Saint Patrick’s Day meets Sesame Street meets “Danny Boy”

Posted on March 17, 2019 by

I tried to find this version of “Danny Boy” (Garrett Morris, SNL, 03/18/78), but it’s behind a paywall at Hulu…

One of the reasons that I love Saint Patrick’s Day is because it gives me an excuse to listen to one of my all-time favorite songs, “Danny Boy“.

If there were ever any doubt about my ancestry (I’ve got some “Kelly” and “Carroll” in my family tree), the way that this tune makes me feel like I’ve “come home” puts that to rest – there is no denying that music from the British Isles is the kind of music that stirs my soul.

In putting this post together, I listened to a LOT of different versions of the song, and I ran across one that surprised me. You see, I’ve only ever known Bob McGrath as a performer on “Sesame Street” – I didn’t have a CLUE that he had such an amazing voice!

When I heard this version, I knew that I had found “the one”:
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Posted in Holiday/Patriotic, Holidays, Music | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Turf War

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

Well, two of Michelle’s cats, Anubis and Momma Cat – have decided to occupy the end of the bed this evening.

They are currently displacing two of our other cats, Pepper (Sarah’s cat) and Freckles (my cat), who normally perch there.

We shall see what happens when the legacy cats confront the interlopers….

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Happy Pi Day (03/14) [w/buttermilk pie recipe included!]

Posted on March 14, 2019 by

Yes, I’m a geek – I bought this for Rachel several years ago.
She’s a geek, too – she loved it….
(Okay, I bought myself one as well – couldn’t be letting her have all the fun!)

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It wouldn’t be Pi day without a recipe to fill that cool Pi plate, so here is my absolute, all-time favorite pie recipe, courtesy of my dear, sweet mother-in-law (you will definitely want to double it, because it is just that good!):
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Buttermilk Pie

(Makes 1 pie)

1 C. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Flour
3 Egg Yolks ***
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Lemon Extract
2 C. Buttermilk
1 pie crust

Mix all ingredients together and pour into an unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees until firm (approximately 45 – 50 minutes).

Easy AND delicious – does it get any better than that?
Bon Appetit!
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*** The original recipe calls for meringue on top – I assume that the egg whites were held in reserve to make it. Other recipes for Buttermilk Pie that I have seen call for the entire egg to be used in the filling. While I have not tried this personally, I would imagine including the whole egg would not be a problem – this recipe is a little “runnier” than most; adding the egg whites would probably help firm the filling up a bit.
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Posted in Annual Posts, Family, Holidays, Humor, Just Because, Messin' with my kids, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Happy 87th Birthday, Dad!

Posted on March 6, 2019 by

Today is my Dad’s 87th birthday. I can’t tell you how very glad I am that he is still here to celebrate with us – Paul lost his father a few years ago, and it is a loss that he feels every day.

Continue reading →

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Good News from the IRS (For Once)

Posted on March 3, 2019 by

A couple of months ago we received a bill from the IRS for ~$8500 from our 2017 tax return because our parent loans for Michelle were discharged after her death, and the amount which was discharged was considered “income” by the IRS.

We received a call from the IRS last week expressing their sincerest condolences for our loss.  We were also told that they have closed our case and that we do not owe any of that money.

Yeah, I cried.

 

Posted in Family, Inspirational | 2 Comments

Happy Texas Independence Day! (2019)

Posted on March 2, 2019 by

Survivor_texas.
My dad sent me this a while back; since today is Texas Independence Day, I wanted to share them with you:

Due to the popularity of the “Survivor” TV show, Texas is planning to do one entitled: “Survivor – Texas-Style!”

The lucky contestants will all start in Dallas, drive to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, then over to Houston and down to Brownsville.
They will then proceed up to Del Rio, El Paso, Odessa, Midland, Lubbock, and Amarillo.
From there they will go on to Abilene and Fort Worth.
Finally. back to Dallas.

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Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Humor, I Love America, Just Because, Texas | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Everyday Rebecca

Posted on February 26, 2019 by

The cutest thing happened last night.

Paul, Rebecca, and I were all sitting on the couch.  I was talking on the phone with Rachel, Paul was playing on his Kindle until his turn to talk to her, and Rebecca had her headphones on, watching something on her Kindle.

I became aware of Rebecca reaching for my right hand and Paul saying something to me about Rebecca wanting both of us to put our hands on our hearts for some reason.

Well, I looked over at her Kindle and realized that she was listening to a piece of music from an album of patriotic songs.  The piece of music?

The Star-Spangled Banner.

So there we all sat, hands over our hearts until the song (which only Rebecca could hear) was over.

I couldn’t stop laughing over the cuteness and the sweetness of it all.

And it was yet another reminder of how blessed we have been to have a child with Down syndrome in our lives.  How many other 17-year-olds would just matter-of-factly make sure that everyone paid respect when the National Anthem – unbeknownst to them – was being played on a tiny device in their living room?

For us, it was just another day with Rebecca 😊

 

Posted in Down syndrome, Family, I Love America, Just Because, Think about it | 3 Comments