homecoming @ the capstone

Last weekend we took Banks and Mary Reese to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama/Vandy game.  It just happened to be homecoming at the capstone.  One of my favorite times of the year.

I can remember the intense choreography competitions, working for hours pomping the lawn decoration, walking to the corner of Reed Street and University watching the parade come by and the buzz around campus on game day.  It hasn't change much and I was excited for my children to experience all the hype of homecoming.

We got to town around lunch time and decided to grab lunch before heading to the quad/strip area.  I was excited when I spotted...



Iguana Grill!  One of our favorites in Birmingham.  It was pretty empty and the perfect place to grab a quick lunch before heading to the madness.

We parked the car in some college kids backyard near the stadium [I bet they make a small fortune on game days!], and headed towards the quad via sorority row and the strip.

I made a quick stop by the Alpha Chi house.  I showed the kids where I spend 4 glorious years.  Mary Reese and I made a quick trip upstairs.  I showed her my old room and the sleeping porch.  She wasn't real impressed with the sleeping porch.

The lawn decorations are AMAZING!  Here was the one at the Alpha Chi house...



They ended up coming in 2nd Place for the lawn decoration and ended up winning the homecoming spirit trophy.

I tried to get their pictures in front of it...



They were not having it!

We started our mad search for a cheerleader outfit and a football jersey.  We popped into a few shops on the strip but none were to be had in our sizes.  So we headed to the quad...



We saw some cheerleaders and the band on the steps of the library.  We found the huge Sup Store tent where we finally found a cheerleading outfit...



We found some friends from home and crashed their tailgating tent.  I also found several of my college friends.  We tried for about 30 minutes to get all our children rounded up for a group shot.  We finally roped everyone in...



Front row:  Banks, William [Lori Lee Orrell] & Emma [Catherine Ray Martin]
Back row:  Sara Frances [Mande Elliott McLeod], Mary Reese, Harrison [Catherine Ray Martin] and Elliott [Mande Elliott McLeod]

After visiting, throwing the football and running around...it was time to head to the stadium...



The Million Dollar Band before the game...



Big Al and the cheerleaders leading out the team...



We cheered, we danced, we ate...



stadium dogs and nachos.

We even talked the lady behind us into taking our picture...



I hate Owen wasn't with us but I knew he could have never survived the 6:00 kickoff.

We decided to take it to the house at the beginning of the 4th Quarter...hoping to beat the traffic.  And by the looks on these faces heading to the car...



...it was the right decision.  I knew it was definitely the right decision when McFarland Blvd was like a ghost town and it was smooth sailing down I20.  We made it to our doorsteps around 10:30 and I was thankful I was snug in my bed at a decent time.

kitty for queen

I few weeks ago I got a text from a friend.  Her daughter [who I have known since birth and use to babysit] was nominated for homecoming queen!  I was so excited for her.  It is hard to believe that her and her twin brother are seniors this year and are about to go off to college themselves.

Last Friday, we camped out in front of her mother's art gallery/floral design business.  We could hardly contain our excitement waiting for her to drive by and give us that Miss America wave.

We saw the marching band...



We saw floats, cheerleaders and red raiders...



We caught candy, beads and even a flower...



Finally we saw Kitty coming our way...



Isn't she beautiful?  She was driven by her father and her twin brother rode shotgun.  I love how close her and her brother are.  They really do take care of each other.  I hope my children grow up acting the way they do towards each other.

She wasn't crowned queen, but she will always be a queen in my eyes!

I am telling you I am having a hard time believing they are seniors.  This seems like yesterday...



Actually it is 1996 [the year my twin brothers were seniors].  I took them and their older sister to watch the homecoming parade.  Wow...15 years ago!

She was the flower girl in my wedding with her twin as the ring bearer...



I am so proud of the young lady she has become!

community :: it's up to us

Banks has been studying the community in his first IB unit of third grade.  They studied the meaning of community, the responsibilities of being a member of a community and leadership in the community.

During this unit, they took a tour of City Hall [talked to the mayor and an employee of the chamber], the county court house [talked to a judge], the county jail and the Old State Bank [to get the history of our community].  Three of the third grade classes at the Old State Bank...



