Dig In!! It's Pizza Dip

Well, it's Football season (the one immediately following Summer in the Texas Panhandle) and several people have asked me for the Pizza Dip that I have served recently, so this is the easiest way. Try it...it's all kinds of awesome...I served it with tortilla chips, but it would be great with french bread.

Enjoy!!

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
2 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced black olives


DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Put Your Little Foot

A beautiful fall night, fiddle music, good friends and family.

Now THAT'S the makings of a great evening! I wish that I had taken more pictures, but we tailgated before the band started playing and visited and laughed and ate THE BEST FOOD EVER (thanks D. and everybody) I just had so much fun I got distracted by the pure AWESOME of the evening.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Then we sat under the starry, starry Texas sky and listened to the C & W band that was heavy on the W. In other words, Western Swing. To prove it, the band had THREE fiddles, a mandolin, AND a steel guitar as well as a keyboard and heaven knows but I forgot how many guitars.

It had the added fun of an old-style wood dance platform and real outhouses with lanterns outside them that you actually take in with you when you go in.

Add to that NO shortage of handsome men ready to dance, including my sweet husband who can really cut a rug on a waltz, my nephew who taught me a new thing called the double two step, and my two great nephews......pretty much makes a perfect evening doesn't it?

You know, the stars at night ARE big and bright.....

I hope so much that you have a friend. And I mean a BFF, ya know?

For me, that means Christie. We have had us some times.

We have stayed friends through our marriage failures, our desperately alone days, our single-days, our disaster frog-kissing days and our weddings and now we're in a new phase altogether. We have stayed friends even when our sons, whose friendship originally brought us together, drifted apart.

I tell this to anyone who will listen: Christie is officially the most competent woman I know. If she could play the piano and sing, we would make her, like, "Queen of Everything" or something. She can do almost anything. I could list it all here, but sufficie it to say...if it needs fixin, or made up real pretty-like, she's your woman!

Although we didn't meet until our kids were in elementary school..she's the kind of girlfriend that I wish I'd had as a child. Really. We have code words, we adore each other's husbands, and we have sworn our undying love for each other. It's a little pathetic, reading that back. Still, we do have traditions that have stood the test of time. Most notably, we have coffee every Saturday morning. We go to the local coffee shop, chat about our week, catch up on the news and then run whatever errands we need to. There is so much comfort in this small custom that I almost cannot express it. Neither of us can remember how long this has been going on, but we both know it's been a long time.

At least two lifetimes ago, for sure.

It's comforting to know that someone in the world is truly happy for you when something great happens..or something just kinda a little better than average. But even better to know that someone shares your anguish when things are falling apart or you just need someone to shoot up a pray for you that day. Christie is that woman for me.

We have gotten into our share of mischief...we have a thing against gnomes and really worry about people who put those in their yards. I'll tell you about those antics someday.

We have completely different tastes in just about everything. We can shop together though, because we have the same shopping style which can be summed up in one word: RAPID. My daughter once said that the mall much be a mere blur to us as she was running along behind us on one of us shopping expeditions.

The very notable exception to this is purses. The very word gives me the shivers and I'll cover that in a later post if someone reminds me. Few can understand my trepidation, except maybe her Mom and Kevin.

If I called Christie RIGHT NOW and asked her to meet me TONIGHT and WEAR BLACK and DON'T TELL ANYONE.....I swear to you she would ask if we need to wear masks and bring a shovel. Because that's just the kind of friend she is.

Because Cooperation Really Does Make it Happen!

I LOVE ME SOME SESAME STREET!!!!

I forgot to tell you the reason for the possibly unexpected appearance of the Sesame Street band video....playing their breakout hit "Cooperation Makes it Happen" on my blog.

For one brief, shining moment..it was the only way I could figure out to get around the filter and show my students the video during the assembly even though it's on Youtube, which is blocked at school.

However, I have since found http://www.keepvid.com/ if any of you educators have the same problem.

My best friend once told me I had the widest vault of worthless knowledge of anyone she knew.

I hope beyond all hope that this proves it.

The End.

Can You Hear Me Now????

Whewww, what a bloggy slacker I have been!! There is so much going on in my crazy life right now I don't know where to begin. Because really, now that I think about it...none of it's all that intriguing, really.

