Surprising Superbowl Spread Requests

It was Wild Card weekend, aka the first round of NFL playoffs and my boy started thinking about Superbowl Sunday - from the big plays to the touchdowns to which teams might make it there to the food.  Yes, the food.

Last year, we munched on some yummy GFCF goodness, including trying Pioneer Woman's Shrimpo de Gallo for the first time.  I think he liked having a spread of munchies that were all safe for him to eat.

So, grabbing a cookbook, he went to his room to make a list.

I was quite impressed that with each item he was interested in, he was noting which ingredients he could have, as is, and which ones we'd need to either check for gluten or substitute something to make it GFCF.  This was a fantastic first!

Now, here's the surprising part - check out what my elementary school aged boy asked if we could make:

Citrus Spiced Mixed Olives

Pork Satay

Grilled Trout in Grape Leaves

Wilted Escarole with Garlic & Potatoes

Seriously?  Did he just ask for escarole??  Grape leaves?  And trout?

I know my kids like great flavor and are willing to try new foods - actually, they usually beg for it.  But, even my husband and I did not expect a Superbowl food request like this one.

As of right now, I have no idea what we're planning on making, but Yowza - I think my boy just scored a Touchdown!

What will you be having come Superbowl Sunday?  And what teams do you think are going to make it there?

Tweet

P-Dub's Shrimpo de Gallo - Wordful Wednesday

Superbowl Sunday found several healthy & delish dishes on the table, one of them we took off our List & from Pioneer Woman's recipes:  Shrimpo de Gallo!

Can I just tell you that this is sooooo fantabulously good?!  The whole fam loved it and it is such a hit that I'm sure we'll be making it again and again.  And another added bonus??  Its naturally gluten & casein free (GFCF), making it super easy to add it to a regular family meal as well as a party menu!  Now, that is most smile worthy! :>

Want another bite?!

Wednesday means we're half way through the week!  Hope yours has been going well.  A pack of pictures arrived on my doorstep today, so now I have my first chance to play with my new Project Life...and I can't wait! :>  What are you up to??

(Second post today, scroll down or click link to see some Sweet Lashes! :>)

Linking up for Wordful Wednesday!

What's on your list?

I'm making a list and checking it twice......no, not that kind of list!  Its February and on February 6th, the clock will strike for Superbowl Sunday!

And we've been seeing ideas for Superbowl food everywhere, from Guy Fieri's Tailgate Warriors on the Food Network to Pioneer Woman to Tidy Mom to the ever growing list of great food blogs.

Since football is a family affair here, we have to make sure that we have GFCF (gluten & casein, protein in dairy, free) options for our kidlet.  And I've spied a few options for this year!

First, while Hubs was sick last weekend, he was mindlessly watching the Food Network as he fell in and out of sleep.  He perked up when he saw Melissa D'Arabian making (spicy) kettle corn.  While he wasn't interested in the spicy part, he was interested in the 'kettle' part.  He made it the other night & now the kidlets are requesting it for Superbowl munchies and its being added to the list!

He pops popcorn for the kidlets every week for movie night and liked making it a little differently.  Speaking of different, have you ever popped popcorn & used ghee instead of butter on it?  Ghee is butter with the water & solids removed (making it casein free) or basically, ultra clarified butter.  And it is SO good on popcorn.  The popcorn stays crisp, not wet, stays fresh longer and did I mention its Really good?! So good that friends often request it....they call it crack corn, 'cause they just can't get enough! lol

Then I saw Pioneer Woman's Beef Fajita Nachos and by substituting Daiya vegan cheese on my boy's plate, the recipe is a go for us, and is being added to the list.  And since we're on P-Dub's site, I also spy her Shrimpo de Gallo, which looks delish and no substitutions necessary, so onto the list it goes as well!

Are you watching the Big Game on Sunday?  What's on your Superbowl tailgate food list?  If you're not into the Superbowl, what's your favorite party food?  Any cocktails you recommend?

