Pinterest Palooza - Beachy Waves For Your Hair

Pinterest Palooza - Beachy Waves For Your Hair

How many times have we seen things on Pinterest and been so excited to try it only to have it fail miserably?  Too many times than I can count for me.  There's even a blog about it called Pinstrosity and there's some hilarious posts over there.

Since I love Pinterest and since I love trying to make things and do things that are on Pinterest, I thought I'd share my experiences with y'all - good or bad.

So here's my first post in a series I'll call Pinterest Palooza, where I find things that interest me on Pinterest and then I'll document my experience in trying to recreate the pin.

Episode 1
My hair is always giving me problems.  It's sort of long and it's sort of irritating.  If I didn't think it would cause my husband to divorce me, I'd probably have chopped it off a long time ago.  What's the deal with men liking long hair anyway?  How cavemanish!

When I let my hair dry naturally, it sort of has a wave to it - but not a pretty, beachy wave like you see all the faw-bu-lous people have.  It's sort of like a you've-got-some-serious-bedhead-girl kind of wave.

I've been on a never-ending hunt for big, glorious curls achieved by something other than a round brush for longer than I can remember.  I am not coordinated enough to dry my hair and use a dang round brush at the same time.

So when I saw this pin about beachy waves for your hair by braiding it and using a flatiron, I was all over it.

(Y'all don't laugh at my pictures now.  I'll have to hurt you if you do.)

Here's my before picture:

That's what my hair looks like after I let it dry naturally.

So the pin says you split your hair in two sections and then braid those two sections and tie them off with rubber bands.  Twist the braids away from your face and then take the flatiron and twist the flat iron over the twisted braids in the same direction as you twisted it.  (Could I possibly use the word twist any more?)  I was a little confused about the twisting of the flatiron part, but I think I figured it out after a few near-miss burns on my ears.

So after two or three passes with the flatiron on both braids, I took the rubber bands out and this is what I got:

Not really the beachy-wave look I was hoping for.  See where those two arrows are pointing?  Those are big dents in my hair.  I'm not a fan of dents in anything, really, but especially not in my hair. 

But since I didn't feel like doing my hair again, I tried to make it work:

It kind of looks like a bad perm, doesn't it?  Kind of reminds me of an 80's rocker dude.  Oh, well, at least it's a change from the pony tail I wear 364.6 days of the year.  Rock on.

Creamy Corn

This recipe is so simple.  It's so simple that I kind of feel funny calling it a recipe.  But since it has food and different ingredientses (I said that in my best Teresa from Real Housewives of NJ accent), we'll call it a recipe.

Creamy Corn

12 oz. frozen sweet corn
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste

Pour corn and butter in saucepan.  Cook on medium heat until butter is melted.  Add sugar, salt and pepper, cream cheese and milk.

Check out other great recipes here:

Thursday:

Friday:  

Cute, Lazy Kitties

Aren't they cute?  Lazy bums. 

Texas Music Happenings In & Around Fort Worth Weekend of August 31, 2012

Texas Music Happenings In & Around Fort Worth Weekend of August 31, 2012
Labor Day Weekend


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Brave Combo (Mosh-pit polka) - Levitt Pavillion - 7:30

Foxtrot Uniform - The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

George Ducas @ White Elephant Saloon - 8:00

Terry Rasor & Tom McElvain & Tommy Alverson @ Chubby's Burger Shack - 7:00

Union Hill @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:00

White Bison @ Red's Roadhouse - 6:00


Friday, August 31, 2012

Cody Robbins @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Ruby Jane @ Levitt Pavillion -  7:30

Casey Thompson Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30

Randy & Mike of 92nd Roadhouse Band @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:00 - $6

Blue Hat (jazz, rock, country) @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Lost Immigrants @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

Andrew Carman @ Chubby's Burger Shack - 8:00

The Party Monkeys (classic rock) @ Big Barn BBQ - 7:30

Trimmier (rock, upbeat country, blues) @ The Dock on Lake Granbury - 8:00

Crosswind Band @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:45

Steve Helms @ Rio Brazos Live - 8:00 - Start @ $10

Incognito @ Red's Roadhouse - 9:30 - $5

The Tommy Hooker Band @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $10


Saturday, September 1, 2012

Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis @ Levitt Pavillion - 7:30

