Murder in the Dark

This is a big time fun game to play at night with all the lights out! Technically, the rules go something like this:

• Take a deck of cards and remove all but one of the Aces and Kings
• Shuffle and deal out one card to each player
• The player receiving the ACE is the murderer and the player with the King is the detective.
• No one tells what card they have received
• The lights go out- seriously, you shouldn't be able to see a thing!
• Everyone spans out and the murderer 'kills' the other players by whispering "You're dead" in their ear
• Killed (tapped) victims have to lie on the floor until the game is over.
• Some people play until someone runs across a victim and then yells out, "Murder in the Dark!"
• Then they turn on the lights and the detective begins interrogating everyone trying to determine the murderer.

Of course there are many variations on these rules. And the way we play is a HUGE variation.

When the lovelies were growing up we were quite active in the children's programs and youth group at our church. It was through the church that we met the Lambert family. And let me say that, if you do not have Lambert Mister in your life, Murder in the Dark will not be near as much fun! Lambert Mister is, simply put, a NUT and his wife is BIG FUN too but borders on the sane side. We all love them both and their kids so much. If you don't have Lamberts in your life, you are truly missing out!

Lambert Mister loves to tease and joke and play games and---he knows how to get the most out of life. Their whole family does for that matter. But Lambert Mister takes it to a whole new level.

When he sat behind us at church he loved to try and get the lovelies to laugh. We sat in front of them several times at the theater and he would pick on the lovelies through the entire movie. They LOVED it! And he still does it to this very day when given the chance.

Several families at church took turns having all the kids over at their houses all the time. We had such a great group of parents and kids! But the most fun of all, for kids and adults, was going to the Lambert's and playing Murder in the Dark. And Lambert Mister is the reason why.

Lambert Mister was the murderer every single time. He would move stealthily through the dark (pitch black) house and just listen. He listened for the slightest noise and any whispers. Once he knew where everyone was trying to hide, he went on the attack. When Lambert Mister grabbed one of the kids they would scream so loud you would think they were really being murdered! Lambert Mister would pretend to stab the victim and the victim would have to lie on the floor until all the other players had been murdered. The game could go on for HOURS!

Lambert Mister took great pains to be silent and to scare, as Breezy says, "the crap out of you!" She says what she remembers is "terror." And yet, not one single kid could wait until the next time so they could play again.

All of us are now empty nesters. But everyone- kids and adults- remember the fun of being scared and murdered at the Lambert's house!

If you know a crazy person have a wide open friend who would completely enjoy being the murderer- then play this game! It's a BLAST!

TGIF HOPS!

It's the end of another week!  That means it's time for the FRIDAY HOPS! If you are here for FIVE QUESTION FRIDAY only, then just scroll down!

Have a FANTASTIC weekend!

First is Hilary's Follow Friday Four Fill-In at Feeling Beachie!  

Hillary says:  I would LOVE it if you could please help me spread the word about this hop!

This week’s statements:

1. When I was younger, I always wanted to be older. I was never really happy with the age I was- my older cousins seemed to have so much more BIG fun than I did. Of course, now I that I am older, I always want to be younger! 

2. I don’t remember the last time I didn't pop out of bed and get dressed to take Tucker for a walk!

3. During a storm when the power goes off, all I want to do is play Murder in the Dark! Such a fun game!

4. The little snippets of coolish breezes remind me of autumn and autumn reminds me of football and fall holidays and I get so excited because it's my favorite time of year!

Next is Five Question Friday from Mama M. at My Little Life. 

Mama M. is taking a break this week to enjoy her family vacay! Hope it's a great one!

Veggie Burgers and Grandmothers

Both of my grandmothers were incredible cooks. Absolutely incredible. Some of my most cherished memories are those spent with these amazing cooks in their kitchens while they prepared delightfully delectable dishes. There was never a time at either house that we left feeling less than completely satisfied and loved.

Not a single one of us can duplicate even the simplest of their sinfully delicious kitchen creations. And we have tried. Multiple times. Countless times. It simply cannot be done. And there is a very good reason for our failure. Neither of these accomplished cooks used such trite kitchen tools as measuring cups.

