Thankgiving Yummy Recipes

We spent thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family. Thirty-five people gathered round the table (ok, tables) for the feast. Everyone was assigned dishes to bring.

My mom and I made: salad, Sweet Potato Casserole, 2 pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecake, and Chocolate Chip Pie.

I was particularly pleased with the end result of the Sweet Potato Casserole - it was nothing like the monstrosity that mom typically makes - candied yams (made from canned sweet potatoes topped with marshmellows).

Judging by the amount consumed and the compliments heaped on it - the Sweet Potato Casserole was a success!

Sweet Sweet Potato Casserole

INGREDIENTS
5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup whipping cream
2.5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon all-spice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
Boil the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan approximately 10 minutes, or until tender.
In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, cinnamon, all-spice, cream, butter, 1/2 of the pecans and flour. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and coconut.
Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

The other recipe that got rave reviews is the Chocolate Chip Pie - a recipe stolen from my sweet friend, Monika. I've made it several times - including entering it in the Bake-Off at my work, for which it was awarded 2nd place. It's very rich, very delicious, and very easy!

Chocolate Chip Pie

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
9" unbaked pie shell

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add flour, sugars, and butter; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Spoon into pie shell and bake for 1 hour.

Thanksgiving with the Family

J.T. and I alternate spending Thanksgiving with each of our families. Last Thanksgiving, we celebrated with his family out at Turkey Creek Ranch in Cross Plains.

This Thanksgiving was spent in the typical Hastie way - a mammoth feast with a gaggle of family followed by a hayride. This year was no exception!

Following are some pictures:

Here we are after dinner... cousin Lauren on far left, my dad in the background, and me on the right.

My cousins Sophia and Julia with their chic new haircuts.

Out on the hayride - my dad's sister Marilyn and baby cousin Rachael and my cousins Amanda and Shay.

My Grandaddy being silly.

The whole group on the hayride.

As usual, Cooper got lots of lovin'

Here I am with my cousin Jessica's 2 week old baby, Coulter.

My sweet uncle, David. He looks tough, but he's a teddy bear!

And finally...

"Honey, can we have one soon?"

I Starred in a Fashion Show This Weekend

At least according to my mom…. Anyone else might say that I participated in the show. I pranced. I sashayed. I struck several poses. And I repeated at least a million times in my head “I will not trip, I will not trip.”
The repetition must have worked – no stubbed toes, no trips, and [most thankfully] no falls.

The Fashion Show and Luncheon was themed “Passionately Pink…Celebrating Sisters” – so my sister Shelley joined me in the modeling. It was a fun experience to share with her. Both of our “scenes” featured coordinating clothing – animal prints and the [sparkliest] trend of the season – metallics.

The event was a fundraiser for the Susan B Komen Breast Cancer foundation, featuring the guest speaker Suzie Humphrey -- a Professional Motivational Speaker and Humorist. Suzie has an impressive resume and amusing [yet slightly predictable] approach to speaking and life. The most remarkable thing about Suzie, in my opinion, was her courageous battle with breast cancer.

At the end of the presentation – she had the “survivors” in the room come to the front. I blinked back tears as women of all ages proceeded to the front. I was struck by some of the younger women, barely older than I.

Breast Cancer has hit 2 in my family – my beloved Aunt Chris and my great Aunt Jo (my grandmother Joy’s sister). The luncheon got me excited about 2 upcoming events. First on Saturday, November 3rd – the TCU football game will be themed “Frogs for the Cure” and feature pink shirts in an attempt to “Pink Out” the stadium. $3 per t-shirt is donated to Komen. Also, on Saturday, April 26th – I’ll be running the 5k “Race for the Cure” with fellow women in my provisional class of Junior League. (I better start training now!) =) If you are reading this – expect to be hit up for a donation next spring…

And until then (because anyone who knows me, knows that I love to shop), here’s a link for you: Think Pink: Goods that Do Good because what better way to shop than to feel good about it?

Tiny Dancer In My Head....

In the words of Elton John "...tiny dancer in my head..."
Ever since my brother David sent me this link, I've been borderline obsessed with this.