Scott Lyle Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30

The Canyon Creek Band @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:30 - $7

Vanillaface Jones (classic rock, pop) @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Blacktop Gypsy @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

Huslin Jack @ Chubby's Burger Shack - 8:00

Junior Brown @ Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge - 8:00 - $20

River Trip (folk rock) @ Big Barn BBQ - 7:30

Jeremiah Houston Band @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:45

Hoodstock Music Festival @ Rio Brazos Live - 12:00 - Start @ $29

Austin Allsup @ Red's Roadhouse - 9:00 - $5

Cody Robbins Band @ Indian Creek Tavern -  9:00


Sunday, September 2, 2012

Stockyards Music Festival @  Stockyards North Forty Field (Next to Billy Bob's)- 12:00 - Start @ $35

Pentatonix (a cappella) @ Levitt Pavillion - 7:30

Matt Jones & Justin Gresham @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Kat Moore @ White Elephant Saloon - 7:00

Hoodstock Music Festival @ Rio Brazos Live - 12:00 - Start @ $29

There's A Storm A-Comin'

I took this picture a few years back while driving to my niece's graduation in Lubbock, Texas.  I took the picture through the front windshield.  You think I'm going to get out in the middle of this and take a picture?  You better redneck-o-nize.

I drove right threw this storm, and I was probably more scared than I had ever been in my life.  When we finally arrived at the graduation, approximately 3.27 yards of fabric had to be removed from my posterior section.

On a more serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to all the people in the path of Hurricane Isaac. 

Stuff We Find In Our Yard

Time for another installment of Stuff We Find In Our Yard.

Our dog was barking one night - like, nonstop barking.  I flung open the back door to see what she was barking at.  Since there's a fence immediately to the left when you open the back door, I looked to the right.  I didn't see anything.  I look down at the dog and notice she's staring at something to my left.  I slowly turn my head to the left and this dang thing is just sitting there on top of the fence staring at me.

I scream and do the only natural thing there is to do, and that's run in and get my camera.  I then scold the possum and tell him the least he could have done was bring his dang guitar and belted out He Stopped Loving Her Today. 

Keep Track of Medicine Given

Need help keeping track of whether you've given your child their medicine the number of times you were supposed to or if you've given it to them the full 5 or 10 days or however long you're supposed to give it to them?  Try this:

In the picture above, my child took the medicine twice a day for five days (the pink label is covering up the last day).

I saw this on Pinterest a while back and I've used this method ever since.  You just take a Sharpie and draw a chart on the actual bottle of medicine.  Draw lines for however many times a day and for however many days you're supposed to give them the medicine and then check it off each time you give them the medicine.  

Butterfly Face

I'm going to miss this little butterfly lover while she's in first grade.

Everybody I show this picture to asks me, Is that a real butterfly on her face?  And you can see the look of shock and awe on their faces when I say, Yes, that's a real butterfly. 

What I don't tell them is that the butterfly is injured because the little one whose nose it's sitting on hunted it down and mauled it until she broke its wing.  Fly for your lives, little butterflies...fly for your lives.

Cute Kid Books

We've been reading lots of books since tonsillectomy-o-rama came to town.  We found a couple of cute books at the library this week.

First one is Yawn by Sally Symes.  I'd say it's for toddlers or preschoolers because it's a board book.

Here's the description from Barnes & Noble: 

Sean gave a YAWN while sitting on his mat. Guess who he gave it to? A scruffy, fluffy . . .

You'll need to turn the page to find out who is next to be overcome with a yawn in this fun and ingenious board book, although the rhyming text will offer some clues! One creature is purring, another pecking, one drifting around its bowl, another resting from a dig in the dirt. And there are others, too--all of whom can't wait to put on their pajamas and head off to bed!

The other book is called Yuck! That's Not a Monster! by Angela McAllister. Suggested reading age is 2 and up.

