Rangers to the World Series!

photos from the Dallas Morning News

As a lifelong baseball fan, I am SO excited that the Texas Rangers are back in the World Series! I look forward to watching each game and cheering them on.



Robert and I were able to attend Game One of the American League Championship Series with Will and his friend, Ty. Despite two hours' worth of rain delays, we had a great time.

We've been invited to Game Three of the World Series, and I can hardly wait! Go, Rangers!

Catching up on Cooking Club.

Yikes! I have not posted on my Cooking Club in a long time! So long, in fact, that we have started a new cookbook and have almost completed our rotation with it.

Our latest cookbook selection, Savor the Moment from the Junior League of Boca Raton, was recommended by a commenter on my blog. Thanks, Bridget! Our group has really enjoyed Savor the Moment.

Here are some pictures and menus from some of our gatherings over the past year (in December and April I neglected to bring my camera):

September 2011

We kicked off the new school year with a delicious lunch at Elizabeth's beautiful home

Menu:
Alligator Eye Dip
Creamy Cucumber Soup
Sour Cream Banana Bread
Sun-dried Tomato Potato Salad
Picnic Rice with Cranberries
Chicken with Goat Cheese and Roasted Bell Peppers
Bourbon Butter-Glazed Cake

May 2011

We dined al fresco at Meredith's on a gorgeous spring day in Dallas. Sadly, we also bade farewell to our wonderful friend Lynne who was moving to Arkansas :(

Menu:
Wild Mushroom Brie
Mesclun with Walnut-crusted Goat Cheese Rounds
Black Bottom Soup
Petite Butter Rolls (me)
Artichokes and Spinach
Grilled Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa
Frozen Lemon Mousse (notice the beautiful antique long-stemmed glasses Lynne brought to serve this in)

March 2011


Menu:
Macadamia-Stuffed Mushrooms
Town and Country Salad
Cantaloupe Champagne Soup
Stuffed Bread
Garlic Soufflé (me - I was so proud of how this turned out!)
Baja Shrimp
Cinderella Cheesecake


I'm including this bigger picture because my friend Barenda sets the prettiest table of anyone I know! I covet her beautiful silver pheasants

February 2011

My friend Ellen is incredibly creative. The black and white cachepots with the white hydrangeas in the center of her table had red hots around the plants. So very cute! Ellen also made these precious placecards for each person's seat. Her favor was a pad of little food-themed page flag post-its


Chef Set Page Flags - click here to see them online

Menu:
Sahara Dates
Buttermilk Chive Biscuits
Best Friends Iced Coffee Frappé
Mixed Greens with Phoenician Dressing (me)
Garden Sandwich
Parmesan Cheese-Crusted Zucchini
Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya
Cappuccino Sundaes

January 2011

We gathered on a cold winter's day at our friend Thayer's. She served one of our best-ever entrées

Menu: Pesto Bleu Cheese Tartlets (me)
Florida Spritzer
Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup
Shitake and Warm Corn Salad
Potato and Wild Mushroom Galette
Herbed Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Wine Sauce
Raspberry Cream Pie

November 2011

I'm hosting again next week in place of my friend Lynne. I'm afraid my table is going to look very similar as I'll probably be using the same linens!

Menu:
Walnut and Gorgonzola Crostini
Carrot Soup with Dill
Baby Greens with Pears
Provolone and Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Bread with Garlic Spread
Scalloped Potatoes and Butternut Squash with Leeks
Bourbon-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Sour Cream Sauce (me)
Fruit Tea Cranberry Cheesecake (from Peace Meals)

Vivian at school.

I was a substitute teacher at Vivian's high school last week, and during my off-period I stopped by Vivian's classroom to observe. I was so impressed with how engaged the students were and with how much Vivian's teachers were able to get her to do!


Here Vivian is reading with her teacher Ms. B. Vivian has learned quite a few sight words and is able to read them in these books


Vivian practices her writing by tracing letters with Mrs. Kemp


Vivian does a "work job" with Mr. Ripley (this one involved matching opposites)


If Vivian stays on task without melting down, she earns check marks. After three check marks, Vivian can do an activity that she chose earlier


Today's reward was listening to Arthur's Halloween


Vivian later in the cafeteria. I was amazed at how well Vivian did amongst all the noise and activity there!


Vivian at a pep rally. Vivian calls it the "pepperoni"

Yesterday Mrs. Kemp sent me this video of Vivian in her Partners PE class. I asked Vivian last night what she used to hit the ball in PE, and she told me a "hockey puck stick." Then she added, "Just like Will."

Parents Weekend, take two.

TCU Family Weekend was great! We saw MUCH more of our college student this year than we did last; I think Will appreciates the value of a free meal better as a sophomore than he did as a freshman.

Will's room at the fraternity house was in about the shape I expected. He and his roommate had gone to the effort of making their beds, but neither seemed to care about the piles of trash on their floor. Turns out the boys didn't have a trash can; worse yet, they hadn't even noticed they didn't have one. {sigh}

All in all a fun time, though!


Dinner Friday night. My cousin's daughter is a freshman at TCU, and we went to dinner with their family. Will also invited a friend to join us


Our restaurant Friday night, called Nonna Tata, is TINY and doesn't take reservations (we knew this and went very early). While we were there, two different parties arrived with their own tables, chairs, tablecloths, candles and wine glasses and set up on the sidewalk just off the patio! Evidently the kitchen can accommodate more diners, but their space can't, so devotees of the restaurant have solved this problem by bringing their own everything! We were quite intrigued by this concept and thought it sounded like a fun Friday night adventure with friends


At the house Saturday morning: Will had lofted his bed (perhaps to sleep further away from the trash), but it was horribly rickety so Robert helped Will stabilize it (or more accurately, Will *supervised* while Robert fixed the bed)


Will's desk. Hmmm


The boys hosted a cookout at the fraternity house for the parents. Will originally told us the party would start at 11, but he texted me around 10:45 and said, "Uh, I just woke up and I'm the only one at the house who's awake, so you probably shouldn't come until closer to 11:30."


Robert and me with Will before the football game


At the game I spotted this adorable child wearing a precious purple and white gingham bishop dress smocked with TCU's horned frog mascot. Oh, how I miss the days when I dressed my girls like that!


TCU's stadium is under construction. It was unpleasantly hot that afternoon, so I watched the game from under the concourse. TCU beat Portland State, 55-13


Saturday night Will invited another friend to join us for dinner at a steakhouse in the Fort Worth Stockyards


Mother and son at the conclusion of a fun weekend!