And of course, since we're talking the NFL Superbowl XLV here, I've gotta ask, Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers???  Since The Bus' retirement, we're not fans of the Steelers here, so we'll be cheering on the Packers, loudly, I might add! :>

KT Tunstall's kickin' it in my head!

Been playing my Inspiration Everywhere iTunes playlist and just can't get KT Tunstall and her "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" outta my head! Sooo...thought I'd share a little YouTube video fun with you.

Here's the music video to go with the song:

And here, she lays down all those sounds, all those rhythms, one on top of the other.  This performance is both wee girl and my favorite!

What songs get your toes a tappin'? Share a favorite video (one that us Mamas don't have to race to shield a kidlets' eyes or ears for please....or at least a warning to watch without them :>), I always love some blurf (blog surf) enabling!

Annnnnnd........are you cheering a team on this weekend for the NFL playoffs??  In case you didn't know (;>), I AM!  Seattle Seahawks are playing Chicago Bears and its an all out call for Seahawk blue this weekend......GO HAWKS!!! 

Hope your weekend is fun, full o' laughter, & simply fantastic! :>

Will you {Indulge} me for a minute??

Generally there's a creative share here, but also those Little Things that Make Me Smile.  And if  you'll {indulge} me for just a minute (pretty please?), I have a little thing that has elicited cheering, shouting, and yes, outright screaming at the box in the room playing the Saints vs. Seahawks playoff game today.

The 12th Man rocked today as it prompted the 107th False Start as the loudest stadium in the League.  That's pretty amazing considering that its an outdoor stadium...its louder than the domes!!!

And while I'm in California, I asked those fantastic Boys in Blue via Twitter, if my screaming still counts and was ensured that it does!

SEAHAWKS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a happy gal & thankful for my Niners loving family & friends (Hubs, son, Jenn, Deb, Siobhan, and Falcons fan, Wayne) who were willing to cheer on the Hawks today! :>:>

Are you cheering any team on during this NFL playoff season?

From a Lizard to Done to The Bridge

When evening arrived today, I was done. 

What?  What's that you say?  I still needed to get the kidlets dinner, finish encouraging, teaching, and cheering on a kidlet who was finishing up homework, showers, chase down a lizard that decided to appear in my living room today (well over a decade here & there has never been a lizard inside my house, I rarely even see them outside...definitely stripped me of my zen) and did I mention that before any of this, I was already 'done'?  Done. 

But, I kicked in the Mama gear and ticked off the required activities of the evening.  And even though I was looking forward to watching Monday Night Football with my family, I needed a Mama break.  And thankfully, Hubby recognized that need.  (As I headed out, I realized that it has been over a year and a half since I've made this little solo escape!)

And off I went.  Where to?  Everywhere.  Nowhere.  Out.

Country drives are uber peaceful for me.  And I love this one lane bridge....when no one is behind you or in front, waiting to cross, if you pause in the middle, with only the water & setting sun's movement, everything stops, I breathe and my mind begins to quiet. 

On the occasions that I can't escape on my own (which is most of the time), when I've got that 'done' feeling, we listen to music, find quiet activities (coloring, painting, collaging, reading, etc.), or even head out together for a drive (I'm not the only one in this house who responds to a country drive! :>).

Always on the lookout for more deal with the 'done' mode methods, I'd love to know what you do to relax. 

What do you consciously do to dial down your day, when your day is not yet over?

Edited to add:  Mama did it!  Wee girl casually mentioned she sees the lizard. I caught it with a kidlet's Seahawks snack bowl that was sitting out.  Turned the bowl over & trapped it.  When I tried to move it, the little lizard escaped. I moved fast like him (her?? how to tell??!) and caught him/her again.  With wee girl's help, we got it outside & let it go. Phew.  Happy lizard.....OUTside.  Happy Mama.

Worth the Click: Get in the {Pink}

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but you knew that already, right??  My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor.  So, I should know that, right?  Come here, I'll let you in on a little secret.  Come close now.  I didn't realize it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month until yesterday.  Tsk, tsk on me.  But, since it was only the third day of the month, I think I'll forgive myself. 