My mother once asked my grandmother how to make the pudding part of her banana pudding. Here it is:

Amount of sugar you think it needs

Add milk ‘till it tastes right

Add flour ‘till its thick enough

Start with 2 egg yolks; add more if needed

You can put vanilla in it but you don’t have to

 

This is all leading up to the explanation of why I can only give out the ingredients I used for those VEGGIE BURGERS I made this week. It's not that I don't want y'all to have it. It's that I cook just like my grandmothers did. I rarely, if ever, measure. I change most recipes that I do follow- adding or changing or taking out ingredients here and there. If I were to attend cooking school, I'm certain they would kick me out after one day.

That being said, here are the ingredients I used for the veggie burgers.

shredded carrots
shredded zucchini
a handful or two of mixed baby greens
chopped onion
1 can Garbanzo beans (chick peas)
oats (some I ground up in the food processor to a floury consistency, some I kept whole) [Next time I will use coconut flour and whole oats]
egg whites
various seasonings (this one is easy though- just add what your family likes)

I will mention that, once I had it all mixed up, I thought it was a tiny bit wet so I added some more oats. Next time, I will leave those extra oats out. I think they would have been even better had the mixture remained wet- but dry enough to stay together in a patty.

Then I simply baked them in the oven on 400 degrees. Don't remember how long but I did turn them over so they could brown a bit on both sides.

Sorry y'all. BUT here's some good news! For those of you who asked for the Zucchini Lasagna recipe, I can lead you to the one I used as a guideline:  my Zucchini Lasagna is based on Debbi's here. She also has a recipe for Tomato Zucchini Bisque that really is to die for! I follow the bisque recipe almost to the letter. It's so amazing!

As a matter of fact, Debbi has an entire index of recipes that she has modified for lower calories and calculated the nutritional value for her readers. I am using quite a number of her recipes as a guideline for the Slimmer this Summer Challenge! Check her out! 

AND maybe, if we're lucky, Patrice at Everyday Ruralty will share her Ratatouille recipe with us! She's a professional chef you know! (And mom to four daughters, wife of a farmer, friend extraordinaire, owner of Wendell the wonder horse...).

The HUMP DAY HOPS!

I've got TWO fun HUMP DAY HOPS! If you're here for Wednesday Hodge Podge only, then scroll down.

The first is a new/revised meme from Patrice at Everyday Ruralty called Chats on the farmhouse porch!

1. What color was your first car? Dark blue. It was an old (a whopping 10 years old when I got it) 1965 Ford Galaxie 500. That thing could go speedy quick!
2. Do you dance or sing when you're by yourself? Both. Every.Single.Time. Without fail. Loud and wide open!
3. What were your favorite and least favorite subjects in school? (I'm thinking high school or younger, but if you want to tell us about your PhD, go right ahead.) Anything math/science related was on my ifIneverhavetotakethisagainitwillbetoosoon list otherwise known as my list of thingsIhate otherwise known as thingsthataretortuousandstupid otherwise known as thingsthatareBS... Anything English (writing or lit)/history (US/World/Government) I LOVED. And it's still that way with me. 
4. What was the last dinner you made? I made a spaghetti casserole tonight using Ronzoni Garden Delight linguini and NO MEAT! (Veggie protein) for Hubs BUT I had left over squash casserole and veggie burger that I made last night because those darn things were GOOD. I cook every night but only because of that man who lives here.
5. Please finish this: "I feel naked without ---------------------." (Now, you know there's someone out there who will answer "clothes". See. I caught you! :) Yep. You caught me. The first thing I thought of was 'clothes.' Probably because I don't wear make-up or carry around a purse. But, my second thought was TUCKER. I really don't go many places without him. Oh, or how about cell phone. I never go anywhere without that.

Now it's time for WEDNESDAY HODGE PODGE from Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.  This meme is a great way to get to know some wonderful new bloggy friends and learn more about some old ones...not that I'm calling anyone OLD, mind you.   