*Right brain vs. left brain test: is the dancer turning clockwise or counterclockwise?

My mom is convinced that there's a conspiracy against her - that we are just *teasing* her - that it only moves clockwise.

Which way does it move for you?

*This was originally from the Freakonomics blog - which is sheer genius, in my opinion.

Welcome home!

Often I don't feel like my life is "blog-worthy." J.T. and I are typical DINKs - who lead fairly average [busy] lives... working a lot and playing a little.

Today I did something out of the ordinary.

I had the opportunity to go to the DFW International Airport and welcome our troops home.

Armed with a patriotic poster, I had no idea what to expect.

There was a group of about 200, waiting to greet the 110 troops arriving at DFW. While we were waiting, we sang "God Bless America","The Star Spangled Banner" and "O Beautiful".

After a 45 minute wait, we learned that the flight had arrived. A few minutes later, cheers errupted from those that had glimpsed the soldiers walking down the hall.

One by one they filtered through - some basking in the glory of the cheers, some looking shell-shocked and scared. A few had a final destination here in the metroplex, so they were met by loving famiy and friends. Some soliders shook every hand out-stretched to them, while some looked straight ahead.

There were two that made a particular impression on me - one was a boy who reminded me of my little cousin Pete. He could not have been any older than 18 - his face pale and serious, his eyes sad. I found myself wondering what he had witnessed and experienced - imagining him as a carefree boy in years, but a man in experience.

Another man in his 30's was met by a wife and grandmother. The grandmother was a slight thing with wispy white hair and tears rolling down her weathered cheeks. She held one of his hands in both of her small hands, tenderly patting it as they walked. As I watched, my own eyes welled up with tears and my heart offered up a small prayer of thanksgiving for my husband safely at his office.

Since I don't have any family or friends fighting in the war - it's easy for me to forget about what's going on. But after such an emotion-filled experience, my heart echos the words on the posters:

Thank You for What You Do
Welcome Home
&
God Bless America

Baby "Lucky"

My cousin Josslyn & her husband Ross welcomed their 2nd child today- a little boy born 5 weeks early. Although he is not yet named, the doctor affectionately called him Lucky when he was born. (In case you are the medically or gory inclined, the sack fortunately did not tear near the placenta blood vessels, which would have caused the little guy to bleed to death. )
Baby Lucky weighed 5 lbs. 8 oz. and was 18 inches long.

Congratulations Joss, Ross & Peyton on the new addition to your family!

Back to Juniper Hills Farms

I'm very excited -- J.T. and I just booked a weekend trip to Juniper Hill Farms in the spring.
We'll be going on March 14th - 16th, staying in the fabulous Casita Roja. I'm interested to see what the view from our cabin will be like in late Winter/early Spring.
I'm hoping to take J.T. to Mandola Winery while we are in the area - and perhaps stock up on some wine.

Here is the description of the class we'll be taking:
Outdoor Wood Oven Cooking

• Stove Top Sangria
• Pizza: BBQ Chicken and Grilled Onions
• Roasted Garlic, Mushroom Medley Saute and Prosciutto Sausage and Peppers
• Apple Tarte Tatin

Sounds like quite a feast!

Roman's First Day of Kindergarton

Here's a few pictures from Roman's first day of kindergarton:





Here's Roman talking on the phone to me. Notice his new Ninja Turtle backpack -- it's quite exciting.

Walking up to the school.

And here's the desk at which the learning will take place. Expect great things from this little boy! =)

A new week....

Another week has come and gone. Hopefully soon I'll get into the habit of writing in this blog more regularly.

Today is my nephew Roman's first day of kindergarten. I called this morning to wish him a great first day. It's hard for me to believe that my little Ro-Ro has grown up. And as much as I've teased Shelley - I think she's cried at every milestone in Roman's 5 year life - I had to blink back tears this morning.

Lately, I've been thinking about the circle of life - birth, death, and all of the changes in between.