So, you want to know what blazing pink ribbon reminded me??  Why did I realize it on Sunday?  Can you say FOOTBALL?!  As in the NFL teaming up with the American Cancer Society!!  All the players & even the referees were wearing pink somewhere on them from pink cleats to pink wristbands to pink hand towels.  And it was a pretty cool thing to see!

There's someone I would like you to meet.  Lisa, of Takin' Life One Day at a Time, is a mother, a blogger, and through blogging, has become a friend.  She is fun, witty, comedic, loves life & her grown kids.  And after being recently diagnosed with breast cancer, she is currently undergoing treatment.  Lisa shares her story in her own words here and here.  And this morning, even had a funny story to share, Mom, Is That Mastectomy With An "M"?

Ironically, Lisa held a Squeeze Your Melons giveaway last October, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and guess who won?!  Yup, I did.  She sent me a pack of the most gorgeous & fun variety of papercrafting goodness (aka paper, trim, flowers, accents, oh my!).  And now, its my turn to ask you to squeeze your melons and perform your own breast self exams and if you haven't before, you can go here for a simple five step set of instructions!

Please do go meet Lisa , say hello, and show her some of that famous blogland love and encouragement!! 

She is oh so Worth the Click! :>

Meet Grandma meets Jerry Rice

Grandma grew up on a farm in North Dakota, taught in a one room school house in a neighboring town, before moving out west, later meeting and marrying my grandfather.

Grandpa was an avid SF Giants fan and loved listening to their games on the radio. Grandma never held any interest in sports, let alone following a specific team of a specific sport, let alone following professional athletes' careers.

However, all that changed when in the early 1990's Grandma's three daughters took her to dinner at Benihana's in Burlingame. 

Aunt C recognized Jerry Rice, the legendary San Francisco 49er, Wide Receiver, #80.  Neither my Mom or Aunt D knew who he was.  (Even if you don't follow football, its not easy to not know who Jerry Rice is, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area!)

And with a "Please, please, please its my Mom's birthday??!" from Aunt C, Jerry came over to meet Grandma!

He gave her a kiss and took a picture with Grandma.  I can't help but look at their hands & difference in size here, no wonder he didn't drop the ball!! :>

Here's Grandpa & Grandma at Grandma's 80th birthday party, wearing the Jerry Rice 49er jersey and holding the Grandma/Jerry cake that Aunt C got for her. 

Once again, Pre-Jerry, Grandma had no interest in sports, let alone football, let alone one specific football player.  Post-Jerry, she would look for him in a game and called him her boyfriend.  Too cute!

Did you know that September is  Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month?

In 1999, we lost Grandma to ovarian cancer.  Thanks to last week's Back 2 Blogging event through SITS, I learned about how Kelly Ripa has teamed up with Electrolux to support The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Grandma meeting Jerry Rice is one of many fun stories that I keep close, even though she's no longer with us.  What fun grandma stories do you hold on to? 

I'd love for you to say hello, then come back to this page & click on the link on Kelly Ripa's name and learn more.  Hope everyone is  well into a great week today! :>

And because I love my Grandma so much & this story so much, I'm linking up in the new home for Wordful Wednesday:

And yes, Grandma & Jerry have me Tickled Pink...come to 504 Main and see some fabulous & fun!

Are You Ready For Some Football??

**************
"Sit! Sit, Dad!  Watch feetball!  I'm going for the blue team!" my baby brother said many years back, when he was a wee kidlet and we lived in Washington state.  Our Dad told him that was the Seattle Seahawks and he was promptly a fan.

*************

I grew up with football on in the house, but not a whole lot of interest in it.  I went to almost every Friday night home game in high school, in uniform, as a member of the marching band.  And while I could follow along from all those games on at home, I really only knew the basics and still didn't have a huge amount of interest in the game.

When I started dating the man, who is now my husband, over a decade ago, I learned quickly that if I wanted to enjoy my time with him during the football season, I better find a way to like it.  And so I reached back to a set of childhood memories, my brother's love of the Hawks, and claimed the Seahawks as my own.