The description from Amazon:

In a deliciously yucky reversal of the sweet new-baby story, this picture book will appeal to kids with its beastly detail and cuddly resolution. Mr. and Mrs. Monster love the ugly little creatures that hatch out of two of their eggs. They name the one with prickly spikes and snarly fangs Frightful, and the one with horny spines and bristly warts becomes Horrid. But ugh! They don't know what to do with the soft, pink little creature that emerges from the third egg, so they call him Little Shock. Kids will love the large, unframed illustrations in bright colors that show Frightful and Horrid as they hiss, snarl, scratch, and grow “hairier and scarier,” in contrast to gurgling, fluffy, rosy-hued Little Shock. In a wry turnaround, the cute outsider saves the day: when a huge, furry beast snarls at them in the woods, Frightful and Horrid are terrified, but Little Shock terrifies the predator with a kiss (“Yuck!”) and sends him running and crying for his mommy.

Have y'all found any cute kid books lately?  Holler at me and let me know.

Recipes To Try

Since my oldest daughter had her tonsils out last Thursday, my mind is kind of numb.  I've gotten up every four hours to give her pain medicine for the past six nights.  During the day, I had her set up in our bedroom with everything she needed including a bell to ring whenever she needed something.

Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that bell?  I've heard that bell ring approximately 98,764 times.  Between Maddie ringing the bell and the little one yelling Mama, mama and then handing me her sopping wet diaper and the dog barking at me to go outside, I'm a little worn out.  Mama, mama, tonsillectomy-drama.

So instead of using my brain and trying to come up with a recipe, I've cooked a couple of other amazing recipes that two other great cooks came up with.

They are South Your Mouth's Swedish Meatballs:

One word...amazeballs.

And I also cooked The Country Cook's Pizza Pasta Bake:

Delicious.


I must go now.  I think I hear the jing, jing, jingling of a **#&^@% bell! 

Texas Music Scene In & Around Fort Worth - Weekend of August 24, 2012

Texas Music Scene In & Around Fort Worth - Weekend of August 24, 2012

Friday, August 24, 2012

River Trip @ Shady Oak Barbecue - 7:00

Mike Ryan Band -@ Railhead BBQ in Willow Park - 7:30

Stephen Pride @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:00 - $7

Burton Tyler @ Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Eleven Hundred Springs @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $10

Aurora Bleu @ Big Barn BBQ - 7:30

Bobby Duncan (CD Release Party) @ The Grease Monkey - 9:30

Monkey Love (Classic Rock) @ Red's Roadhouse - 5:00

Country Night Live @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon -  9:00 - $10

The Uncle Bill Roach Band @ The Dock on Lake Granbury - 8:00

Steve Stewart @ Rio Brazos in Granbury -8:30 - Start @ $10

The Highway 80 West Band @ The Score - 5:00


Saturday, August 25, 2012


The Highway 80 West Band @ Shootin For A Cure in Cresson - 6:30 - Non-shooter $15

Michael Cote @ White Elephant Saloon - 2:00 

Wade Hatton @ Shady Oak Barbecue - 7:00

Randy Brown @ Railhead BBQ in Willow Park (5th Anniversary Celebration) - 7:30

Billy Mata & The Texas Tradition @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:30 - $15

Mike Calaway Band @ Woodshed Smokehouse -6:00

Ed Burleson @ White Elephant Saloon  - 9:00 - $6

The Rumble Kings (Classic/Rockabilly) @ Big Barn BBQ - 7:30

Kyle Redd @ The Finish Line (Not sure of time or cover)

Zane Williams with Kylie Rae Harris @ The Grease Monkey - 9:30

Sammy Fox and The Intervention @ Red's Roadhouse - 5:00

Jake Hooker & The Outsiders @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon -  9:00 - $15

Cody O'Neill & The Crosswind (CD release party) @ The Dock on Lake Granbury - 8:00

John David Kent @ Rio Brazos in Granbury -10:00 - Start @ $9.99

I Like To Take Pictures

So I'm a little obsessed with taking pictures.  My husband likes to tease me because I have over 11,000 pictures that I've uploaded to Flickr.  My poor camera is nothing fancy - just one of those little Sony cameras you can fit in your pocket.  Mine is special because it's held together by electrical tape - no lie.  It does its job though, and for that I'm grateful.

