A nice day for a ... White Wedding!

 It was a nice day for a White Wedding!

Boy sees girl

Promises were made.

There were even special shoes for all in the bridal party!

The happiest of couples!

 Congratulations, John & Sarah!

Congratulations, John & Sarah!

It was a joy to meet members of Miss Sarah's family this weekend and to shower for her upcoming marriage to my nephew, John. 

The mother-in-law (mine, not hers) requested this obligatory picture of the sweet cake with their pictures. 

The mother-in-law, (again, mine, not hers) did not approve of the silly game of making wedding gowns out of toilet paper. There were also classic mother-in-law sayings from this portion of the afternoon that probably belong in a future edition of White Lies. ;-)

Sweet Sarah, I'm so glad that you have found John. We look forward to celebrating your marriage this Spring!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! The month got away from us (ok, from me!) and I did not get Christmas cards out in a timely manner. 

This ornament is a new addition to our tree this year. We seem to have adopted a retro vibe to our tree decorating scheme. This ornament is from my Great-Grandmother Henrietta's collection and takes on special meaning this year with her recent passing. 

Embracing the traditions...

Christmas Cooking adventures

This year's Christmas cooking adventures were truncated by an impromptu visit to the Midwest. Sadly, my great-grandmother Henrietta passed away on Wednesday, December 19. Bryan and I had talked about the need to travel to her funeral (when the day came) for quite some time. On the plus side, the trip did mean that we could see my family close to the Christmas holiday. (Hey, maybe Grandma Hennie wanted us to be in the Midwest for Christmas!)

Ginger Crinkles (old family recipe), Spritz (a Christmas tradition!), and  Chocolate Stuff

 After returning late Sunday night from the marathon roadtrip, there was not much time for cooking in advance of the Christmas holiday. However, I did manage to cook up three batches of sweet treats including Ginger Crinkles (a Buelow family recipe), Spritz (from the Betty Crocker Cooky book - yes, that is the spelling - circa, 1950) and the yummy chocolate graham cracker concoction that the White boys are now referring to as Christmas Crack. (Yes, it is that good - and it is that simple!)

We also hosted the Christmas dinner for the family at our house. It seems that I can never cook the appropriate quantity, so we had plenty of leftovers. The menu included dinner rolls (made from scratch of course!)

 turduchen (not made from scratch - I'm not completely insane!)

Bryan's giblet gravy. Ok, I'll admit - this was a new one to me. In the midwest, lumps in gravy are a bad thing. Apparently in the south it's ok to have lumps in the gravy as long as the lumps are giblets (really?) and hardboiled egg whites. It's tasty, but it is still taking some getting used to on my part. Also on the menu were green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and some sausage & cornbread stuffing. 

Apparently next year's recipes will need to add some Special Shit. Thanks to Steve for this unique ingredient. 

Christmas Cards

Yes, it's true - you are not imagining things. You did not receive a Christmas card from us this year. Why?

Well, because I didn't send any.

Why?

I'm not really sure - I guess I looked up and the days had disappeared faster than anticipated.

So, I apologize.

And, from our house to yours- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Now, I suppose I should start working on the 2011 Christmas cards. :)

Christmas Baking

Do you enjoy baking for Christmas? I do! Ok, honestly, I enjoy baking most any time of the year, but Christmas gives me an extra reason to spend days preparing delicious treats.

This year, our yard provided a bounty of pecans and thus the inspiration for our baking projects. This year, Bryan worked with me in the kitchen to create pecan tassies, pecan turtles, pecan logs, sugar & spice pecans, three pepper pecans, and spicy pecans. In addition to our pecan treats we created spritz cookies, Belgian waffle cookies, and sponge candy.

Now, I enjoy baking in large quantity, but I know we shouldn't eat baked goods in large quantity. That's we prepared bags of goodies for some of our Amarillo friends and family - to share a little Christmas cheer. If you listen closely you can hear the sounds of happy tummies from all across Amarillo. :)

I'll admit, I haven't downloaded the pictures from my camera yet, so this artful picture of the goodies is from our good friend Janet. Thanks, Janet!

By Request: Coconut Cream Pie

When I was at Gene and Esther's house a few weeks ago, I ask Gene if there was any dessert he wanted in particular for the Father's Day dinner we had planned at our home.

Gene asked if I would be so kind as to make a coconut cream pie. Coconut cream pie with a meringue is his favorite dessert.

Gene then told me how when he was growing up his grandmother always had a coconut cream pie for him when he came to visit. It seems, as the only grandson he was spoiled from time to time.

I explained to Gene that I had never made a coconut cream pie, but I certainly was not afraid to try.

This weekend it was time to make good on my promise to Gene; it was time to bake my first coconut cream pie.

My grandmother once told me that everyone should have an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, as the recipes are better in the older cookbooks. There are no shortcuts taken. And, I'll have to agree - if you want to make a recipe the way grandma used to, use the cookbook grandma would have used. I pulled my BH&G cookbook off the shelf (copyright 1953).