One morning, Hubby ran a quick errand & since my Hawks were on (which does not happen with nearly enough frequency around here!!), he left me to watch.  I did not realize just how much I had gotten into the game, until he came home from said errand, and told me he could hear me yelling at Ricky Watters to keep his hands on the ball....from around the corner!! 

Yes, that was the moment I realized I had moved from a spectator "forced" to learn to like the game, to an actual fan, a Seattle Seahawks fan!

(Oh yes, don't get me wrong, I like Watters!  It was just a moment, in a game, and I was one of the millions who seem to think screaming at a television will make an ounce of difference in a game! lol)

We're a split house here, as Hubby is a San Francisco 49er's (cough, cough) fan and our teams are division rivals.  And through this uber wonderful blogging experience I've met another 49er fan.  In fact, I've shared her love of those boys here before and she does indeed claim to bleed red and gold (cough, cough). 

Meet Deb, an uber creative scrapbooker and fabulous queen of embellishments, of sPaRkLiNg sCrApBoOkS! 

Deb & I are playing in a Fantasy Football league together this season and since she snagged Drew Brees for our quarterback, I'm hoping we'll do quite nicely!

One of the best bits of having to learned to enjoy the game over a decade ago, our whole family loves watching it....together....as a family.  Our boy has learned enough to be a reliable source (most of the time) to give us an update when we step away and our wee girl gasps & cheers & claps & has more excitement for the game than all of us put together.  With every preseason game we watch, she asks when the "rocket helmets" will be on again.....aka Monday Night Football!

I think its going to be a fun season between this Fantasy team that Deb & I have and the Fantasy team that Hubby & I play in a different league with family friends and watching what happens with my Seahawks & their third new head coach in three years (Pete Carroll from USC) and oh wait, we're not gonna talk about that other team (cough, cough)!

Soooo.....do you watch NFL football?  College ball?  Or another sport altogether?  Who are you cheering on?  Or are you playing?  I'd love to know!

Guess who {hearts} blogging friends?!

I do!!! I {heart} all of the fantastic people I have met through blogging! You put a smile on my face, thank you!

Today, I opened my mailbox to Happy Mail and when I saw the return address from Deb Famularo of sPaRkLiNg sCrApBoOkS, I looked for the fastest way into the envelope!

Deb was the winner of my Blog Anniversary giveaway and had a $25 gift certificate to Papertrey Ink to play with...............which she kindly, and CREATIVELY put to use! Deb is an incredibly talented scrapbooker & altered artist and if you haven't visited her before, I highly recommend a visit to see her talents in action! You may want to spend some extra time scrolling down and checking out some older posts, especially all of her Alice in Wonderland creations.....she must have a fabulous muse whispering in her ear. :>

Now, Deb, in her words, "bleeds red & gold" aka she's a die hard San Francisco 49ers fan. Me? I love me some Hawks, Seattle Seahawks, that is!! And we're division rivals...... Oh yea, did I mention Hubby is also cheering on the 49ers everytime they play??!! And I get ribbing from another one of their fans, thanks to my best friend with season tickets.

SO!! For Deb to bandage herself up so as to ensure none of that red & gold leaks out for a moment and craft me a Seahawks card with her fantastic creative flair............well, there has been some serious smiling going on here today!!!

This fabby card is sitting on my mantle reflecting some serious sparkle from the helmet, sparkle on the wings, those precious sequins on the lace, and the blue glitter. Even my son was mighty impressed and ran up for a closer look....did I mention the kidlets love football season?? That my wee daughter has been asking me when is football going to be on?? Every week since the Superbowl??!! :>

Thank you Deb!! Looking forward to sharing next season with you! Definitely grab yourself some creative inspiration and hop on over to visit Deb, say 'Hello' & maybe even throw in a "Go Seahawks!" from me! :>

------------------------------------------------

Random tidbit for the day: I get a random little chuckle everytime I spellcheck an email and 'blogspot' comes up as a misspelling. Google owns gmail AND Blogger, so isn't it only logical that they write 'blogspot' into their spell checker?! Just thought I'd share some of the random places my mind goes........:>