I was required (oops, did I say required? I meant I volunteered in a duress-y sort of way) to write an article for my local newspaper. This happened during one of the administrative meetings that I have attended this year. They blur together and sometimes they last long enough that in a weak moment...lacking hydration and nutrition..in an attempt to hurry things along,out of desperation-- I "volunteer" for things. Sometimes it leaves me in a bind by adding something else to my already crowded schedule. This time, it just added a little pit in the bottom of my stomach because this would appear in the paper WITH MY NAME on it and my only instructions were "Oh yeah, it needs to be about 11.5 pt font and about a page and a half."

YIKES!! Even Mrs. Knighton (God rest her soul) in Senior English class gave me a topic. I really needed a topic. I thought for days about a topic. I asked my husband for his opinion, my best friend, my sister, my daughter. Really, now....just throw me a crumb of what the general public might be interested in. I'll bet you YOURSELF are wishing I would get around to a topic right this very minute, aren't you? Anyway, assuming it should be something somehow related to EDUCATION seeing as how it was going to be representing my school district and all. And also because that's basically the only thing I know anything about.

Then I realized that most of the research-y blah blah schtuff that I know would not be of interest to the general public or really to much of anybody in general.

So.
I fussed.
I worried.
I ate. (that's what I typically do, though--no matter what the situation, so that might not count) and finally I wrote.
Most people who read it might later wonder still what the topic is but I would say ...other than giving a few tips on the upcoming parent conferences, and being careful what you say in e-mails....it teaches the following lesson:

That while the the book of Timothy in the Bible states that they Love of money is the root of all evil.....I have come to believe it might really be what my friend says: Communication or the Lack Thereof is truly the root of most of our everyday problems at work and home.

And that something we can all take with us every day, isn't it?

Did You Ever Have One of Those Days?

Ya know, it's a great life, a great job, et cetera, et cetera. But at this time of year, at this time of day.....I think sometimes (to myself usually)....On this day, it goes like this... I'm not a good leader, I'm not a good wife, a good Mom, a good friend, or a good housekeeper......WHY do I do this?

But the beginning of school is fortunately like giving birth to a child...you forget the pain and only remember the joy that comes later. Because there IS joy and there ARE rewards and my work ( I keep repeating this to myself) is worthwhile and has a greater purpose.

But.....I said I wasn't going to talk about education, didn't I?

It's easy as ABC

As the beginning of school nears, I am having an inner struggle. I am told that my conversation is dominated with education-related topics. That's why I haven't been writing very often...because I am determined that this is not to be a school, class, or campus story blog (and believe me I have some GREAT stories) but I have a need to prove to myself and a few select others that I have a life outside of education.

But then, as I struggle to find a topic....I begin to suspect that it may indeed be the case...darn it.

This past weekend was a fun and friend-filled weekend! We had a great time celebrating our friend, Lindsay's 30th birthday at Hummer's. In true Gill style, there were Gillions of people there to wish her well. We chose to leave the second day of partying (the Lubbock concert part) to the younger crowd. But then again, we stayed in Amarillo for Will and David to compete in cook-off. That was LOADS OF FUN.

If you love high winds, high heat and lots of protein, this was YOUR DAY. My hubby was very happy man. We finished off the day with prime rib, a VIP table, and a concert with Matt Martindale and Gary P. Nunn...and despite my previous remarks to friends...he is still very much alive and puts on a great show! Catch a concert if you get a chance and especially if you like to cut a rug.

It's a FABULOUS way to get your mind off work or SCHOOL!!!!

At Least We Looked Good

You know you will do almost anything for your daughter? Even when they are grown up and not little anymore?

When mine wanted to go to Lubbock to eat at her favorite Italian restaurant and even thought it was far, far away to travel just to eat a meal..no matter how fine...I agreed to do it. And I paid.

The end.

If you would like to hear her version of this story, please click HERE

Las Vegas, Church Camp, and the Moon

Great News!! We made it home safe and sound. As I write this, I am a little more tan, a lot more well-fed (SOME of that Vegas food is YUMMY!!) and a whole lot more well-rested. I did not tax myself while visiting Nevada. Well, except in that way that involves contributing a little "something something" to the coffers of the Nevada general education fund...or wherever that money goes.

On the other hand, I'm writing this and my hubby is snoring loudly from the other room. That comes from the exactly 1 and 1/2 hours of sleep he got last night. Wisely, he showed up at the room this morning at 5:30 a.m. with a cup of coffee in his hand for me. Wiser, but not wealthier than he was when he did THE EXACT SAME THING in April. Ahhh well...live and learn. He has a love/hate relationship with the blackjack tables.

