tamale pie

This is another item I recently got from my Aunt Shirley's house - a vintage Corning Ware covered cassarole dish. I actually gasped when I opened the cupboard door and saw it! I have a fondness for Pennsylvania Dutch designs and this reminds me of that style. So yesterday I used it for the first time to make Two-Bean Tamale Pie, a yummy recipe from a vegetarian cookbook my sister Deborah gave us many years ago. It got three thumbs up at dinner.

fall-ish

Finally, some cool-ish weather here, and it's time for chocolate chip pumpkin muffins.

Got them out of the oven just before I dashed off to work.

And on another "note," here's Noah and the awesome Ms. Marina at a piano recital several weeks ago. Awesome teacher + awesome student = beautiful music!

car :: dance :: retro mixer

Recent events at i.a.n.b.d.

CAR ::

Noah finally got himself some wheels! Actually, it's my step-dad's 11-year-old Buick, but it's in great shape. Took awhile to get the paperwork in order, but now Noah's got wheels and he's a happy camper! And so am I since I've been sharing my wheels with one offspring or another for four years. We worked it out beautifully most of the time, but it's a blessing to not have to do all that figuring out of shedules. Whew!

DANCE ::

Emily's dance company, Chara, took their 2009-10 company member pictures recently, and they are exquisite! So proud of my ballerina.

RETRO MIXER ::

My dear cousin Lonnie invited me and my sis over to his mom's house to pick out something to remember our Aunt Shirley by. We each got a piece of art that reminds us of her. And I was able to convince Lonnie that I would give her mixer (over 40 years old!) a very loving home.

Well, I think it was love at first sight when my hubby got a look at it. He cleaned it up all brand-spanking-new and hurried over to Ace Hardware to get a brand new cord, since the original one was twisted up from all those years of preparing wonderful food. (He even gave our "old" hand mixer to Emily! Who needs two hand mixers?)

Maybe we'll get another 40 years out of this beauty. That's lots of pancakes and mashed potatoes (two of hubby's specialties).

BTW, I managed to do a little sewing/crafting last weekend.

Emily asked for an iron and ironing board while she was home last weekend. I had recently inherited my mom's iron, which is much nicer than the one I had, so I gifted Emily my old iron. In the garage was an old (kind of stinky) tabletop ironing board that had also been my mom's. So quick as a wink, I fashioned a new ironing board cover and pad with items on hand. The new fabric is much more "Emily" than the old (on the right). She gave me a happy, smiling "Thanks, Mom!" <3

a donkey named Carol

Ever since I was a young girl, I've had a soft spot for donkeys. One morning in June, I visited the donkeys over at Bear Creek Park and snapped this picture. They've got two donkeys there and they come right up to the fence to see the visitors.

Recently I was thinking about donkeys and realized I really don't know much about them, so I did a google search and found this sweet, sweet story about a donkey named Carol.

This little donkey belonged to my Grandmother B. I've always wondered who gave it to her. And I'm sure this little donkey never really had a name. Maybe Carol would be a good name for her.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Shirley

Today would have been my Aunt Shirley's 73rd birthday. These beautiful roses are from the most spectacular blanket of roses I've ever seen, given to her by her loving son, Lonnie. And they're pink, of course.

For those of you who knew her, here's a collection of photos Lonnie put together (click on "images").

Happy Birthday, Aunt Shirley. We love you. We miss you. We'll always remember the way you loved life!

remembering my Aunt Shirley

Remembering my wonderful aunt, Shirley Condry Gainer, who passed away on Monday evening, September 7, after courageously battling cancer. I don't think I have ever known anyone who loved life and loved living it more than she did.

About Shirley: She was my mother's baby sister. Pink was her signature color, and she looked beautiful in it. She loved to travel and had the opportunity to live in many different places - Spain, Alaska, Tunisia, Malta - those are the ones I can remember. During this time, she married her husband, Kermit, three times. The third time it finally took! They worked together and played together over the years. I'd say they had a pretty wonderful life (and raised a pretty wonderful son).

She was always proud of the fact that she played "match maker" and introduced me to the wonderful man who has been my husband for 27 years. She invited us both over for dinner and, when we left, she bet my Uncle Kermit ten dollars that we'd be married within a year. It was one year and three weeks before our actual wedding day. Technically, she lost her bet, so I gave her ten dollars. It was well worth it!

We love you and will miss you, Aunt Shirley. And we have the blessed assurance that we will be together again one day. xoxoxo

better homes

How cool is this?! It's a picture from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, revised edition, seventh printing (1965). It was my mom's cook book, which I just got my hands on yesterday. I decided to share this on my blog tonight, but I need daylight to photograph the cover. So . . . stay tuned!