Here We Go

Thanks to the miracle of inkjet iron-on transfers, Daphne has a Texas Rangers shirt just in time for Game One. She wore it proudly to school today, and showed it off to all the kids, who looked at her like she was an alien because of course none of them know what the Texas Rangers are. Daphne didn't care. She has her antlers up and she's ready for a little Cliff Lee tonight. I think all the World Series excitement has her adrenaline up, because today at swimming, she willingly JUMPED OFF THE SIDE OF THE POOL! All the mommies cheered and I gave her a big thumbs up, but I should have given her the claw. I almost cried, I was so proud. Maybe she'll actually learn to swim this year.

I am ready for the Series too. I have cast on the world's easiest knitting project to keep me calm during the games. Big fat needles. Nice squooshy yarn. Let's go, Rangers!

Just Saying No

This past weekend was a weekend we designated as a Make No Plans weekend.  We really needed it after all the activities and travelling we've been doing lately.  So I X-ed out the days on the calendar and we kept it low-key - no obligations except soccer.  We caught up on some things around the house and had family game night on the porch. 

And on Sunday, we got a babysitter for a few hours in the afternoon so Kev and I could go see a movie, only it was way too nice outside to sit in a movie theater so instead we went out to a local winery for a little picnic dinner. 

I like Make No Plans weekends.  We should have them more often.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extra sweet because they (finally) beat the Yankees, ended by striking out Rodriguez, and turned Daphne into a baseball fan.  Way to go, Rangers. 

Thanks to Daphne's Vtech Camera...

...I am ready for Game Six (please ignore the squiggly antennae),

and we have a picture of Kev and I at the cabin last weekend (from Daphne's POV).

Daphne has been watching the games with me. Her favorite player is Josh Hamilton. She gets cooler and cooler every day.

PS. I am pretty sure that the very stylish girl in the post below would never put up her claws and antlers, much less publish a photo of herself doing so. Oh well.

I Wish I Was This Cool

I don't know who this is, but I wish I had her hair and clothes and purse and sunglasses.  If I could start all over again and be a person with style, this is the kind of style I would like to have.  I would be the coolest person at Wegman's.

I need an occasion to wear my purple Anthropologie coat.  That will make me feel better.  The pumpkin patch was no such occasion. 

On another note, I watched a whole baseball game last night for the first time in several years.  It was awesome. What a great game.  I am very optimistic.  I don't want to say too much though, because I don't want to jinx anything.

It is really fall-like now, so Daphne helped me make pumpkin bread this morning. It was time.   Herb bread is in the oven now.  The house has smelled good all day.

My mom got a job in a quilting / KNITTING shop!!!  YARN DISCOUNT!  I'm getting my needles ready.

Did I mention the Nutella s'mores?  Good grief, those are good.

This weekend, we are not doing anything.  I can't wait.

Getting Away

This is Fossil Beach, on the Potomac River near the Chesapeake Bay. It is located in Westmoreland State Park near Montross, VA. We went there with friends over the weekend to "camp" in a cabin:

Ralph went, too.

We all had a great time, but Daphne had the Best Time EVER. She spent the weekend playing in the sand and dirt, wading in the water, collecting rocks and shells, playing with her friends, and best of all, eating roasted marshmallows and s'mores. Kev and I enjoyed all that too, but my favorite part was being away from home and sitting on the cabin porch without worrying about all the things I SHOULD be doing. That, and the s'mores. Well, actually, the s'Nores, which are s'mores made with Nutella instead of Hershey bars. Try them. You will thank me.

My least favorite things were cutting the heck out of my finger and dropping my socks in the toilet.

Lots of pictures here on Flickr if you want to see what it's like in the park. I totally recommend it as a weekend destination. The park and cabins were really nice and reasonably priced.

And a bonus: the park was just a few miles from George Washington's birthplace, so we got to stop there on the way home. Daphne earned a Junior Ranger badge, and she thought it was pretty awesome. She had to take an oath and everything:

I love America's National Park System. It was a good weekend.