The good news is we're back and everybody's healthy. In case you didn't read the previous post...he has had a few teensy problems making it home from Vegas in fine form.

SO.

It's definitely an interesting place to people watch. And because it is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Walking on the Moon (July 20, 1969).. the Fremont Street Experience is focusing on that and the whole Woodstock thing. So all the casinos and street musicians....well...all the music EVERYWHERE...because if you know L.V., you know they are GREAT at marketing and executing that marketing plan...so they really did the 60's thing BIG TIME. So....the tunes of the late sixties really took me back. It was pretty cool. And kinda groovy, ya know?

I remember watching the first steps on the lunar surface. I had just arrived home from church camp. (...For those of you who can relate, yes, it was Pan Fork Baptist Encampment. I can taste the Sweet Tea served from the pail on the table right this very minute.....ooooh the wonderful & fun memories from THAT place! But I digress.) I just know that I was ten years old and that at the camp we were updated on the progression of the Apollo 11 mission. Once I was home Apollo 11 landed on the moon and I gathered around the big old Zenith with my fam and we hung on each and every word Walter Cronkite narrated while Neil Armstrong spoke those famous first words on the moon. It was fantastic. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Even as a child, I knew I was watching something very important and historic. My father was great at helping me understand the value of these things. Thanks, Dad.

Peace.

I'm Taking his Insurance Card.....

No, really..

To (hopefully) finish up our month-long celebration of my husband's 50th birthday, we are heading to my husband's HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. This is a place where he has had wonderful times, extremely good and bad luck at the tables (both gambling and dining). This is a man who has a LARGE time at his own personal DisneyWorld. I know that You know where I'm talking about:

We hit Las Vegas, along with several other couples....with a vengeance. You know how people say that when you are in LV you don't know night from day, you stay up all hours, etc, etc, etc? Apparently my body does not know those rules. SO. When I get tired, I hit the room for a nap. Eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm tired. Now THAT's my idea of a vacation.

My husband, on the other hand, is a classic Las Vegas vacationer. He has been known to sit at a blackjack table for 36 hours at a stretch. DON'T EVEN ASK, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS. Now I have decided recently that I have adult ADD and I can't imagine even doing something I love for 36 hours. Luckily, we have the rule that we can just go our own ways. Mine is more like 1) shopping 2) spas 3) slot machines.

I'm not sure what hubby does because like I said, we GO OUR OWN WAY. But I have my suspicions and the list is not as long as mine.

However, I do know this. The last two times we have gone to Vegas, he has spent the next week or so having medical procedures. Really, Vegas has a negative effect on his health. He seems to be okay while we are there, but when we hit the Amarillo airport, WATCH OUT.

I'm packing in the otc stuff just in case I need to doctor him up while we're there.....and taking the insurance card in case there's something I can't handle. Wish us luck!!

Just Let Go Laughing......

Well, I had a super-duper, giggly time with Kaylie in Vega. (Even though the guy in the Village grocery store heard me say that I had been to Vega and he asked me if the lights were still burning......uhhh, yup. THEN, I realized he thought I said Vegas. Whole 'nother story. And state. And week....next week, as a matter of fact. I'll let you know how that goes).

Anyway, back to the giggles. Kaylie and I are at that fun stage in the mother-daughter relationship when it just literally takes a few code words or memories to be able to dissolve into laughter. Russ, her husband, Thank Heavens has the ability to either busy himself other ways or just hit the mental mute button and ignore us completely. We spent several silly and fun hours laughing over some funny memories....

I CRACK UP in the Ya Ya Sisterhood when Teensy says "You are sooooo lucky. If you put one scratch on my baby, I would have your ass."

The scene goes on..we know each and every word...but we don't have to get to the end of it...because all we ever say is...."You are soooooo lucky." That's exactly how far we get before we crying and peeing with laughter...(did I write that out loud?) Wheeeewwww, that is very very good thing. Also, if you know the rest of the lines to the scene, you are my new friend. Of course, that's a movie chock-ful o' fabulous lines.

By the way, to the unindoctrinated...the baby in the scene above, is a classic car and NOT a real baby. I'm just saying.

More funnies:

Now, all funnies are not movie-related....our new favorite giggle was this on the awkward family site (not that we're an awkward family or anything). Because, as you know,

"fabulous dinners do not just make themselves"

smooches and hugs, Marney.

