The Joy of Cooking.......

and Eating

I started cooking at an early age, about 10. My parents allowed great autonomy relative to my age and experience, and I was showered with praise and compliments in my cooking endeavors. I enjoyed cooking.

The cooking experiences and expectations I learned in my family of origin gave me a severe wake up call when I got married. It was really hard for me to accept that Davin did not bring the same experiences and expectations of cooking to the table, literally and figuratively, as I did. Davin's family ate meat and potatoes, mine ate chicken and vegetables. Oh my!

Davin and I both believe that cooking is an essential skill, so all of our children are experienced and accomplished cooks in their own right. When Leigh Anne left for college, we lost our cook :(. Since Davin is a college instructor, I asked him to do the cooking when he is off work.

Earlier this year, I watched the movie, "Julie & Julia". It was about the great cook Julia Child and one of her admirers, Julie. It was a great movie. It was funny, interesting and inspiring. Davin and I even got to visit Julia's kitchen at The Smithsonian in D.C. last year. Davin also watched the movie and, to my surprise, asked for a copy of her book "Mastering the Art of Fine Cooking". My palette is receiving the benefit of this gift daily.



This was brunch today, eggs benedict

BAM!

It's the Name Game

Some people like nicknames, some don't, around this house though there isn't a choice, not even for the cats. I love nicknames and always have; I think they are fun and in a way are an expression of endearment. Everyone at this house has a nickname, sometimes that is mistaken for their real name. The cats for instance, one is named Nina, but not really....her name is Fiddy, Fiddy Phat Phat. One of Wid's (see there we go again) friends called the house the other day asking if Fiddy's real name was Nina because Will had called the cat Nina and she hadn't known who Will was talking about or something. The boys started calling me Anne Leigh when I first moved in but it didn't stick much...then they started calling me Lan, which stuck like glue. I have people back home who call me Lan so it's easy to answer to.

We have fun with our names and everything else. Recently the boys have been on a mission to get me to buy the board game Risk; I'm totally up for the game, especially since they seem to think that they will win (we will see). Everyone will be leaving soon and I can only imagine how quite the house will be, I'll definitely miss everyone, especially the boys no matter how crazy they drive me.

Yeah, We Eat Ice Cream Out of Coffee Mugs....So What?

The other night Wid and I were watching the end of "Crazy Heart" which we watched the next night with Peter because it's so good; you should definitely check it out. Anyways, Patrick had some friends over and he comes into the living room and asks Wid why we eat ice cream out of coffee mugs (one of his friends thought it was weird) Wid just explained cause that's what Papoo did. It had never occurred to me that eating ice cream out of a coffee mug isn't how people normally like their ice cream. At my house we eat it out of coffee mugs too, well except when my brothers decide that the size of a mug just isn't enough. There's no telling why Papoo ate ice cream out of a coffee mug; it's probably just one of those things that he did, or it could've been that he finished his coffee and would put a scoop of ice cream in it for a mid-morning snack. Papoo loved his ice cream, I'm pretty sure that has passed down through every one of his children and their children. Also, not only do we all like ice cream, we all seem to have a thing for Blue Bell.

Multiple pages on Google images and this is the ONLY one that I can find....must not be a common thing.

Next weekend I get to see my mom, dad, Reid, Noni, and much more of my family because I am going to Dallas where we are all going to a Texas Rangers' game and seeing Robert Earl Keen in concert. I am so excited about the weekend and am really looking forward to it.

Anyways, over and out. SOTD

Family Movie Night..It's How We Roll

Recently Wid has discovered that Netflix has tons of great old movies available streaming. So at the Comer house we have recently started "Family Movie Night." After dinner we all get together downstairs and watch whatever movie we have picked out on the instant que. A couple of nights ago we watched "Stand and Deliver." I had seen the movie and it's definitely a favorite of mine; I think the boys enjoyed it as well.

Last night we watched "Lost Boys" and let me tell you the 80s definitely produced horror. The soundtrack of the movie was great just as Wid had said and there was action, blood, and suspense throughout the movie.

I'm usually not the easiest person to watch movies with because I'm not good at concentrating or staying still for too long; however, compared to how much the boys talk during movies, watching a movie with me would be a piece of cake. Sometimes they are just provoking whoever will respond to their remarks, that is until they are genuinely interested in the movie. They are fun to watch movies with, even if they do ask endless questions.

Tonight I have been told we are having comedy night, I am not sure what's in store but I know one thing: I will be in great company. The movies we watch are great even if we do occasionally argue over what to watch before there is a compromise. In all honesty though, it's not really even about the great flicks that we view, it's about doing something together as a family. I know I have a great time watching movies with everyone and seeing as how anyone in the house has yet to skip out, I'm guessing everyone else does too. As Wid would tell me, "Family Movie Night, be there or be square."