1. If you could work for any one government agency which would you choose and why? (if you're in the US here's a helpful list)  First, the likelihood of me ever working for a government agency is slim to none. However, if I HAD to choose it would be a toss up between the EPA and the Department of Education. Simply put, these two agencies affect issues that are near and dear to my heart.

2. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize? Apologies are not necessary for me to forgive someone. There are times when it might help but it's just not necessary-I've forgiven people without an apology many times. And then there are times I probably wouldn't believe them if they apologized anyway. Of course, there are the very few times when an apology made no difference to me whatsoever. Sometimes, lines can get crossed that render a relationship changed forever or severed completely. Not that I haven't forgiven them, but forgetting or allowing them the opportunity to do it again? NOT going to happen.

3. What is your favorite meatless supper? Veggie burgers! I LOVE veggie burgers! And I finally made some good ones this week. I took some wonderful advice from some wonderful bloggy friends and made up my own recipe and THEY WERE GOOD! OH- Zucchini lasagna is delish too! Maybe that should take first place? Let's just say that veggie burgers and zucchini lasagna tie for first in this list of faves!

4. Wednesday August 10th is National Lazy Day...will you be celebrating? If so, tell us how so we can be lazy too. You're kidding, right? There really is such a thing as National Lazy Day? Does Hallmark have cards for this?

5. As a child did you have any special back to school traditions and if so, what were they? If you're a parent did you carry on those traditions with your own children? I always had a new first day of school outfit and book satchel (bookbag for those too young to remember them being called satchels). And LOADS of excitement! I loved going back to school. At least for the first day. AND yes, the lovelies always had new first day of school outfits and bookbags.

6. Write a summer tongue twister. Silly Sam slowly sank sitting in sand at the sea soaking in sweet summer sunshine.

7. Would you be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse brings out the needle?  That's a big Hell to the N.O. I am in no way whatsoever in the least bit interested in observing a surgery. NO. Birdie, on the other hand, has observed several surgeries and has even been in a cadaver lab (all for her athletic training degree) and loved every single minute of it! She's a little bit strange. But she did get woozy watching the ACL reconstruction. 

8. Insert your own random thought here. Do you know what happens this week? Can you guess? I've been waiting since February for this-----NFL PRESEASON BABY! That's right! It's HERE! FINALLY! I am about to be a happy camper for the next six months!  ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?! AND I am so totally, completely, 100% ready for autumn I can hardly stand it! I WANT those cooler temps and I want them NOW! I am SICK AND TIRED of this sauna we call the low-country summer. AND we had a storm last night! As usual, most of the rain skirted us but not the noise. It came through loud and clear. 

Fessin' Up: Week 9

Another summer Monday has arrived and that means it's time for the Slimmer this Summer update/check-in/fess up post for week number 9.

My goals for the challenge remain safe.

Water intake: Still getting in the 64 oz plus.

Exercise: I walked every day again for a WEEKLY total of 19 miles and  I continued Pilates and walked through the ridiculously high levels of heat. Y'all have heard of HOT YOGA, right? Well, we have HOT WALKING!

Calories: The calories remain within the challenge limit---

Here's the breakdown for week 9:

• Monday:1206
• Tuesday:1273
• Wednesday:1131
• Thursday: 1224
• Friday:1321
• Saturday: 1357
• Sunday:1300
• WEEKLY TOTAL: 8812 calories

Discoveries?  Yes. I discovered that I can have major urges to eat and eat and eat and withstand them. But it is NOT easy. It's quite frustrating if you want to know the truth about it and I get angry about it too. All that does though, is make me angry it doesn't solve the problem of how to rid myself of the urges. So, any and all advice in that area would be welcomed and appreciated.

Goal changes? This is not a goal change but I have decided to cut meat out of our diets (meaning daily not diet as in losing weight). I am tired of all this food poisoning from meat and I've watched a couple of documentaries that really turned me off to meat for a while (mistreatment of animals). This happened once before during an episode of CSI- HUGE grossness issue when they pulled a tapeworm out of the mouth of a cadaver--absolutely disgusting--and then talked about why it was there--Ewwwww! Didn't miss it then, probs won't miss it now.