You really should read this...it's a blast and it will make you so grateful for your own holiday get-togethers no matter how dysfunctional they are. Kaylie, as a newlywed, really dug the part Marney wrote to Lisa. At least anything I say to her won't sound as bad as what Marney says!

And, can you stand it? There's more!!!!!!

If you haven't listened to the Left-brain grocery list, here it is. You will definitely howl. If you were raised in the south, you will relate. Because really, I don't care what things cost by the 1/2 ounce either. Some things just really hit home and this funny audio is one of them. Get a glass of sweet tea, put your feet up and let go laughing!

Hmmmm, now....isn't that nice?

Coming of Age (50)

Today is a milestone in my husband’s life. The big 5-0. Here’s a pic of my card to him:



It was designed with huge amounts of love with a traffic sign that I found in a field. He will take it with the attitude he takes most things. Thanks for noticing, now let’s get on with other things. Which is mainly, for him, cooking. On a semi-related note....That man can cook. That is such an understatement, so I shall rephrase:

MERCY, THAT MAN CAN COOK. Like. Really.

Emeril, Bobby Flay, David. He’s that good. Like melt in your mouth, if he’s cooking I’ll be there, slap your grandma good. Twenty pounds during my first year of marriage to him good. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

So, we have already celebrated with a surprise party at the grove and now we’ll do something kinda small and anti-climactic today….then, we’ll do what hubby loves best later this month. We’ll go help keep the lights on in Vegas.

In a nutshell, he’s a simple man. Put him behind a grill and he’s a happy man. A beer, a great steak, and blackjack. No need to complicate things, really. As he always reminds me, “it is what it is.”

Do you think that’s true for men in general….they are more uncomplicated that women? I kind of think that it’s a pattern I observe. Just thinking too much again……..This is all making me hungry..think I’ll go see what delights he has left in the fridge….

p.s.

Here's what he actually said..."That's the heaviest card I've ever gotten." The man has a gift.

Enough with the Stuff Already

I have spent the last week, which is if you don't already realize it, the second week of my VERY limited summer vacation, going through my stuff.

At first I thought it was my beloved belongings, my treasures, the momentos of my life. I knew decisions must be made about what to do do with these items.... to store? to display? to toss? to give away? and....then that led to more questions....store where? display where? Give away to whom? Permanently or just until I might someday, maybe possibly build on and have more space? Geez............ ENOUGH ALREADY!! I was making my own self dizzy with all the craziness.

It was, after all, just stuff. chozchkes......right?

As the temperatures rose, and the hours ticked by, then the days rolled on, it somehow became easier to make those decisions. More and more often, I could answer my own questions. If I had not been yearning for it in the last year....and I mean dreaming of it, wishing for it...dying to get my hands on it and place it in a position of honor in my new home with my beloved husband...well, it just had to go.

14 old cell phone chargers? Trash 'em

3 ironing boards? Are you kidding me? Trash.

Cords...electrical thingys that hook into other thingys? Junk 'em.

8,674 ink pens? To the dump?

Plastic Flowers? Dump-o

Anything peach, mauve, forest green, navy blue? To the dump, to the dump, to the dump dump dump.

Sweet merciful heavens, it is 109 degrees out here, I believe I will go in and have a diet Dr. Pepper and maybe just a teensy nap.

And believe me in those particular moments, I did not care particularly where any item went....although I knew where it would end up. In the dump...which in the village in which I live...I like to call it the village because it sounds so romantical.....ya know, I'm FANCY like that and all. Anyways, our dump is a little different than you might be familiar with. It is, after all, a great giant humongous trash compactor that the citizenry uses whenever they like as long as it is Monday, Wednesday or Friday and before 7 p.m. I know that you must be practically numb now with boredom over that information, but you never know when that kind of tidbit might come in useful. So.....

Back to the big STUFF extravaganza. The deal is, in case anyone might read this besides well, my daughter. I'm moving furniture from my old house...where I lived as a single mother to teenagers, then alone. It was an antique filled house...and though it needed work, it was sorta my dream house. But some dreams are more important than others and God works that out in his own way. Because THENNN, my dream man showed up and lived in a nearby town (which I call, The Village). So, when we married last year, I moved to his home. My old, single-woman home has been sitting empty ever since. The day came to empty it out and that was LAST WEEK. Now I have had to do something with all the stuff and I do mean ALL.