Sure enough, I was able to find a recipe for a coconut cream pie.

If you would like to make the pie, here's the recipe:
1/4 cup corn starch

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk scalded (ok, I used 1 cup milk + 1 cup coconut milk)

3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup moist shredded coconut + 1/2 cup for the top of the meringue
1 baked 9 inch pastry shell

Mix cornstarch, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt; gradually add milk. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat.

Add small amount to egg yolks; stir into remaining hot mixture; cook 1 minute; stirring constantly. Add butter, vanilla, shredded coconut; cool slightly. Pour into baked pastry shell. Cool.

Yes, the perfect meringue. A proper cream pie should be topped with a perfect meringue.

1. Beat 3 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon salt till frothy. Whites will whip fluffie if they're at room temperature. Now you're ready to add sugar.

2. Beat in 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy. The meringue is ready for the pie when the sugar has dissolved and the meringue is stiff enough to hold a point, yet still looks moist.

3. Cover pie with meringue. Sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut on top of meringue. Bake at 350F for 12 - 15 minutes.

4. Enjoy!


This is the finished Coconut Cream Pie. I hear that it was very tasty, but I didn't get to try a piece myself - it was all gone by the time I got to it!

I also made a lemon meringue pie, which I learned at dinner was Esther's favorite pie. Must have been my lucky day!

My brother, the Artist

Did you know that my brother is a visual artist? It's true! There's a reason I don't have much creative talent, my brother got most of those genes.

My brother currently is an artist living in South Dakota. Recently he's had an extra bit of well deserved recognition thrown his direction. Late last month he received notice from the South Dakota Arts Council that he is the recipient of an artist project grant. With these grant funds he will work to create a new body of work that explores the landscape of the South Dakota Badlands.

In addition, this summer his past work will be featured at the Figge Art Museum in the Quad Cities. If you are in the area you should check out the exhibition or, if it works in your schedule check out the artist reception on June 19.

We are lucky enough to have several pieces of his original artwork in our home. All of our pieces are from the earlier periods - maybe someday we will have a new piece.

If you are interested in seeing more of Chris's work you can check it out on his blog here.

I'm an Aunt! (Again!)

Hazel May
8 lbs, 10 ounces
22 inches

Phil's new guitar

Philip bought a new Taylor guitar today. We were lucky enough to be serenaded this evening by the very happy guitar strummin' young man. (We may have had to dodge a button or two).



Congrats Phil, it's a beaut.

Over one's head

Bryan and I worked hard to find a small gift for all of his immediate family members. Bryan is particularly proud of this random find. It's a coffee mug, with a ceramic giraffe attached to the bottom.

Why is there a giraffe attached to the bottom of this coffee mug? We are not exactly sure. But it does amuse us greatly and we thought it to be the perfect random gift for Bryan's coffee and tea drinkin' nephew, John.
I suppose we wanted to remind John that if he ever felt over his head, he should have a cup of tea with this mug. Then he would remember that there is always someone worse off than he is.

Thanks for the pic, John. We are glad you are using the mug!

Headed to Chicago

It's true! In a few short weeks I'll be headed to Chicago. I'll be in Chicago for the League of American Orchestras National Conference June 10-12. If you will be in the Chicago area during this time and want to meet up, let me know. Most of my days are busy with conference activities, but I do have some down time in the evenings.

Following the conference I'll head to Milan, Illinois. My aunts will be hosting a bridal shower for me. :) Many of my family and friends will be in the area that day. After the bridal shower, we will have a graduation party for my cousin Kate. She graduated from high school last week! (Yikes, that makes me feel a bit old - there was a time when I was changing Kate's diapers!)

Should be a busy weekend in the weeks leading up to our marriage. The countdown is on!

Bryan and my Mom

I'm so glad that Bryan and my Mom were able to spend some time together this Christmas. Family Circus? Nah, there was no Family Circus - only on the coffee mug.

Family Picture 2008

Happy Birthday, Henry

While we were back in Iowa, Bryan and I gave Henry a present for his first birthday. We had heard that he has some strong musical inclinations, so we thought a percussion set would be appropriate for his first birthday!

Henry really like the drumsticks - both to beat on the drum, and to use as a teething toy.

Family Christmas 2008

Bryan and I were able to make the trek to Iowa for Christmas this year. Yes, we may be a little bit crazy, but we did drive. :) We were intentional in our quest to make the week a low stress one - which meant we stopped when we wanted to and were not worried about racing the clock.

The first long day of travels brought us to Council Bluffs, Iowa. In the morning we ventured to the home of two of my college chums - Jason and Amy, and their sons Steven and Daniel. Amy prepared a delicious breakfast and we were able to catch up before Bryan and I continued our journey. (and this is the first time you can kick my rear for not using my camera - it's true, we visited many friends during our trip and not once did I take out my camera. Argh!)

Our ride across the state of Iowa was an adventurous one. At each rest stop we heard folks talking of how travel was not advised today - clearly, that was the day we opted to drive. We had a mission - and we were going to make it to the family Christmas. We did. We arrived at my Aunt Donna's a little later than anticipated - but we did arrive safely.

