We're having a tamalada!

Oh, my freaking Lord. That's just it. I'm inviting everyone I know (within driving distance, anyway) over for a tamale making party very, very soon.

Jamie and Claudia are at church, Jordan and I are skipping out, and I just stumbled across a blog that I love--Homesick Texan--and she blogs how to make tamales. I've long wanted to learn and now that it's completely necessary, since I live about 1000 miles away from the Baldaras Tamale Factory, there's nothing else to be done. Anyway, it should be a blast! We'll drag out the Shiner Bock and margaritas on the rocks and roll! I've missed it for this Christmas season, when they're a must-have (in Texas, anyway), but that's ok. I'll take good tamales any time of the year.

Goodbye Space Cowboy

I recently had to get new plates for my car, because of moving to Indiana and all. Too bad. Texas plates are way cooler than Indiana plates.

See, the Texas plate features a cowboy and a space shuttle. Ooooooh, cowboy and space shuttle!!!



The Indiana plate is just very lame. It features an--I don't know--farmhouse or something and what Jamie said, in trying to appeal to my overly-jingoistic nature, are "amber waves of grain" depicted in artwork reminiscent of cheesy, earnest, 1970's greeting cards. Oh, we're in the heartland, now. Pass the corn.



So. We're official now, I guess we're here to stay.

Last Week

Wow, it's been a week since I posted to the blog! But it was an eventful week.

Last Sunday, in spite of a bunch of rain, we went to the Fisher's Freedom Festival and afterwards we watched fireworks. I have no idea why they do this thing not on July 4th every year. Weird, but we had a pretty fun time.

My car was in the shop all week, so Jamie and I shared a car. That's always not fun, but what are you gonna do?

Friday I was at home all day so I took all three girls to their tennis match day. Then that night we did the Blue Moon Night Hike at Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve. We missed it last year so I jumped on it this year right when they started taking reservations back in April, I think. It was only $2.00 per person and when you get there they have a fire and roasting sticks ready and you can bring whatever you want to cook for dinner or snacks. We took drinks and stuff for smores and hotdogs. Then the Preserve employee gives a talk on the woods and wildlife there and after that, she led us on a 45-minute hike through the very dark woods. She did owl calls (but the owls didn't answer back), we heard coyotes and saw a million lightening bugs (so beautiful). There was also a pioneer graveyard so I want to go back during the day because I love exploring cemeteries.

Saturday I had to work most of the day and then last night we went to a barbeque at some friends' house. I say "barbeque" as in, we went to a party where they served grilled meats. Jamie says here that means barbeque sauce was used. We took our fabulous jalapeno potato salad (I got the recipe out of my mom's Peachtree Tea Room cookbook. Don't tell my mom I have it!!), the schmancy three-chocolate cookies we make and my friend, Jennifer's cranberry-orange coconut cookies we call crack smackers because they're so awesomely good, and salsa.

Today we were too wiped out for church so we've been just mostly hanging out. Jamie studied for his actuarial exams and took Jordan to the library and he's going to take her swimming later. I took Claudia for a haircut and her hair turned out so cute!! She wants to dye it blue so we consulted a former blue-haired family member, Jason, on how to go about it. I've never colored my hair before so I'm completely clueless on the subject. According to Jason it's a major pain in the ass and Leah suggested maybe just dying the bottom four inches or so. I think that's a good idea. Another friend of mine suggested I take her to a salon. Another good idea!

This week I'm off work Monday-Wednesday and Jamie's off Wednesday-Friday. I was planning on taking Claudia and Jordan to Marble Falls next week to see their dad, but you may have noticed that Marble Falls has been in the news a lot lately as an area with a bit of a flooding problem and their dad's parents' house flooded twice last week. So since their dad lives with his parents, it's not a good time to visit.