But it's been good and cathartic to close the chapter on that period of my life. My son and I have had some chats reminiscing about the good times we had in that house. (some things I should never had heard about!).

And They Said It Wouldn't Last.....

Hello again....I told you this would be starts and stops. We had a crazy combination party last night: 1st anniversary/50th birthday party for David/60th birthday party for Mary Ann ....but that's Miami. We had a WONDERFUL time because well, the great people in this village really, really know how to have a fine time. The setting was beautiful, the food was great, the company was super-fun. Kay, the best hostess ever, even set up a Newlywed Competition between the Gills and us. It ended up kind of a tie....not so much because it was even but because...where's the fun in keeping score?

Kay to David: Within 5 how many pairs of shoes does your wife own?

David replies (confidently, I might add): Twenty!

Me: That's exactly right!!

Okay, so we got that point under false pretenses.

Really, that's what I wanted to say, but they made me write it down in advance and I had already written down 50, so I was busted. And that was a big, fat guess because who knows how many shoes they have?

Also fun was that Kay had us re-run part of our wedding..don our wedding clothes and cut a cake. We didn't have a cake at our actual wedding and Kay took that really hard and very, very personal. So...she made sure that we had one last night and it was BEAUTIFUL and a terrific surprise.

So all in all it was a wonderful evening with dear friends to commemorate three great things!

As our good friend Sexy Rexy says....

If you don't have friends, you don't have nothing...

pictures and more information on our first year will follow...

Austin City Limits

Not an unusual thing. That I would start a project with great enthusiasm and then stop. And then think about about it again. Then not. Then yes. Then no. Then yes.

Now heeeeere we go. There's just times when I feel like I might have a need to communicate and sort of draw all my people together into a sort of imaginary cyber-community. Then, other times, I think "My people? Did I just think "My people???" Oh well.....

I have just spent nine days in Austin, Texas on a work-related jaunt. I am, indeed, a life-long learner. I have terrorized my children with summaries of workshops and conferences as well as various books I have read for years. Not THAT many 13-15 year old boys and girls could recite the components of the Franklin Reality Model, but my kiddos could....because I told them all about it...in the hot tub!!! Ahhhhhh....those were the days....

Sorry. Kids. Really.

I honestly remember thinking they would be interested in that stuff. It seemed cool at the time.

Well. This trip has not been all work and no play, but I mostly can't go into all that. Let's just suffice it to say "You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille" is still a staple at Pete's....as well as the now famous reprise.

I know you know what I mean.

Easter Eve

I love, love, love everything about Easter. This is the first "married" Easter that David and I have had together. I'm writing this on the Saturday evening between Good Friday and Easter Morning. We were blessed with the most glorious rain this afternoon and I got to watch Presley and Mia play and eat copious amounts of candy all afternoon. It was GREAT. They also modeled their new swimsuits, which their ultracool Mums bought them instead of the traditional Easter dresses. Because really, sometimes tradition is overrated and getting your first swimsuit of the season is just SO MUCH FUN. Honestly, watching them run around the house in those suits, dragging Easter baskets behind them...it was just so comical.

On another matter, watching David participate in the Maundy Thursday community service touched me BIG TIME in quite another way. He read the part in the voice of Thomas, the apostle who doubted.

There's just so much to be happy about this spring.

Here's some of them:

1. My precious husband

2. Our boys are making future plans, finally getting some visions for the futures....which...not surprisingly, seem sorta similar.

3. My daughter married the love of her life this year and is sublimely happy.

4. I love my new Sunday School class...I recently started teaching an adult class at my church..they are young couples and a blast...and so interesting.

5. I can go on and on and will in future posts.......probably ad nauseum

This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Full Nest Syndrome

I think I speak for the crowd when I say that having our children home from college is ........delightful. And by that I mean interesting in an exhausting way. Really (and my unscientific poll backs me up) I think they are trying to kill us. Late nights, messy bathrooms, stuff absolutely everywhere. Well, really, just exactly like when they were home...except somehow, I got a little delusional and fantasized that they had become grown-up and that they would be transformed somehow into civilized, tidy little gentlemen. Once, I heard an older gentleman say he would love to see his college age daughter "for about fifteen minutes". I didn't understand that statement then, but I do now.

But.....I sure will miss them when they're gone....and the house is so quiet again. Having both boys, all their friends...and all of their girlfriends for New Year's Eve was a blast. Thanks, boys, for including us in your good times!! Here's to 2009!