Close friends Bonnie and Audrey have both had babies relatively recently. They've experienced the joys and aches of motherhood -- something I long for but am patiently waiting for. Another friend is experiences the heartache of infertility and is currently going through IVF.

My close friend Sarah is halfway across the world in Ansbach, Germany -- an exciting time, but also scary. I know that communication is much easier these days than when my grandparents were missionaries in Guatemala -- cell phones, text messaging, email, even video over the computer. Yet I know there will be days that she is homesick, days that she wishes she could be at home for birthday parties, family dinners, and girls night out.

My Uncle Bryan was recently diagnosed with cancer in several of his lymph nodes - indicating not long left for him here on earth. I made a trip to East Texas this weekend - wanting to spend some time with him before the Lord take him home. Although he has declined treatment through chemotherapy, he did purchase a light machine that is supposed to "kill" the cancer. To me, this idea seems ludicrous. But it's something that he's excited for - placing his hope in. So to me it makes me think that maybe he is not ready to die-?

It's amazing how quickly we speed through life and wonder if I really take the time for the things that matter.
Does my husband know how important he is to me? Do I show it with my actions?
Do I take the time to make the people around me feel loved?
Does my aunt Chris know how much I respect what she's done with my autistic cousin, Trey?
Do my parents know how much I love them?
Do my niece and nephew know that I think about them each day?
Do I encourage people around me like I should?
Do my friends know how special they are to me?
Do I pray for people like I should?
Do non-christians get an idea of God's love through the way I treat them?

I remember in high school - my dad would tell me to "slow down" and take care of responsibilities. I think that I need to make the above questions into responsibilites - something I am conscious of - not just hope that they happen.

God chose to take my friend Curtis home on October 23, 2004 in an airplace crash. Curtis had a t-shirt that said "Life is short... fly hard" and he lived his life by that motto - I know that Curtis touched everyone he met. And I want to do the same.

I know that I don't have a guarantee for tomorrow. I'd like to think that I have a full life ahead of me - but cannot know for sure. So instead - I want to make a point to make each day count.

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1

Boxing In the Ballroom

On Friday, August 17th - J.T. and I attended the "Boxing in the Ballroom" gala at the Worthington Hotel. I have to admit that I enjoyed it more than I expected to - thanks to excellent front row seats and a friendly bet with one of J.T.'s co-workers (more on that below). First, a couple of observations:

• The ring was "regulation size" -- I was suprised how small it looked in real life. I've seen boxing a time or two on t.v. On the screen though, I thought the ring looked much bigger. I certainly would not want to be in that small ring -- there wasn't much room to get away.
• The sweat --I have a couple of friends who regularly practice kick-boxing. I've never doubted that it is a good work-out. But now after watching boxing up close and personal - I am convinced that it is an incredible work-out. I was amazed at the spray of sweat that would fly with each punch (If our table had been any closer, I probably would not have thought it was quite so interesting... but I was just far enough to stay dry).
• Male vs. female -- there were 5 male fights and one female match. Perhaps the males had better technique. Perhaps their blows were harder and more precisely aimed. But when the girls fought - it was much faster paced. They were out for blood and the audience loved it. J.T. had told me ahead of time that the women were more agressive - and he was right!

Who would have thought that I could choose boxing winners? Not I. But, it seems that I have a certain talent for picking out champions. On the 2nd match - J.T.'s coworker put $5 down on his pick - which started a 5 match winning streak for me. I came home at the end of the night $80 richer -- all by making the highly educated picks such as "I choose the guy in the red glitter shorts".
Although I'm not ready to claim boxing as my favorite sport - I do have to say that I enjoyed it more than I expected (although I did miss the biggest excitement of the night while I was in the ladies' room - a knock out.... see the amusing quote highlighted in the below article.)