No easing back into the routine for me. Today, I went with Daphne to Great Country Farm for her school field trip to the pumpkin patch. We had a big time picking pumpkins, feeding farm animals, chasing chickens, climbing stuff, and watching pig races.

I think tonight, I might go sit on my porch and pretend I'm still at the cabin. The laundry can wait, right?

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

So, while Daphne and I were off enjoying the fine people and cuisine of the Ohio Valley, Kev stayed home.  Alone.  We missed him a lot, and he missed us, but he kept himself pretty busy.  There were a lot of goings-on in the cider department, there was yard work, there was trumpet practice, and there were arts and crafts.  Above, you can see his latest lino block carving, just in time for Halloween.  Cool, huh?  It would make a good cover for a PPHPHB cd, if there is ever another one.

Deep Fried No-No's and Other Adventures

Aaaaaaaahh,,,home from our big trip to Indiana. It was really really great. We spent time with family, went to the Harvest Homecoming (I went three times!), ate lots of good Indiana food, and I even got to sneak away and get a pedicure (thanks to my Aunt Kathy for the gift card and my mom for babysitting). My feet are happy and my belly is full. The HH isn't quite the Great State Fair of Texas, but it's a pretty good substitute. There was no fried butter or fried beer, but there were plenty of other fried choices:

And I tried the Ho-Ho's.

My friends, I am going to do you a favor right now and tell you that deep fried Ho-Ho's are not good. At all. Don't try them. Even if you are like me and love Ho-Ho's, just forget about it. Oh, how I loved Ho-Ho's as a kid. It was my Hostess snack of choice. I don't think they taste as good now (maybe they have changed the recipe?), plus there are no foil wrappers or baseball cards included in the packaging like we had in the 70s (where have you gone, Bake McBride?!) Anyway, the deep-fried ones are terrible. They might have been better if the batter was crispy, lending a nice crunch to offset the gooey middle. But it was as if the Ho-Ho was just sorta wrapped in a flavorless doughy doughnut. Bleh. Live and learn.

Oh well, here are some other things I ate in Indiana on various occasions:

1. Giant Pork Tenderloin (YUM!)

2. An apple dumpling (a la mode) from the Presbyterian Church booth (not as good as last year, but not bad either)

3. Chicken and Dumplings from the Redman's Club (Best Thing Going)

4. Chili dog and Chocolate malt from Zesto (a staple)

Needless to say, it wasn't the healthiest week. But it was fun.

The drive was very pretty, and Daphne and my Mom were well-behaved for the most part. You can't totally tell from the picture, but we had some spectacular fall color in W.VA and Western Maryland. I was really going to make fun of West Virginia based on a cross-section of its population we met at the Panera Bread restaurant in Charleston, but now I'm not because I was pulled over in that great state for doing 67 in a 55 construction zone and was let go with only a warning! Probably because of my excellent driving record. Or because the cop saw how freaked out Daphne was by the whole thing and felt sorry for me. (She was worried I was going to jail, and was ready to talk to the officer on my behalf - "Can I tell the police man you don't know what you're doing?") Other than that, the road trip itself was pretty uneventful.

By the way, are truckers no longer allowed to honk on the highway? Poor Daphne pumped her arm up and down for almost an hour and got nary a TOOT in return. She was pretty disappointed.

OK...if you want to see 41 pictures from our trip (other things besides just food), you can go here.

PS. THE RANGERS ARE GOING TO THE ALCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And speaking of baseball, I'll end with a real treat: A 1975(?) Hostess Bake McBride:

Get yours now on ebay.

Weekend Whirlwind

A busy busy weekend.  Kev's work's Fall Festival, soccer, friends visiting from Boston, a baby shower, and a whole day of cider-making.  We had fun but we are all exhausted.  Daphne's field trip today was cancelled due to rain, and that's probably a good thing.  Tomorrow we leave for Indiana.  Kev will be staying behind, and we will miss him.  I command him to do something fun while we are gone.  There won't be any blogging for a while, but there will be tales of adventure and pictures of food upon our return.  Have a good week!

By the way, if you want to hear the whole new Old 97s CD, you can listen to it here for a limited time.  It is really really great.  The Texas song almost made me cry.