Hey Nineteen

Nineteen years. When did it pass so quickly? I love you.

It's Roller Derby Time Again

We had such a great time last year when we went to a roller derby match last year that we knew we had to do it again this year.  Cara invited two friends and Kat came along this time for the ride.  We met the Myers' there and enjoyed the show.  I don't know if the Rolling Elvi are there every time, but they were in attendance like they were at the match from last year.  This year in addition to the candy, they were throwing cups with the team match dates imprinted on them.  Just like at a Mardi Gras parade, we were all clamoring for the cups.  We scored a couple and all were happy.  It always amazes me how we get so excited over some plastic, but of course that doesn't stop me from joining in on the excitement. 

Rolo Cookies

I continue to go crazy for Pinterest.  I love finding new and interesting things to pin.  My favorite board is "Sorry People The Chocolate Is Mine".  That is where I keep all of the yummy chocolate recipes I find.  I saw this one and knew it was a keeper.  They are wonderfully chocolately and then you have the treat of the Rolo candy inside.  I will be making these again.

Rolo Cookies from Yellow Mums

2 1/2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 c. cocoa
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
48 Rolos (a bag has about 56)

Combine flour, cocoa, soda. Set aside. Beat sugar and butter until blended. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Shape into small balls. Press rolos into center of ball and cover with dough. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 4 dozen.

The Funniest Thing I Heard All Week

I am getting ready to make some hot dogs for lunch and I ask Cara if she wanted some.  Her response..."No, we don't have any hot dog buns.  What good is a hot dog without a throne?"  Next time I went to the store, "thrones" were on the grocery list.

Bingo at the Napoleon Room

A couple of weeks ago, Kirk and Lisa asked us if we wanted to go play Bingo with them at the Napoleon Room.  I was still too wiped out from the Alaska trip to go then, but I was open to a time later on.  Tonight was the night.  I don't remember if I had ever played Bingo outside of school or at a kid's party.  It was interesting to say the least.

When we arrived at the Napoleon Room, I had to crack up at the sign.  Where else but in New Orleans would you find a picture of Napoleon with a Bingo card?  We sat in the parking lot and waited for Kirk and Lisa.  We watched some of the other players entering the building and wondered if we would be the youngest ones there by several decades.  It turns out that we weren't.  It was just that the early ones got the best picks of seats and we were all about that too.  I felt like such a noob.  All around us were players with multiple colored Bingo dobbers, special buckets for keeping their Bingo paraphernalia organized, and some even had computers that looked like calculators.  I was out of my element.  I am glad I didn't pull out my stash of pennies to use as markers.  That would have outed me for sure.  Kirk and Lisa had played a couple of times before and were happy to fill us in on the way of the game. The guys went to the counter and bought us all a 10 game pack, a couple of bonus game sheets and a dobber. I looked around and saw the regulars marking spots on their sheets before the games had started. I knew about the free square, but these were being marked in lots of other places too. I knew then I needed to pay attention. Before the games started, people walked around the room selling pull tab games. Kirk bought a bunch and Lisa and I started pulling off the tops looking for a winner. Lisa found a lot that were winners of some sort. I found only one. It was a portent of things to come.

As you can see I wasn't a winner at Bingo this night.  It was a lot of fun though and I never knew there were so many different versions of the game.  Some games were traditional Bingo, some were Bingos where you had to make an X on the card, some were Bingos where all of the numbers around the edges had to be marked. There were several other versions too.  It dawned on me what the regulars players were doing by marking their cards before the games.   They looked at the Bingo game sheet that listed what games were played in what order and then they marked their boards to black out those squares that were not played in the non-traditional games.  That way they could follow a lot of cards at once more effectively.  Genius.  We had to ask a little old lady a couple of times what were there rules of a game or two, but for the most part Phillip and I were able to keep up.  Next time we go back I will need to find a special Bingo outfit, because I was definitely was under dressed by some measures...

The Funniest Thing I Heard All Week

Cara has a wicked sense of humor. She has a wonderful take on things that often has us laughing. I have started writing some of these gems down and will post them here, because I will forget and that would be a shame. Some of them are priceless.

She is taking JROTC this year and is loving it so far. The girls have the option of wearing pants or a skirt as part of their uniform. She comes home today and tells me that she finally decided which way to go...pants or skirt. "I have decided to get the skirt because that way I look more like a business woman." Ok, business woman it is then.

First Day of High School

My baby starts high school today.  Where did the time go?  I must have blinked and there she was...ready to start high school.  I need to stop blinking.