Roses...

Stuff We Find In Our Yard

Are you ready for another edition of Stuff We Find In Our Yard?  It's so exciting, isn't it?  I bet you're just on the edge of your seat waiting to see what we found in our yard.  Well, your wait is over, my friends.

It's just same dang ol' raccoons.  I think we might need to call up the Turtleman to put some live action on these suckers.  Yee yee yee yee - Live Action.

Good Stuff In Fort Worth - Rita's Ice

Good Stuff In Fort Worth - Rita's Ice

I took my oldest daughter to the Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge Grand Celebration at the downtown library last Sunday.  They had so many different things there to entertain the kids.

Things like face painting:

Making art out of recycled things:

 Live entertainment:

Mayor Price and Deborah Ferguson were there as well:

Funny story.  I pointed to Deborah Ferguson and whispered to my daughter Maddie, That lady in the orange is on the news.  Maddie says, For doing something bad?  It took me a while to quit laughing, but I finally managed to explain to her what I meant.

One of the best discoveries I made at this celebration was this:

While at the Grand Celebration we were offered something cold to try, something cold and delicious.  It was from Rita's Ice.  We could select either lemon ice or watermelon ice and we took the watermelon ice.  This stuff was knock-your-socks off good.  It's made with real fruit.  It was so refreshing.

If you get a chance, stop by Rita's Ice over off Clifford & I-820W in west Fort Worth and try some for yourself.

Easy Crock Pot Beef Tips & Noodles

Easy Crock Pot Beef Tips & Noodles
(Please see *** below)

I've always wondered if it would be possible to put uncooked noodles in the crock pot with whatever it was that I was cooking.  Is that, like, against the law or something?  Well, I experimented with it and it worked.  Hallelujah!  Trumpets roared and angels sang and I did a little happy dance.  No more will I boil my noodles separately.  Never again will I dirty up another pot.  It's all going in the crock pot, baby!

For this recipe I used one of those cute little tubs of Knorr Homestyle Stock.  Normally I probably would have used a couple of cans of beef broth or a can of beef gravy, but I had a $2 off coupon for the Knorr Homestyle Stock and I wasn't going to let that sucker go to waste.  I think the Knorr Stock really gave this recipe great flavor.

Easy Crock Pot Beef Tips & Noodles

Now:
3 cups water
1 lb. stew meat (Mine were frozen solid)
1 tub Knorr Homestyle Beef Stock
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder

After 4 1/2 hours:
8 oz. UNCOOKED wide egg noodles (more or less)
1 cup water (more or less)

30 Minutes after that:
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Spray crock pot with nonstick spray because if your crock pot is anything like mine and it cooks like two degrees hotter than the sun, you'll want to be prepared.  Pour 3 cups of water in crock pot, followed by stew meat (and mine was frozen solid), tub of Knorr Homestyle Beef Stock, minced onion and garlic powder.  Set crock pot to low.

Cook for about 4 1/2 hours.

Pour in uncooked egg noodles and add  cup of water.  You might have to add a little more than just a cup.  Just keep an eye on it.

Cook for another 30 minutes.

Add cream cheese.  Turn crock pot to warm and let sit a bit, just enough for cream cheese to melt.  Salt and pepper to taste.

**My crock pot tends to cook very, very hot even on low, so you might have to adjust your cooking times.

Let me know how it turns out.


