RANDOMNESS #1 - Needless to say, Mike and Josh had an AWESOME time in College Station, Texas this weekend. The Texas A&M Stadium was their 8th SEC stadium to visit in as many years. It was a long road trip, but it was so worth the drive!
This is a phone pic of the stadium as everyone was leaving. Pretty nice, huh?
This is a phone pic of the scoreboard with the final score... 45 - 41. Even nicer, huh?
Josh loved the flatness of Texas. (This was his first time in the state.) The sunsets go on forever.
I hate to say it, but my guys ordered chicken fried bacon and gravy as an appetizer at Beastmasters Restaurant for their Saturday night victory dinner.
They kinda hate they told me about it because they are now on a 48-hour cleanse... which may turn into a 72-hour cleanse... or even a seven-day cleanse depending on my mood.
The very idea!
I thought deep fried butter was bad when I heard about it on a cooking show, but chicken fried bacon... and gravy.
Again... The very idea!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Zac is just like his brother and his cousins... tall. He is pretty easy to spot on the field in his marching band regalia, and I took a few pics of him doing his "thang."
His eyes look closed, but they were like that in every single picture I took.
I like to think he is concentrating very hard or praying without ceasing.
How cute is this guy?
Braces came off last week... and I'm pretty sure he grew another two inches.
It was a perfect night for a high school football game. Not a drop of humidity to be found! Everyone else wore a hoody, jacket or wrapped a blanket around their shoulders, but not me.
I just sat there in my purple and gold tank top and soaked in all the coolness.
It was even better than sitting on my favorite air conditioning vent during the long, hot Summer months.
And a good time was had by all.
Y'all know I'm kidding about the purple and gold tank top... right?
I'm a Gardendale Rocket.
I don't wear purple and gold!
RANDOMNESS #3 - Dance Mom Story #2 - This is another story from my first ever year as a Dance Mom. Remember, Roxie was five... and I was 40. (That was totally irrelevant, but I had already done the math and I hated to waste it.)
Roxie's first dance was scheduled ACT NUMBER 10 on the program.
I dressed her in her little bumblebee costume, and as per specific instructions, she wore a long shirt, leggings and sandals. In other words, no part of her costume was showing while we sat in the audience to watch the first three numbers.
After ACT NUMBER 3 was finished, we would quickly and quietly make our way to the dressing room where I would remove the long shirt, leggings and sandals... attach her headpiece with 43 bobby-pins... and slip on her little black tap shoes.
By the time ACT NUMBER 6 was in progress, we would be in position in the wings ready to go on as ACT NUMBER 10.
We were first-timers, but I was as prepared as I could possibly be.
And then it happened. I started to over-think.
The first ACT was a medley. One song going right into another song.
Did the first ACT count as one big song, or was I supposed to count the individual songs within the medley?
Doubts came flooding into my overly-prepared mind.
Flop sweat began.
And then Mikie became the straw that broke this 40 year-old Newbie Dance Mom's back...
"Is that a little bumblebee behind the curtain in the wings?" he asked.
I looked.
And, yes.
Yes, it was a little bumblebee behind the curtain in the wings.
That meant... That meant...
That meant I snatched Roxie's hand and we quickly and loudly ran from the auditorium, through the lobby, down the back stairs, straight to the dressing room...
Filled with dozens of other little bumblebees.
Within one minute... NAY! Within 48 seconds, I had attached Roxie's headpiece, taken off the shirt and leggings and slipped on her little black tap shoes, and we were ready to go.
But it wasn't time.
We had to wait another 33 minutes before we were supposed to be standing in the wings.
I looked around at all the Veteran Dance Moms, and said, "I thought I saw a bumblebee behind the curtain in the wings during the first ACT."
"Oh, that was Kelsey. She wanted to watch her big sister dance in the opening number, so her Mom took her upstairs a little early," another Mom explained, over her shoulder.
What? What? You were allowed to just go anywhere willy-nilly in the building whenever you wanted? You DID NOT have to follow the instructions on the OFFICIAL RECITAL INSTRUCTION SHEET I had memorized two days earlier?
I wanted to ask where I could report the disobedience of the little bumblebee standing behind the curtain in the wings (and her MOM), but I had a feeling since I was a Newbie I needed to be quiet and breathe.
Right after I walked next door to the 10 year-old girls' dressing room to borrow/sneak/snatch some deoderant.
Flop sweat on a 40 year-old Newbie Dance Mom is NOT a pretty sight.
And guess what? I have another Dance Mom Story for Friday.
Sad, but true.
Poor, little bumblebee... with the stressed-out Newbie Dance Mom.
Don't you want to just hug her?
Quotable Quotes - Loved this one!
"Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ." Sheila Walsh
Halloween Brownie Surprise (Pinterest)
You will need the following:
2 boxes of brownies
Any and all kinds of mini chocolate bars collected at Halloween
1. Prepare brownies according to package instructions.
2. Spread half into a 9" x 13" pan.
3. Layer with mini chocolate bars.
4. Spread the rest of the mix over the candy bars and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. Cut into small pieces since they are rich and each piece will have a different taste.
NOTE - I had to bake my recipe for an hour. After 45 minutes, I put a piece of aluminum foil over the pan and baked it an additional 15 minutes.
ANOTHER NOTE - My favorite bite... The bite with a miniature Hershey's Krackel in the middle. Yum!
Have a delightful, cool, autumnal week. I'll be back Friday with yet another Dance Mom Story, Weekend Happenings, pics of something (I don't know what) and some more October "goodness" you can try at home.
Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. I'm going to leave you with an Austin/Lovely Melia October pic. I just thought it was pretty.
my daughter's first dance recital - hmmm... well we reported to Riverchase Middle School for 'rehearsal' the day of the recital. That did not bode well. After a hour of 'rehearsal' most of the little girls were looking for the door to go home NOT actually perform. (That was dark ages ago before recitals were such big deals with flowers and pictures and extended family members all having to attend; we did not even order a picture that day because of the state of the unhappy dance participant). Any-who by the time it was "TIME" to actually go on stage and dance - well hair was in shambles; I was in shambles. Dancer got her twinkle twinkle star ripped right off its stick (repaired with BLACK electrical tape...that was in my father-in-law's car trunk) and crown entangled amongst the backdrop. Neither of us was prepared but the show went on; grandparents applauded and, yes, we were all sweating. Some how somebody forgot to turn on the air conditioning at the school.
ReplyDeleteGreat First Recital story. It actually made me start sweating reading it! And the person who "forgot" to turn on the air conditioning... Well, I hope they were fired on the spot. The very idea!
DeleteOh Belinda I'm so glad you shared the story with us/me. Also those men in Texas should have had brisket while there. Gosh I miss eatin' brisket at Rudy's in Texas. Look forward to your story on Friday.
ReplyDeleteAndrea