SOTD

My Life in the Underworld

For the summer I am living in Austin with my aunt and uncle and their three boys. I couldn't be more grateful to them for letting me move in to the downstairs bedroom. I never expected the summer to be anything but loud and fun living with a house full of boys. I grew up living with Ryan and Reid so Xbox all day and air soft gun wars are nothing foreign to my lifestyle. Wid, and Peter, my uncle, have three boys, two in Jr. High, and one in elementary. Over the past year living in Austin, I have gotten closer to the boys because I would come to the house and do laundry and such; but this summer I have the opportunity to spend even more time with them, which I love. A few days ago Wid said that she wanted the boys to start doing volunteer work this summer; I am really excited about it because that's a huge part of my life at St. Edward's and what could be more fun than doing service in Austin with three boys who are constantly full of energy? The middle and youngest boys remind me a lot of me and Reid growing up, they are constantly picking at each other and never seem to get along. I smiled a couple days ago when I woke up and the first text I had was from Reid, we get along great now and can talk to each other about basically anything. Our petty fights have long since passed and I couldn't have asked for a better brother, he and Ryan are both such good guys and I love the part that they play in my life. Now don't get me wrong, we all still pick on each other, now it's more in good fun. When I hear Alex and Will fight, I just think of the many time Reid and I did the same thing and I would tell him that he was such a jerk and then think of where we are now.

The boys are my cousins but we all seem to be getting to the point where we treat each other like siblings. I love having three little guys to hang around with, even if they do get a little rowdy at times. As you know, my family means so much to me, and not just my immediate. God has provided this opportunity to get close to the boys this summer and I couldn't be happier. Family is something I stopped taking for granted when the boys and my Papoo died a few years back. Papoo always loved the fact that his kids, and their kids were so close to each other. Living in Gruver, I was only able to be around at Christmas and usually got to see my cousins only once or twice a year. Now that I live in Austin, I see everyone much more frequently, especially the three boys...obviously. I understand more and more each day why it was so important to Papoo that we were all close. I come and go from Wid's as I please but I know if I need anything I can always count on Wid and Peter to help me out. I work as a waitress and have a constantly changing schedule, but Peter and Wid know that if they ever need me to pick the boys up or cook dinner because they are at work; I'm more often than not able to do so. It is such a blessing to have family around and I couldn't be more grateful for mine.

SOTD

Video Killed the Radio Star

It's been a while....! I went home for Easter and got to spend some time with my lovely family, including all of my grandparents. I loved my time it home; it made me realize what a great family I have a what a blessing they are in my life. I never try and take my family for granted, but I couldn't ever thank each of them enough for what they do for me. My brothers and I have a great time hanging out together; we are at the point in our lives where we are nice to each other (most of the time). My dad has helped me so much lately with school, specifically with a huge paper I am writing for a World History class, having a professor for a father totally pays off. My mom is always sending me mail and keeps me looking on the bright side when I find myself becoming increasingly overwhelmed by school.

I try and talk to my mom on the phone at least three times a week; however, I am not so great at calling my dad that often. Recently we started sending Facebook videos to each other and I love it, best way to keep in touch. Don't get me wrong, I like to talk to him on the phone, but I (and I think he does too) have so much more fun making the videos.

School is two weeks from over, one being a week of finals. I am going to a leadership camp for a week and then coming back to Austin where I will live with my aunt and work at a restaurant waiting tables. I am a bit sad that I won't be spending the summer with my family but excited for all of the adventures I will have in Austin. My grandparents, who swore they wouldn't, have bought a new camper; I am so excited and hope that they come see me!

SOTD

The Power of Unintended Consequences

Mary Teague Mail, http://dwinger.wordpress.com/mary-teague-mail, was my attempt at blogging many years ago. I tried to write about things that I had been convicted of in my life and things going on in my family. These writings were “truth”, from my perspective. Unfortunately, I failed to consider the impact of those writings on those that were written about. Feelings were hurt.

I noticed in the news, that there was a woman who blogged about her daily life. She was a teacher, and she wrote about her students without mentioning their names or the name of the school at which she taught. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/ap_on_hi_te/us_teacher_suspended_blog
She was suspended with pay and is fighting to keep her job.

I was a guest speaker for Davin in his personal finance class on Tuesday. He asks me to come tell his class about financial products and services that are offered by banks. I offer my professional as well as personal experiences for explaining how and why they should take the time to know and understand such things. I was relating to them some facts of a lawsuit to make a point. I had trouble explaining the example because I had not prepared the workout in advance. I made a judgment that my whole presentation that day did not bode well for me or my bank from that point on. Normally, after such a presentation, Davin sends a thank you card signed by the whole class. Today, I got two. Awesome.

Papoo used to say that a boy’s poor attitude is directly proportional to the length of his hair. The longer it is, the worse it gets. Lots of haircuts lately. Life is good :)

A customer came into our bank after withdrawing money from our ATM. The ATM had incorrectly given them more than they were charged, and they were giving it back. Several months later this customer applied for a loan. They had no credit history, were barely old enough to qualify, and did not meet the ordinary credit requirements. They were shocked when I reminded them of the ATM incident. Needless to say, they got the loan.

Periodically I receive account levies at the bank from the IRS, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, SLMA (student loans), and other assorted governmental agencies. When they come, the monies in all accounts of persons named in the levy are immediately frozen. After a period of time, unless we receive a release of the levy from the agency that sent it, the monies that were frozen are remitted to the agency to satisfy a variety of delinquent obligations. Open your mail, especially from the government. Do not ignore or disregard what they say you owe. Heed their communications and warnings. In my opinion, it is much easier to work a resolution than it is to recover from the outcomes of a levy. The same can be said for personal relationships.

To the ZBags and Wingers: Please forgive me for hurting you in any way with my unkind words or deeds. Forgive me if I neglect you, or take you for granted. Forgive me for not saying that I love you often. Thank you for loving me.