Go here for more great recipes:

Thursday:


Friday:



Saturday:


***12/15/12 - After making this recipe a time or two, I've realized that when you put noodles in with the meat that it tends to make the noodles sort of goopy and not-so-appetizing. So now I cook the beef tips in the crock pot using about a cup and a half of water and then I just cook my noodles separately.***

Texas Music Happenings In & Around Fort Worth Weekend of August 17, 2012

Texas Music Happenings In & Around Fort Worth Weekend of August 17, 2012

Friday, August 17, 2012

Steve Helms Band - Railhead Willow Park  @ 7:30

The Honky Tonkers - Stagecoach Ballroom - $6

Brushfire - Woodshed Smokehouse @ 6:00

Cody Jinks - White Elephant Saloon @ 9:00 - $5

Randy Brown - Chubby's Burger Shack @ 8:00

Thirsty's Throwdown (The Tyler Rushing Band vs. Blue Tone Valleys vs. Kolton Moore and The Clever Few) - The Thirsty Armadillo (Not sure of time or cover)

Uncle Bill Roach Band - The Dock on Lake Granbury @ 8:00

Clint Levi Band - Rio Brazos Live in Granbury  @ 9:30 - Starting @ $5

Landon Dodd & The Dancehall Drifters - Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon @ 9:00 - $10



Saturday, August 18, 2012

3 Fools On 3 Stools - Railhead Willow Park @ 7:30

The Canyon Creek Band - Stagecoach Ballroom @ 8:30 -  $7

The Texas Bleu Catz - Woodshed Smokehouse @ 6:00

Bodie Powell - White Elephant Saloon @ 9:00 - $6

Brandon Steadman Band - The Thirsty Armadillo @ 8:30 (Cover charge questionable)

Casey Thompson Band - Big Barn BBQ @ 7:30

Amos Moses Band - The Dock on Lake Granbury @ 8:00

Amber Digby & Midnight Flyer - Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon @ 9:00 - $15

Stone River Band - The Finish Line - $5 - (Not sure of time or cover charge)


***I do my best to post links and times and cover charges, but some of these venues don't list that information on their websites and they didn't respond to an email from me.  If the price is not listed and there's nothing in parentheses then there's no cover.

Stuff We Find In Our Yard

Stuff We Find In Our Yard, Part Two.

I freaked out whenever I saw this:

That's a red dragonfly.

I had never seen a red dragonfly before.  After I saw it, I was pretty sure some ninjas were going to jump out of the bushes and start throwing Chinese stars at me or something.

2012 Texan Olympic Medalists

We are so proud of all the athletes who represented Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics. Team USA brought home 104 medals - 46 Gold, 29 Silver, 29 Bronze, putting Team USA at the top of the medal count.

Out of the 46 Gold Medals, 12 of them were earned by Texans
Out of the 29 Silver Medals, 9 of them were earned by Texans
Out of the 29 Bronze Medals, 7 of them were earned by Texans

We're especially proud of this list of medalists that have ties to Texas:

In alphabetical order:

Brigetta Barrett  - Duncanville
Track & Field - Women's High Jump - Silver

David Boudia - Abilene
Diving - Men's Synch. 10m Platform - Bronze
Men's 10m Platform - Gold                       

Tamika Catchings - Duncanville
Basketball - Win over France - Gold

Diamond Dixon - Houston
Track & Field - Womens 4x400M Relay - Gold

Troy Dumais - Austin
Diving - Men's Synch. 3m Springboard - Bronze

Marlen Esparza - Pasadena
Boxing - Bronze

James Feigen - San Antonio
Swimming - Men's 4x100m Freestyle - Silver

Brendan Hansen - Austin
Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke - Bronze
Men's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Trey Hardee - Austin -
Track & Field - Men's Decathlon 1500m - Silver

Destinee Hooker - San Antonio
Volleyball - Silver

Courtney Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing -Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Kelley Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing - Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Trell Kimmons - Round Rock
Track & Field- Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Bianca Knight - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 4x100m Relay - Gold

Leo Manzano - Flatonia
Track & Field - Men's 1500m - Silver

Paige McPherson - Abilene
Taekwondo - Bronze

Aries Merritt - Bryan
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Gold

Darvis Patton - Dallas
Track & Field - Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Jason Richardson - Cedar Hill
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Silver

Sanya Richards-Ross - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 400m - Gold
Women's 4x400m Relay - Gold

