I Love Her So Much

I Love Her So Much

Creek at the Gate is Up

Boy we had some rain....

Frogs

Isaac caught a big old frog last weekend. He kept it for the night, but it was looking sick in the morning so we let it go in the wet grass.

Pies and Pints, Cool Place to Eat

Look at that pizza...

...kind of different, huh. The kids and I splurged the other night and went to a place in downtown Charleston called Pies and Pints. It is a really cool pizza place. They make some really different pizza combinations. Isaac and I had a 1/2 Cuban Pork and 1/2 Chicken and Gouda. Lexy had the stand by pepperoni. Isaac got the treat of draft Rootbeer too. It was really good.

So, Charleston crowd, if you haven't tried Pies and Pints, I recommend it.

Sunday Afternoon

It was plenty warm for the first of April on Sunday. This picture was on the way home from church (about 1pm). Isaac was chillin' in the back seat. He was trying to be in a hurry getting dressed for church and wanted to wear a sweater instead of a dress shirt and tie. I told him it would be too hot. He was pretty luck that we work an undershirt. I looks like he is cooling back down in this picture.

So, with it being such a nice day I decided to take the kids down town to the baseball game(s). Because of the rain the WV Power were playing a double header.

We sat in our typical are area, behind Mr Toast. He didn't make the first game of the double header, but he came during the break between. The Rowdy Alley folks tried to keep up some of his cheers, but it wasn't the same until he got there. (ie. "Dirrrrttt Baaaall" and "HI!!!" for the pitcher; "You are toast, you are toast, you... are.... TOAST!!" for the batters.)

This is a really nice ball park, it's clean, easy to park, they always have fun promotions for the kids, etc. I wish a few more people supported it so Charleston doesn't lose the team.

Isaac was trying to work a hi five from the mascot.

As a sneak peak... The leaves are starting to come on here. Little hints of green are appearing on the tree tops.

Wiener-Mobile

So the Wiener-Mobile was in town the other day. I wish we would have time to check it out more, but we were in a hurry. Not too big of a to get a picture of the kids in front of it.

I tell you what, this one was decked out inside. Looked like a sweet ride. Could have been on Pimp My Ride.

Crepes

Here is my stand by crepe recipe. We get in a kick and eat them 3 or 4 weekends in a row. I have modified the recipes that I have had over the years to make them the way I like them.

Crepes

1c. Flour
1/4c. Sugar
1 tsp Baking Power
1 1/2 c. Milk
2 Eggs
1 T. Vegetable Oil or Melted Butter (optional)
Dash Salt

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, push to one side of the bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the empty side of the bowl, whip together with a wire whisk. Combine the ingredients, mix only until they are completely mixed. Some small lumps are fine. Pour approx. 1/2 cup of batter into hot, lightly oiled pan or grill, spread batter out to desired size. Turn to cook both sides. Fill with favorite jam or fruit filling. Enjoy.

I like to make some fresh fruit filling for mine. I had blackberries this weekend. It is hard to put measurements to things that I never measure, but I have tried to make a good guess for you.

Fruit Filling

2 c Fresh fruit, cleaned and sliced if needed
1/4 c Corn Starch
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 c Water
1/4 c Water

Add fruit, sugar and 1/4 c water to a small sauce pan over medium heat. Mix corn starch and 1/4 c cool water in a small dish. Once the water begins to boil stir in the corn starch mixture. Bring to a boil stirring to keep from scorching. Boil until desired thickness. Enjoy.

And we can't enjoy the fresh fruit filling without whipped cream. We make ours at home. Again with the never measure.

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 - 2 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 c. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla (I love my Mexican WHITE vanilla)

Add cream to a frozen bowl and begin beating with frozen beaters on high. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until desired thickness.

TIP: Yes the frozen speeds up the process. Remember you are beating air into the cream, bring your beaters to the surface but don't make a mess. (Momma hates cleaning whipped cream off of the walls)

Now that all of that is make put them together.

I like to dust them with a little powder sugar for presentation.

CFSC Competition 2011

Today was the Charleston Figure Skating Club Competition held at the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena. We we there for the whole morning. Lexy took the ice at 7:30am from practice and Isaac finished up around 12:30pm. Yes, Isaac. They had a hockey section to the competition, at the end. Here is our little Lexy with her flowers after she skated.She skated in the Freeskate 3 Program. She skated to the song Stereo Love. It's a fun song, it's a dance mix style song with the achordian. She got a gold medal.She also skated the Beginner Interpretive where the skaters don't know the music. They hear it for the first time at the ice rink just before they compete. The music that they ended up with was Elvis' You Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog. It sure was fun. Lexy got a silver medal.So after the girls got done skating and their medals were handed out the hockey portion of the competition began. There where three events, Stick Handling, Shooting, and Fastest Skater. The stick handling event was a row of cones the length of the ice, the boys had to weave the cones, skating around the net and race back down the other side of the ice, all with the puck. Fastest time wins. The shooting event had the shooter tutor in the net and cones set at about 10 or 12 feet out. They were then passed 10 pucks one at a time. The player who got the most pucks in wins. The fastest skater is just one full lap.

There where only three boys that signed up for the event. Isaac fumbled the puck a little on the stick handling, but ran the drill faster that I thought he could. He got third there. He was the only player that got a puck in the net during the shooting event, first place. Then he was second in the fastest skater by just less that a second, to a 13 year old player. This is a picture of the boys during the shooting medal presentation.This one is a picture of them during the fastest skating awards. On the far left there is JD. The guy that taught Isaac all the basics of hockey. He is a neat guy.