
wish us luck!!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Quinoa. It's what's for dinner.

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Have you heard of quinoa (keen wah)?  It's a grain that's sort of like a mixture between rice and couscous.  It's crunchy and a little bit nutty tasting.  And it's healthy!  It has protein.  You can get it at the grocery store.  


Anyway, my friend and I were downtown one day, and bought quinoa curry burgers off a truck.  They were fabulous.  Here is a recipe I concocted using this other one as a basis. All you really need to know?  My kids will eat them!


Quinoa Curry Burgers


1 cup uncooked quinoa (about 2 rounded cups, cooked)
2 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
To cook quinoa:
First rinse quinoa in a strainer until the water comes through clear.  In a medium saucepan bring the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the seeds are tender.  (My package points out that the germ ring is visible when the quinoa is done--watch for the tiny little circles to appear!) Allow to cool for a few minutes.  


Add:
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated (can also use grated zucchini, yellow squash, anything of similar texture)
3 beaten eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian) 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar


Mix together, and add more bread crumbs if the mixture is too sticky or won't hold together.
Spray a frying pan or griddle with cooking spray, and heat on medium to medium-low. Drop by large spoonfuls onto pan, and gently flatten into patties about 1/2 inch thick.  Cook until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.   Makes approx. 10 burgers.  Serve on buns (if desired) with things like tomato, sprouts, spinach, avocado, pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayo, or other sauce. (Ben likes to eat them like pancakes with syrup.) 


YUM!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Life is short. Eat dessert first.

I have two new favorite recipes.  They are good.  They are easy.
I had to decide which one to post first.
The clear answer?  Chocolate.
Always chocolate.

But before that, in the also sweet category...

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...we stopped at this ginormous candy store.

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They had a ridiculous amount of candy. 

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You name it, they had it.

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They also had huge shelves filled with every imaginable kind of pop.

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All the ones in these two pictures were root beer and cream soda.

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Which made for one happy boy!

OK...now for the recipe.

Are you ready for this?

Brownie Cookie Cups


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1.  Make a packaged brownie mix batter according to the directions on the box.
2.  Fill cupcake wrappers 1/2 full of batter.  (Approx. 20)
3.  Stick a piece of chocolate chip cookie dough in the center.
(Store bought or your own.)
4.  Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes.  Check and bake longer if needed.

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Make them.
People will rave.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Water

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Over at iheartfaces this week they are featuring photos around the theme of water.  
We have sure needed it to keep cool around here--whew!  
This little friend of Bethany's was eating it up.

Click the button for lots of fabulous water shots!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Inspiration

If you read my post from earlier today, you know that I've been wishing for some time and inspiration for blogging.  And that I was going to play a game of Scrabble with Ben instead.  Five minutes later...

Ben (age 11):  Oohhh!  I have a great play!  But I'm not sure you'll allow it.
Me:  Really?  Why?
Ben:  You want me to play it?
Me:  Sure.

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So yeah, I had to move the "s" a little ways out of the corner where he wanted to put it to maintain my rated G blog status.  But you couldn't blame him for trying.  I was tempted to just give him the points, but then he found an even better place to use it over on the other side of the board to get a double word by making "cars". Whew.

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I may not have time to put two coherent sentences together, but I'm definitely having fun with kids who make me laugh.  :-)

Longing

I am a person who needs time to process things.  I don't think well on my feet.  If I were a whiz at computer graphics, I would make a graph showing how my thoughts improve in direct proportion to time.  But I'm not, so just picture that.

Anyway, it's summer, and there is no processing time.  This very moment my son is talking to me about how no one likes to play tic tac toe with him.  It's because he is unbeatable.  He is trying to talk me into playing a game with him.  I suggested Scrabble.  He is getting it.  Right now.  I have 36 seconds to finish this post.

My kids stay up until I am exhausted in the summer.  It's definitely a drawback.  I do not do my best parenting after 9.  It's a proven fact.  And I don't have that time to look forward to getting something done.  Lee has been kind enough to suggest that I go hide in our room if I want to.

The other thing is all the photos I've taken.  I want to get through them and put up some of my favorites.  Even write about them.  But.  There is no time to think.  I miss that in the summer.

I am going to play Scrabble.  Maybe I will come up with some impressive words and be inspired.  To write.  Or photograph.  At least it's a game I have a chance at winning.

Meanwhile, here are some photos I took that I never blogged about.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Girl time

Trust me when I say that Bethany and I needed to have a little girl time today.

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I had seriously fallen out of contention for Mom of the Year this morning.

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She "punished" me by waving the straw in front of her face
 so I couldn't get a picture.

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She thought she was hilarious.
Good thing I haven't taught her that bright light=fast shutter speed.

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I asked her if she wanted to play on the playground.

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She took off running.
Just. that. fast.

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I think our fences are mended.
For today anyway.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Magic shoes?

If you think my kids are the only ones playing ball this summer,
let me set the record straight.


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Lee has been playing softball every summer for as long as I've known him.
This week he broke out a new pair of cleats.

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If I believed in good luck charms, I might have thought he had scored the ultimate.

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The other team quickly learned that if they hit the ball to third
they would get thrown out.
Every. Time.

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I'm not saying he could leap tall buildings in a single bound with them

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but he sure managed to hop over a line drive and hustle into third.

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But those new cleats couldn't do a thing to help him out of this pickle.

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We've been running too many separate directions
for me to be a good fan for him this year

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but when I manage to get there, he always makes it worth my while.