Michael Tinsley - Round Rock
Track & Field - Men's 400m Hurdles - Silver

Dana Vollmer - Granbury
Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly - Gold
Women's 4x200m Freestyle - Gold
Women's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Deron Williams - The Colony
Basketball - Win over Spain - Gold

 
By Event:

Basketball
Tamika Catchings - Duncanville
Basketball - Win over France - Gold

Deron Williams - The Colony
Basketball - Win over Spain - Gold

Boxing
Marlen Esparza - Pasadena
Boxing - Bronze

Diving
David Boudia - Abilene
Diving - Men's Synch. 10m Platform - Bronze
Men's 10m Platform - Gold

Troy Dumais - Austin
Diving - Men's Synch. 3m Springboard - Bronze

Fencing
Courtney Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing -Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Kelley Hurley - San Antonio
Fencing - Women's Team Epee - Bronze

Swimming
James Feigen - San Antonio
Swimming - Men's 4x100m Freestyle - Silver

Brendan Hansen - Austin
Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke - Bronze
Men's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Dana Vollmer - Granbury
Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly - Gold
Women's 4x200m Freestyle - Gold
Women's 4x100m Medley - Gold

Taekwondo
Paige McPherson - Abilene
Taekwondo - Bronze

Track & Field
Brigetta Barrett  - Duncanville
Track & Field - Women's High Jump - Silver

Diamond Dixon - Houston
Track & Field - Womens 4x400M Relay - Gold

Trey Hardee - Austin -
Track & Field - Men's Decathlon 1500m - Silver

Trell Kimmons - Round Rock
Track & Field- Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Bianca Knight - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 4x100m Relay - Gold

Leo Manzano - Flatonia
Track & Field - Men's 1500m - Silver

Aries Merritt - Bryan
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Gold

Darvis Patton - Dallas
Track & Field - Men's 4x100m Relay - Silver

Jason Richardson - Cedar Hill
Track & Field - Men's 110m Hurdles - Silver

Sanya Richards-Ross - Austin
Track & Field - Women's 400m - Gold
Women's 4x400m Relay - Gold

Michael Tinsley - Round Rock
Track & Field - Men's 400m Hurdles - Silver

Volleyball
Destinee Hooker - San Antonio
Volleyball - Silver

Cute Kid Books

My kids and I go to the library at least once a week.  We bring home two big bags full of books each time we go.  And every now and then we find a book that just stands out above the rest - one that just touches your heart or makes you laugh or really makes you think.  This week we found two books like that.

The first one is a brand new book.  It's called Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake.  It was written by Kate Klise and illustrated by her sister M. Sarah Klise.  It was published July 3 of this year.  The suggested reading age is 4 and up.  Here is a description of the book from Amazon:

"Larry is a little lamb with a larger-than-life grandmother. She talks loudly, carries a heavy sewing machine, and has big plans to take Larry to Tanzania and the South Seas when he grows up. She even has a secret handshake. It’s all too much for shy little Larry—until a summer storm blows through the Lambs’ valley, and Larry finds an unlikely hero in his own family."

"This gentle tribute to the bond between child and grandparent reminds us that it often takes time for little ones to fall in love—even with those who love them the most."

It really is a good book.

 

 
The other book is an older book and it's called My Lucky Day.  It's written by Keiko Kasza.  The suggested reading age is 3 and up.  Here's a description from Amazon:

"When a delicious-looking piglet knocks on Mr. Fox's door "accidentally," the fox can hardly believe his good luck. It's not every day that dinner just shows up on your doorstep. It must be his lucky day! Or is it?  Before Mr. Fox can say grace, the piglet has manipulated him into giving him a fabulously tasty meal, the full spa treatment (with bath and massage), and . . . freedom."

Check these books out if you get a chance.

Sweet & Tangy Coleslaw

Well, summer is almost over.  That kind of has me feeling bipolar-ish in a way.  I'm glad this dadgum Texas heat will be letting up soon, and I'm sad that I'm going to have to start getting up early every morning and drive my daughter to school - well, that, and I'll also miss the little booger while she's at school.

