Sisters

Today is my baby sister Vicki's birthday, and frankly, she has me to thank that she is alive today to celebrate it.

Yep, it is no secret in our family that Vicki is a saint.  In fact, through some peoples' eyes, saint ain't even close.  She literally makes a living doing good things for others as a life coach, a purveyor of medicinal herbs and potions, an author, and as caretaker of our mother who suffers from Alzheimers. She pretty much saves peoples' lives every day, but what some people may not know, is that I saved her life, not once, but twice.

I wasn't happy when she came into my life, in fact, I considered her an interloper.  With two older sisters who were already graduated and out of the house before I was even born, I'd savored my 5-year reign as only-child, singular object of my parents' affection, princess of sweetness and light.

But eventually she grew on me. People tried to treat us equally, but somehow I knew they liked her best.  Even though at every turn her cuteness outshone me, I dutifully shouldered the heavy responsibility of being second fiddle the older sister.

The first time I saved her life she was about 4. She couldn't keep anything in her stomach and was about to be hospitalized. As the bitter older sister, I admit, as I sat on the edge of her bed while my mother tended her, I was sizing up the wall space in her room, imagining what my furniture would look like in there after she died. (Shut up, I was 9.) Suddenly, I started singing a silly song but mixed up the words and she started to smile, then giggle, and the more rediculous the song got, the more she laughed.  Finally, as I cavorted around the room, she sat up and started eating her Saltines - it was a miracle.

My next heroic act was a couple of years later.  Our parents had left the house with the admonishment that we could go outside as soon as we finished our chores, but not before.  Vicki's chore was to clean the bathroom, and mine, being the Cinderella of the house was of course to clean the fireplace.  Having always been a bit of a chemist, Vicki closed the bathroom door, put the stopper in the sink, and singing all the while, set about mixing her own cleaning potion which consisted of Clorox, amonia, Ajax, and toothpaste....yeah, pretty much producing toxic fumes immediately. I think she started choking, which is what made me open the bathroom door to check on her.  I dragged her outside, and then bravely went back in to drain the sink and open all the windows in the house.

We've had our moments, as all siblings do, but all in all, I'm mostly glad I was there to snatch her from the jaws of death.

So happy birthday Vick, and you're welcome!

Yet Another Reason I Don't Blog

Once upon a time, Long, long ago in 1964, in a land far, far away Goleta California, a school was built...

All the children who went to that school in the first year it was open, were asked to write their name, or draw a picture.  Those names and pictures were placed in a brass time capsule, along with other artifacts, then sealed behind a brick wall and a metal plaque.

Time passed, the children grew up, moved away, and had children of their own, and sadly they forgot about the time capsule.... Until a magical thing happened - Facebook was invented!

One by one, the grown up children began to build their friend lists, and to reconnect with each other, and little by little they shared stories, and they began to remember the old school, and the time capsule.

It just so happened that some of those grown up children had stayed, or gone back to the old neighborhood, and they were able to visit there in person to bribe negotiate with the Principal to let them get the time capsule out from behind the brick wall.....  This week they did just that.

Some of those friends thought that since there was a reunion planned for the high school this summer, it would be a swell idea to gather up all of the others who attended the school, since they would be there anyway, and open that time capsule.  One of them, namely me, was stupid ambitious enough to try to coordinate this event from 900 miles away.

Wish me luck, because this is yet another reason I don't blog!

Why I Don't Blog - Part 2

...and then there is food.  I don't blog because who wants to sit in a cold dark basement and write, when you can prepare yummy food?

This past week, my youngest, Bearly, clicked "ACCEPT" on his invitation to attend American University this fall.

We decided to celebrate with a Red White And Blue breakfast...

In addition, last week, one of the Symphony Babes shared a recipe she found - Breakfast Kabobs with Apple Cinnamon Barbeque Sauce, that I was anxious to try, so....

For the sauce:  1 cup barbecue sauce, 3 Tbsp apple jelly, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
For the kebabs:  pork sausage links cut into 1 inch pieces, 6 strips thick sliced bacon, skewers

It helps to line a baking sheet with foil then top with a cooling rack.  Coat the rack with non-stick spray.

Here's where me and the recipe parted ways:  I used 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, and the ENTIRE JAR of the apple jelly, along with increasing the paltry amount of cinnamon to at least 2 tablespoons.  Stir well, then warm in the microwave until the jelly is melted and the sauce is warm.

Thread sausage pieces, alternately with the bacon, snaking it back and forth onto the skewers. Brush the kebabs with the sauce and lay them on the cooling rack on top of the baking sheet.

Roast the kebabs at 350 to 400 until the meats are browned and cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Baste and turn the skewers about halfway through to ensure even cooking... even in a crappy oven like mine.  Remove from the oven, roll each skewer in the sauce that has dripped into the bottom of the pan and voila!

Deeeeeelicious!

Unfortunately....

THIS is why I don't blog!