His class behind the bench with Judge Waters at the courthouse...



[A little trivia...the bench seen here is the same bench that was used in the Scottosboro Boys trial.]



When they got back to school, they watched a demonstration from two of the K9 officers.  The next week, they walked to the fire station located beside their school.

The final lesson in their IB unit was a community service project.  Each child had to volunteer at least 30 minutes of their time doing community service.  They had to answer question and turn in a poster showcasing what kind of service they did...



Banks made fall goodie bags to deliver to the people at Riverside Senior Living.

As extra credit, we put together a video...



I am so thankful they are learning about our community and the importance of community service at such a young age!

Family Favorite: Italian Joe

***I found this recipe in my drafts.  I guess I forgot to publish it!  It is perfect for those cool fall nights!***

It's a modern day version of the Mamwich [I am sure it is much better...I have never actually eaten a mamwich].  The intro to the recipe says it only gets better with time [y'all know I love a recipe that you make a head of time].  It is loaded with great veggies [a wonderful way to sneak them in for the kids]...



The finished product served on some Ciabatta Rolls...



As you can see, Owen LOVED it...



Y'all think I am kidding when I say he requires at least 3 baths a day.

Italian Joe

1 ¼ lb. sweet Italian link sausage, casings removed
1 lb. ground chuck
4 T. olive oil, divided
2 c. diced onions
2 T. minced garlic
1 c. diced red bell pepper
½ c. diced carrot
½ c. diced celery
2 T. tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes in juice
4 t. dried oregano
2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. dried Italian seasoning
½ c. dry red wine (I used beef broth)
3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 loves ciabatta bread (I used Alexia Ciabatta Rolls from the freezer section in Publix)

Brown sausage and chuck in 2 T. oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking up any large chunks with a spoon, 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 T. oil in same pot over medium-high. Sauté onion until just beginning to brown, 5-10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, carrot, celery and tomato paste; cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomato puree, diced tomatoes, oregano, pepper flakes, nutmeg, Italian seasoning and browned meat; simmer 10 minutes.

Add wine, vinegar and brown sugar, then bring mixture to a boil. Simmer sauce until thickened, 10-15 minutes, stirring often; season with salt and black pepper.

Slice ciabatta loaves lengthwise. Spoon Italian Joe over bottom halves of bread, cover with top halves, and cut each loaf into 6 sandwiches.

***We only used ½ of the joe mix, so I froze the rest for another night. The recipe says it serves 12.

a call from royalty

How would your little princess like a call from this Princess?



It can happen!  Mary Reese got a call from Cinderella last night telling her what a great job she had been doing.

Somewhere in my "blog surfing" last week I discovered this post from a Disney blogger.  It is all made possible by my friends at Target [it makes me love that place even more]!  You go here to schedule your call.  It is super easy and FREE!

You put in your birthdate and phone number.  Then you pick the Princess [you can choose from Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Belle and Aurora], the message, and the time.  The great thing...if your forget [which I did], all you have to do is text PRINCESS and they will call you right back!

This is one reason I love Disney and Target so much.  Always first rate.  Mary Reese thought it was super cool to get a call from Cinderella herself!  She wanted to know how Cinderella knew she had been doing such a great job at school.



Which princess will you pick?

losing it

Mary Reese got off the bus Wednesday after school.  She was so excited to show me something...



Her first loose tooth!  I had been checking them on and off all school year and felt them getting a little bit looser.  I had no clue it was as loose as it was.

She was DETERMINED that it was coming out that day.  I told her just to keep working at it and maybe it would fall out!  She wiggled and wiggled and wiggled.  I took all 3 kids to get their hair cut...she wiggled it the entire time.

We got home and she decided that she would let Popsy pull it out.  Like I said, she was DETERMINED!  The whole family loaded back up and headed to Popsy's office before he left.  He put her in a chair and rubbed some "magic" cream on it..



He grabbed a tool and then next thing we know the tooth is flying up in the air...



Here is the new Mary Reese...



I still do a double take sometimes when she is talking!

Before we went to bed that night, we put her tooth in a special pillow...



It is the same one my sister and I used when we were little.  My mom made it for us.

She was beyond thrilled to wake up and find $5.00 replacing the tooth in the pocket.