I figured I better post this before summer was totally over and everyone puts the thought of coleslaw out of their minds.  I have to admit that, until now, I had never made coleslaw in my life.  I still have yet to shred any cabbage - that just sounds dangerous.  I cheated and used a bag of store-bought coleslaw.  You can do the same and spare any damage to your knuckles.

Sweet & Tangy Coleslaw

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 16 oz. bag coleslaw

Mix all ingredients in bowl.  Pour over coleslaw.


Go here for more great recipes:



and here:

Texas Music Scene Around Fort Worth Weekend of August 10, 2012

Texas Music Scene Around Fort Worth Weekend of August 10, 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012

River Trip @ Railhead BBQ in Willow Park - 7:30

Benji Allen @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:00 - $6

Darryl Lee Rush @ Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Scott Copeland @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

Buddy Whittington @ Big Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Roy Book Binder @ The Live Oak - 8:00 - $20

Pat Waters @ Rio Brazos Live in Granbury - 9:30 - $8

Rawstin @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $7

Ransom Rhodes @ Shady Oak Barbeque - 7:00



Saturday, August 11, 2012

Brushfire @ Railhead BBQ in Willow Park - 7:30

Johnny Lovett @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:00 - $10 (The Stagecoach is also having an Elvis tribute and an Elvis impersonation contest - how fun!!)

Brandon Bolin @ Woodshed Smokehouse  @ noon

Bodie Powell @ White Elephant Saloon - 2:00

The Dust Devils @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $6

After The Green Party featuring Fish Fry Bingo @ The Live Oak - 11:00 - $5

Davin James @ Rio Brazos Live in Granbury - 9:30 - $9.99

Mike McClure Band @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale - 9:00 - $5

The Steve Stewart Band @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $10

Amos Moses @ Shady Oak Barbeque - 7:00

Stuff We Find In Our Yard

I live in Fort Worth.  That's kind of obvious.  We live in the city.  We don't live in an unincorporated part of the city but the actual city.  We're lucky enough to live on about an acre of property which has a creek running through the front of it.  I say creek like it's some sort of beautiful, meandering stream flowing gracefully through our property.  In reality, it's sort of a naturally-made drainage ditch for storm water runoff.  Sounds strange, this sort of country-like setting being smack dab in the middle of Fort Worth, but that's just the way it is, and I consider myself very, very lucky to be living sort of in the country in the city. 

With those kind of surroundings comes a lot of strange things that find their way into our yard.  Some of them are kind of unbelievable.  Some of the things are just plain old trash that people throw out going down the road.  Those people who litter should be forced to sleep with whatever they throw out on the side of the road for at least 5,796 days of their stinky lives.

I thought it would be fun to share with you pictures of things I find in our yard because some of them are just so crazy, and I want to share my craziness with you.  Maybe I'll start this as a new feature once a week, kind of like my Texas Music feature I do.  It might be a once-a-month thing - depends on what finds its way into our yard.

You ready?  Here's installment one:

Just one of the many crazy things that found its way into our yard

That's a coyote pup that wandered up into our yard back in June of 2008.  At the time, we had about three basset hounds that lived outside.  This pup walked up to the fence where our dogs were and just stared at our dogs.  Then the pup walked a few feet and laid down under my car.  I called Fort Worth Animal Control and they came out, along with a police officer, and they captured the poor little thing and took him away.

Doesn't he look so pitiful?  I think about this poor guy at times and sometimes I feel bad because I called animal control.  I guess I could have raised this puppy and gave him a home.  It would have been totally cool when somebody asked what kind of dog I had and I said, I have a COYOTE - Booya - Top that one, son!!  Oh, man, that would have been awesome.  What wouldn't have been awesome is this COYOTE turning on me one day and him gouging my eyeballs out with his back teeth.  I like my eyeballs, thankyouverymuch, Wile E. Coyote.

NRH2O - Oh, So Fun

A couple of Fridays ago, my family and I had the pleasure of going to NRH2O.  NRH20 is a short trip up Boulevard 26 in North Richland Hills.  We had such a blast.  There's so many things to do there and for kids of all different ages.  It truly is a family water park.