QUESTION: I quite enjoy the Morning Star veggie and bean burger products. However, I would love to learn how to make my own veggie burgers with or without using beans. If anyone out there has the secret to veggie or bean burger success, please share!

Here are the numbers for week 9:

Weight loss:  -3 lbs (Total for 9 weeks: 37 pounds gone forever!) I totally attribute this to an increase in walking and Pilates.

Inches: -1.5 total (chest:= -.5"; hips = -1"; waist = -0"; neck = -0")  Total for 9 weeks:-22 inches off forever!

I did get really, really excited one day last week when I stepped on the scale and saw an incredible weight loss! I was thrilled beyond belief. But not so far as to realize that there was NO WAY I had lost that much in one week--maybe at the beginning but NOT this far into the challenge. And, even though I dreaded it so very, very much, I knew I had to step back on that freaking scale. That's when I discovered that the right rear corner had been on the rug. DRAT! DOUBLE DRAT! I'm still quite happy with the 3 pound loss even though I thought I had an eleven pound loss.

Did have an amazing walk this morning! One of the regular walkers (she's only been regular since early July) walked past and asked, "Where's your friend?" and then laughed when she saw Tucker in his carrier and said, "Oh! There he is! How cute!" (see lovelies, some people think it's cute NOT funny) and I replied, "Yeah, this is my strength training." She laughed again and then said, "Yeah, you've lost weight haven't you? I've noticed! You've lost a lot!" Needless to say, she is my new BFF!!!

Considering the BIG PICTURE, I have not lost a lot. But seriously, an ego stroke does wonders for exercise motivation!

Hope everyone has a fantabulous week!

The Week in the Proverbial Nutshell

All in all, another somewhat boring week. But I'm pretty much getting used to them. Next weekend, we're Breezy and BestSonInLawEVER are coming home. Breezy and I are hosting a baby shower for a friend she's had since elementary school! YAY! Something to look forward to! 

Anyway, here's my week in a:

There is no big news here on the weather front. It's HOT every single day of the week. And it's going to continue being HOT every single day of the week until the end of October. Our morning walks are as brutal as ever--usually, when we leave around 6:00-6:15, the temp is already in the high 70s or mid to low 80s BUT the heat index is in the 90s. At SIX O'CLOCK IN THE FREAKING MORNING. AND the mosquitoes have decided that the early morning hours are the absolute best for their a.m. feasting. They have also decided that they are NOT afraid of bug spray. Damn things. So now it's muggy and buggy. Every morning. At least I do get to walk as much as I want to because Tucker LOVES his new carrier! I am going to post a picture as soon as I remember to get one when someone is around to take it. The heat has fried my brain.

I spent countless hours on a surprise for Birdie- something that will, hopefully, help her not be homesick. I have to keep it a secret for now though. She reads the blog and I don't want her to know what it is until it arrives on Tuesday afternoon. None of the lovelies has EVER lived so far away that it takes more than 2 or 3 days to receive mail.

I received what I consider to be the highest compliment a mom can ever receive. On Wednesday, DoodleBug sent me the following text message: "You're a really good mom." My first thought was, "Uh oh. What does she want?" I asked her why she thought that and she replied, "I was just thinking about my nanny job and remembering when we were kids, you were all about us. And you still are. See? Good mommy!" I thanked her profusely and told her that it was easy because I had great kids. I LOVE being a mom. Absolutely the best thing I've ever had the pleasure of doing in my entire life.

Deanie had a bachelorette party for her big (meaning her big sister in her sorority NOT her real big sister) this weekend in Charlotte. She decided to drive down and stay overnight with Breezy (her REAL big sister) and BestSonInLawEVER. She told BestSonInLawEVER but they kept it as a surprise for Breezy who nearly cried she was so happy to see her sister. I was so excited that they were able to spend some time together! Love those lovelies! Anyway, I don't have a picture of the party yet (because it's way too early for any of them to up I'm sure) but, when I do see them...well, let's just say that Charlotte will never be the same- of that I am certain! Meanwhile, here's a picture of Deanie with the boytoy.

And that's the news here in Lake Wobegon my little corner of the world, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."(I do so love me some Garrison Keillor).