Lightweight turns heavy hitter in second-round KO
By TRAE THOMPSON
Star-Telegram staff writer
Justo Vallecillo had his hands full early but took care of that.
The San Antonio lightweight landed a one-two combination, capped by a right hook to the head that took Allen's Antonio Reyes off his feet and gave Vallecillo a second-round knockout Friday night.
The undercard fight was one of six featured on the Star-Telegram's eighth annual Boxing at the Ballroom card, held at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel and benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Vallecillo (3-3) had a clear height advantage over Reyes (1-1), who was tenacious early and landed two great shots despite having to punch up. In the second round, Vallecillo rallied and said he knew he had Reyes the second his punch landed.
"Once I caught him with the right, that's all she wrote," Vallecillo said through an interpreter.
Reyes was helped up by ringside physicians.
The main event didn't last one round, as Lubbock super featherweight Lupe Guzman (3-1) got a technical knockout over Rudy Paz (2-6-1) of San Antonio. Guzman landed a looping overhand right for the first standing eight-count. Seconds later, Guzman got another. The fight continued, and Guzman landed more shots near the ropes before the referee stepped in.
In other fights, Fort Worth's Anthony Smith (2-0) dominated Charles Aguilara (0-3) of San Antonio with strong overhand lefts and got a third-round technical knockout when Aguilara's corner threw in the towel. Bantamweight Jose Garcia (1-1) used straight lefts and rights to decision Jeremy Valderez (0-2), and lightweight Esteban Almarez landed better power punches to decision Clemente Hernandez. Houston female lightweight Crystal Delgado won a majority decision over Elizabeth Tavarez.

Busy Weekend

It's 9:30 in the morning on Friday and already I feel overwhelmed by the weekend. It is not often enough that I have a weekend where I feel *relaxed* after the weekend.

Tonight - J.T. and I are going to a charity event "Boxing in the Ballroom" benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Worth. It is a black tie gala featuring dinner, professional boxing and live and silent auctions. According to the Fort Worth Business Press: It features "hand-rolled cigars and six bouts of boxing by professional fighters. Five of the bouts will be male fights, and the fifth will be a ladies’ fight. " This will be my first experience with boxing - I'll let you now what I think!

Once again - this cinderella feels that she has nothing to wear. I've learned that the phrase black tie - has one meaning for males, and a plethora of options for females: Long dress or short? Strapless or more concervative? Demure black or more colorful? And the list goes on. Is it sad that I've started compiling a list for different events? What's that...you think I'm kidding? No sir. It's currently a word document titled "Attire List". Although I'm beginning to think Excel might be a more efficient format. Column for I Wore, column for I Felt (example: over-dressed, under-dressed, perfect), Others Wore. Etc.

Saturday night we are going to a wedding in Dallas - friends of J.T.'s. Apparently most people from Lake Highlands marry other people from Lake Highlands and settle down and live in Lake Highlands. And send their kids to Lake Highlands Schools... I'm so very glad that J.T. broke the mold! But of course he's always been one to follow his own drum beat.

I remember when I was getting married - someone made a "helpful" comment about the invitation -

Don't bother spending a lot on the invitation... it just goes in the garbage anyway.

Well, I am here to say that I cannot bear to throw wedding invitations away. I have file folders - "Wedding Invitations", "Shower Invitations", "Wedding Programs". And if the invitation for this wedding is any indicator - it should be a great one! Apparently she is a designer of some sort (graphic?) and designed the subtle patterns on the invitation to match her dress. Now *that* is attention to detail!

It should be fun - J.T.'s parents and his brother David & girlfriend are going. I'm expecting it to be a Lake Highlands reunion.

Now as readers - you may be thinking "That doesn't seem like such a busy weekend". In addition to the event & wedding, I'd like to make it to tennis drills on Saturday morning at Colonial. Also - at some point during the weekend, J.T. and I will go to a Bikram Yoga class. One of J.T.'s college friends, Kyle, will be in town for another wedding. He'll be crashing at our house both Friday and Saturday nights.

Then Sunday night, my best friend Sarah will be coming in town. She's moving to Germany on Monday for 2 years. We'll spend the night on Sunday at a hotel in Denton near the Vehicle Processing Center - so we can deliver her car on Monday morning by 8 a.m. to be shipped overseas. Then I'll drive her to the airport. I feel very fortunate to get to see her off but also feel very heavy hearted to say "Auf Wiedersehen".