The reason she was so determine...when they loose a tooth, the next day they get to put a special tooth sticker in their journal and write about the experience.

The one next to it is loose as well...it is only a matter of time before we are doing it all again!

front page worthy?

Monday after school, the kids and I were sitting outside in the front yard like we do lots of days.  They boys were playing with the football.  I told Mary Reese to run get her library book so we could knock out her nightly reading.  [We had Open House at both schools that night...so I wanted all their homework done before we had to leave.]

I started reading and everyone gathered around to listen.  [I LOVE to read.  I hope I can pass that love onto my children.  Mary Reese is my reader.  Banks likes it but really loves it when someone is doing the reading to him.]

All of a sudden one of the photographers from the newspaper is in my front yard taking our picture.  I thought I would probably see it in the paper the next day, but never expected to be front page worthy...



I guess it is a good sign for our little city.  The front page could be covered with news about violent crimes.  [Don't get me wrong, we have crime.  A couple of weeks prior there was a double murder at the Krystal.]  I remember years back, my college friends who live in Memphis now were saying their local news had to be extended to an hour to cover all the crime.  We are blessed our city has a low crime rate.

I am thankful for that photographer who captured a special moment with my children.  They are growing up way too fast and I know my days of them listening to me read them a story are numbered...



Several people asked me what we were reading...



The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

A precious story about a house built out in the country... 



The city encroached around the house, making the house sad and long for the country... 



Finally the house is rescued by a descendent of the original owner.  She moves the house back to the country where it belongs.



I think I might have to buy us a copy!

family favorite: pasta pie

A new family favorite...easy to throw together for a quick week night meal!

Brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet...



[This is 2 pounds because I saved half of the final sauce for calzones later in the week.]

While the meat is browning, boil a pound of rigatoni until slightly underdone [I did mine for 12 minutes]...



Drain the noodles.  Rinse with cold water and drain again.  Toss pasta with 1 T. olive oil and 1 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese.  [The second time I made this, I also tossed in a beaten egg.  It seemed to help hold the final product together better.]

Drain ground beef.  Combine the meat with some tomato sauce...



...and simmer...



[Again, I was doubling my meat sauce for calzones later in the week.  If I was just making the pasta pie, I would have just added the 24 oz jar of sauce.]

While the sauce is simmering, spray a 9-inch springform pan.  Tightly pack pasta into the pan, standing each piece on end.



Spread meat sauce on top of pasta...



Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up.

Place in a 400° oven for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle 8 oz mozzarella cheese on top and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden...



Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes [if you can stand it that long].  Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold...



Cut into wedges like you would a pie...



delicious & delightful

Pasta Pie
[inspired from Noble Pig]

1 lb. rigatoni
1 T. olive oil
1 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 lb. ground beef
1 (24 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. coarsley grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone [12 minutes].  Rinse pasta in cold water and drain again.  Toss pasta with 1 T. olive oil to coat.  Toss with Parmesan cheese and a beaten egg.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet until browned.  Drain.  Add spaghetti sauce and simmer.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan.  Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end.  Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.  Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up.

Place in a 400° oven for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden.  Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minues.  Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Thanks Mary Margaret for sharing!  Mary Margaret is one of the kids I use to babysit...now she is all grown up and almost finished with her college career.  That makes me feel OLD!

lake for labor day

We spent part of Labor Day weekend at the lake...



It is amazing how much the water goes down between 4th of July and Labor Day.

The big boys [Banks & Eppes] thought they were big stuff swimming across the lake to the "island"...



It is really just part of Bankhead Forrest...not really an island.

All of them spend tons of time in front of the sea wall making oyster stew...



Aunt Stacey and Uncle Jerald had oysters sometime in the spring.  They pitched all the shells in the water in front of the sea wall.  Now that the water is down...the kids could find them.  It provided for hours of entertainment.

While the oyster stew was cooking, Jody and I were smoking...



A couple of butts, some corn and a good old Vidalia onion.

There were also some mud baths taken...





I also noticed this Saturday morning while drinking my coffee on the deck...



...which means fall is just around the corner.

The remanience of hurricane Lee set in Sunday morning, so we packed it up and headed home.  We spent the rest of the rainy Labor Day weekend inside.