Bryan was introduced to many members of my family. My goddaughter, Ele, even asked Bryan if he would be her godfather-in-law. Is there such a thing? Regardless, the sweetness of her sincere was request probably aided in the instant yes.

Before the gift giving there were musical serenades...


There was general goofing around and bonding




Bryan discovered that he enjoyed Smoking Loon wine...


Henry was the center of attention - and proved numerous times that he is a ham. If this one is crying, all you need to do is flash a camera flash - then he is all smiles.

But soon it was time to exchange gifts. Henry was fairly enthused by this process.


As the evening drew to a close the "Christmas Ninja" made an appearance as well.


It was a great time to see the family - and for Bryan to meet so many folks. Merry Christmas to all!

Thanksgiving Feast

This Thanksgiving Bryan and I invited members of his family to join us for a Thanksgiving dinner feast.

Well, more acurrately, the feast started as a small dinner with Bryan, his parents and I. However, circumstances changed when family members learned that we would be serving a turducken. The numbers grew and we were joined by Bryan's brother Steve, his wife Carol, and their two boys John and Philip, and Bryan's brother Lem drove over from Dallas. Suddenly our dinner for four was a feast for nine.

After much research, Bryan and I decided the best way to cook the turducken was low and slow. So, at 6:40 a.m. I received a wake-up call so that I could put the beast in the oven.

I made dinner rolls (yes, from scratch), a green bean casserole, and cranberries. (Honestly, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without cranberries!). Members of Bryan's family brought additional fixin's including salads, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and pies.

The table was set in our living room. We only had to remove a pair of ottomans to make room for the large dining room table!



Once the birds were cooked and carved, folks were ready for the feasting. I didn't take very many pictures on Thursday, but I did get one of the carved birds. If you wonder what it looked like before it was carved - it looked just like a normal turkey. Ok, maybe not a normal turkey - it was a little flatter than a normal turkey.



Here are a few pictures from Bryan's mom of the afternoon.

Let the feast begin!


Yes, Bryan had everyone watching the proposal video. Here Lem, John, Gene, and Steve enjoy some post feast relaxation.


After the feasting, the kitchen was in pretty good shape.

I think after all was said and done, everyone really had a good time. Such a good time that there was even some rumbling that maybe Bryan and I should host the family Christmas. Oh my!

I hope y'all enjoyed a Thanksgiving filled with good food, family and some fun.

Further adventures in the greater Amarillo area

This morning Mom and I took a stroll down Route 66. We enjoyed perusing a number of antique shops on 6th Street. After some exhausting shopping we met Bryan for lunch at a Route 66 fixture, Barnaby's Beanery. Yummy.

During lunch Bryan suggested that our next excursion be to the Combine City.



It appears that someone wanted to replicate Cadillac Ranch with Farm Equipment. I think mom enjoyed seeing this particular spectacle.



Since we were practically to the canyon, Mom and I continued on our way to the Palo Duro Canyon. (Bryan left to prepare for the evening's festitivies at his home - yes, the parents met that night!)
Mom and I enjoyed a tour of the base of the canyon - even explored part of a trail. Ok, enough to make it look like we were out hiking (hey, our time in the canyon was limited.) In this picture you can see the Lighthouse above Mom's head.



Along the trail Mom even stopped to identify a cactus or two. Don't get any ideas about future placements for these prickly friends, Mom!



Thanks for a fun visit to Amarillo, Mom!(And I am sorry it took me so long to post these images!)

And from the heavens

Tonight Mom, Bryan and I went to dinner at Texas Road House - not the most original of Amarillo eating establishments but tasty nonetheless.

After dinner, I drove mom to one of Stanley's other Amarillo attractions - the big giant feet. On the way to the feet we dodged a few ominous looking rain clouds. Luckily, we did not get wet. Where there are rain clouds there are bound to rainbows. We did see a double rainbow on the way to the attraction.



The real attraction that we were driving to see where these big giant feet that seem to step out of the clouds and land on this piece of ranchland for no real apparent reason. I think it is appropriate that mom had her picture taken with such giant feet as she raised two children with mambo jambo feet.

Hi Fran!

My mom is in town visiting this week. I have been coming home during lunch breaks to eat with her - and watch Bryan direct the noon show. Today's show was slated to have a vanity cam shot so that we could see Bryan. In fact, Bryan asked me to tell my mom that the wave was for her. We watched the noon show and were disappointed when the shot in the cast was so brief we could barely see Bryan.

I called Bryan shortly after the end of the cast thanked him for the shot, poked him for how brief it was and asked for a picture of the sign he had put on his monitor during the cast.

He had to do one better.


This evening he presented my mom with a DVD of a special shoot he did in the control room this afternoon. Notice the sign on the back of his monitor. (It says HI FRAN! And Sue too) Also, on the control room monitor - check out the graphic on the left hand side of the panel - it also says, "Hi Fran!"