Have a great weekend! Guten tag!

Weekend at Juniper Hills Farms

The last weekend of July, my mother-in-law Debbie, Julie and I spent the weekend at Juniper Hills Farms to celebrate Aunt Julie's 50th birthday. The weekend consisted of visiting local entrepreneurs' stores/markets, cooking school at Onion Creek Kitchen, and delicious food and wine. The setting was serene, the weather enjoyable, and the company superb.

If you'd like more information about the weekend, you can pay a visit to my travel blog.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Literary Friends?

In Jonathan's blog, he included an entry about Harry Potter Mania, and how he had read on CNN.com about people feeling a sense of loss that the series had come to an end. Jonathan asked:

To my readers: any character-friends come to mind, other than the ones already
mentioned in this post?

Here is my reply:

I have now pondered this entry for two and a half days - thinking about the question of "character-friends" from books I may have read.

I've racked my brain. I've recalled classics that I've read throughout school. I've examined the books that are placed with love on my hallway bookshelf.

I do have to admit that several books I have read have brought intense emotions. Yes, I cried while reading "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Yet when I closed each of the books (it was a 3 part series), I smiled with contentment - not feeling a pain as though losing a friend.

I pondered this. Wondered if I have not read enough. Wondered if I have simply read the wrong books. Wondered if I just did not have the capacity to empathize.

Then last night as I knelt in my closet to straighten my shoes - I picked up a pair of brown, high-heeled sandals. As I neatly placed them side by side, I felt what can only be described as a pain as I realized that their end was coming. I squinted my eyes and examined the heels - wondering if a cobbler could do something about the leather that had peeled in spots.

And then it hit me.

Although this may reveal my shallow side, especially in the midst of such a literary sophisticated blog, my shoes have acted as friends to me.

Why do I say this?

I can recall in the spring of 2000 purchasing these shoes. They were from Payless Shoe Stores and cost < $20. (Now keep in mind that I am a shoe-string budget type of gal – I don’t have a closet full of Manolo Blahniks.) I remember while purchasing them thinking that if they lasted through the summer then I'll have gotten my money's worth out of them. I never would have dreamed that I would still have them 7 years later.

Now why are these shoes something special?

They have thin leather straps in a "thong" style but also have a delicate heel - giving me much needed height and 'lengthening my leg' as Stacy from What Not to Wear would say. They go with everything from a cute sundress to my favorite tan seer-sucker knee length shorts. And I have many fond memories while wearing them.

These shoes and memories reminded me of my beloved copper, ruffled Steve Madden peep-toe wedges. I've worn them to weddings and on nights out on the town. I wore them to the hospital to see my friend Audrey's new baby. And I wore them as a sense of comfort when I went to the hospital to sit by a friend on his death bed. I remember looking down through a haze of tears and thinking "Bair lived his life to the fullest. And he would be proud of me wearing a special pair of shoes to the hospital to say my good-byes."

And so the Ruffle Shoes - as I affectionate call them - are dear old 'souls' (corny pun intended) to me.

And one day when I'm forced to retire them into their shoebox one final time - I will have a sense of sadness as though losing a friend. They've been with me for many highs and have made the lows easier. And they will have served their time well (aside from the blister that they gave me the first time that I wore them but I will choose to forget that incident).

And I will be forced to find a new favorite pair of shoes to walk with me throughout the next chapter of my life.

Why the Blog Name?

A fresh week...a fresh blog...and a fresh start. I'd like to think my brother Jonathan for encouraging me to start blogging. In his brilliant words:

It's not about how glamorous one's life is (though granted, living in New York is fun), it's about how you help people see the interesting things...

I decided to do it. The first obstacle I faced was the naming of the blog. It's the first chance that I get to introduce myself - quite a decision. So I decided to incorporate the song "Cockeyed Optimist". I sang it in 6th grade at a talent show at Kilgore High School. And the words of it have reverberated in my mind ever since. It's the way I like to view the world and make the choice to enjoy life. In case you are wondering, lyrics can be found here.

So I hope you enjoy my new blog and enjoy my musings on my life.