I think we went on the most crowded day, like, ever, but there were still spots available to sit in the shade.  The first area we went to was Frogstein's Splashatory.  Check this out:

The Splashatory is a five-level interactive water playground that the whole family can enjoy.  It has eight slides, interactive water activities, and a giant 317-gallon tipping beaker that will dump water on you every few minutes.  Since we had our 2 1/2 year-old daughter with us, this is where we spent most of our time.

The Tadpole Swimming Hole, pictured in most of the pictures above, is a spot for kids under 48" tall. There's various slides and also a place where kids can try and cross the water using a rope net and balancing on lily pads.  There's also a little area where kids, big and small, can play in the sand right outside the Tadpole Swimming Hole area.

We spent some time in the NRH2Ocean.

 

That's when I realized that I better get a life jacket for my little one.  Luckily, NRH2O offers life jackets free of charge at different locations throughout the park.

We all took a trip on the Endless River. 

After eating lunch from Sharky's Smokehouse & Grill, one of the food outlets available at NRH2O, some of us braver kids ventured over to where some of the bigger slides are.  And that's where we rode the Great White.  Boy, did that bring back memories of the water slides that used to be around Fort Worth.  Do y'all remember those?  Where you picked up a mat and you walked all the way to the top and slid down?  And you did that over and over and over again all day long?  Man, that was fun!  Even though the Great White doesn't require the use of a mat, it still reminded me of the good old days.

My oldest daughter and I decided to ride Purplepalooza.  It's a totally enclosed, double-rider, inner tube slide.  You travel 365 feet in total darkness...total darkness...pitch black except for a few cracks of light every now and then..totally fun!

There's tons of different rides for kids over 48" tall.  Rides like the world's first Viper,  Green Extreme, The Accelerator, Double Dipper, Blue Twister, and Black Falls.  There's also an area called Beachside Bay.  You can play beach volleyball here, swim in a 5300-square foot pool, or just play in the sand.  You'll also find the Tech Deck here - an area where you can charge your connected devices such as cell phones, laptops or iPads.

While we were waiting in line for Purplepalooza, apparently somebody sent a tube down the slide and the tube got stuck or something.  I'm not quite sure what happened but we got to witness the lifeguards in action.  All of the lifeguards I saw were young adults, and I couldn't have been more impressed with how they handled this situation.  They were not lackadaisical at all.  They were both speedy and professional  at the same time.  I felt comfortable knowing these great lifeguards were watching over me and my kids and everybody else at the park.

We had a blast at NRH2O.  We will most definitely be going again.  I see season passes in our future for next year.

Y'all go check it out while you still can.  NRH2O's last day to be open is September 3, and they won't open again until May of 2013.

Here's a few bits of advice for you, take it or leave it, if you plan on taking a trip to NRH20:

Bring a blanket or something large enough to spread out on the ground so you can sit just in case there's no chairs available.

Bring a cooler with lots of cold water and snacks like cold fruit and yogurt.  (The water park doesn't allow glass containers, sharp knives, alcohol, restaurant- and store-prepared and packaged food and beverages, such as boxes of pizza, fast food, and drinks from restaurants or gas stations.)

Check out the park rules before you leave the house just to make sure you're not breaking any rules.

Buy a burger from Sharky's Smokehouse & Grill - DELICIOUS!!

Don't forget your sunscreen.  Also, it's best to apply sunscreen to the youngins before you leave the house.  They'll be chompin' at the bit to get in that water once you get to the park, so be prepared.

Before you go, be sure and check this page to see all the different discounts NRH2O offers.

Wear water shoes or flip-flops or even socks - anything to protect your feet from the hot, hot concrete.  If you wear flip-flops, just slip them off at the entrance to whatever ride you're going on and slip them back on after you're done with the ride.  Nobody messed with our shoes while we were on the rides.  I saw a few people with socks on - I'm not sure how well that protects your feet from the heat of the concrete, but it might work.

And most importantly, don't worry about what you look like in a bathing suit because there will probably be somebody there who looks worse than you!!  

Y'all have fun!!