Whirlwind Weekend—Part I

We celebrated the 4th of July weekend like a celebrity on Rodeo Drive. Only we were in Atlanta and, umm, we’re not celebrities.

Our mission: To obtain one American Girl doll that strongly resembles the Princess of the family. This was her birthday wish; no party, no cake, just a new doll. Thank you, mom, for starting this obsession tradition.

Saturday, July 5

0700 The GRITS family loaded up the Greek-mobile headed for the big city of Atlanta. One child took a nap, and one very excited birthday girl did not.

1130 Arrived in the big city of Atlanta and headed directly to the American Girl store. No passing go or collecting $200. Unfortunately.

1200 We had a visual on our final destination. After parking and risking our lives like Frogger in the parking lot, we were going in.

1215 The store was like nothing we had ever seen. Unless you count the movie “Jingle All the Way”, you remember when Sinbad and Ah-nald are fighting to get the Turbo Man toy?? Except there were plenty of dolls to go around in our case. We had to find THE doll that the Princess wanted, not just any doll would do.

About 20 minutes later we made a final decision.

Pretty good match don’t you think?!

Then we had to look at everything in the store before leaving. Which annoyed one family member in particular.

The proud new “Mom” of “Anna Grace”

1300 MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

But don’t think the fun stopped there….oh no, no, no. We had more to do during our whirlwind tour. After lunch at P.F. Changs our next mission was to find the Lego outlet store for the 9 year old, whom I will now refer to as Lego-Man.

I should also introduce you to another member of our family that has been behind the scenes until now. Meet Eileen:

Yes, yes, she is a cell phone. The hubby’s to be exact, and over the last few months she’s helped us arrive at various destinations. Why Eileen? It’s just the song that was playing when we first began using her….”come on Eileen”. Well, this weekend she turned on us. Eileen had us going in the complete opposite direction that we needed to be going and, thankfully, the astute hubby was on to her ploy of thwarting our getaway fun.

So, after pulling the plug on Eileen we found our own way to the mall housing the Lego Outlet store. Now look who’s smiling:

And after looking at every Lego set at least twice, Lego-Man, finally decided on this, which was 50% off:

With two happy children in tow, we headed off to the adult’s shopping choice:

Have you folks been to this place?! We get the catalog and have a TV stand from here, but going to this place is an experience like no other. The American Girl store has got N-O-T-H-I-N-G on this place. Nothing.

Ikea is not for the faint of heart. You must be in good physical condition to walk through the doors and your nerve medication MUST be at therapeutic levels upon entering. Mine was not, because I do not take any. I should.

Note to self: next time leave kids at home with sitter and DO NOT, I repeat, do not go on a holiday weekend.

After wandering and meandering, meandering and wandering, we headed out with spending less than $20. Phew. Did I mention taking nerve pills and leaving kids at home.

So we ended the day with dinner at the home of my husband’s sister. She fixed us a delicious Rachel Ray dinner of salmon with corn & black bean salsa, followed by homemade peanut butter cookies and vanilla ice cream.

After our celebrity style shopping spree, we were at the hotel and all in bed asleep by 10:30pm. I think I actually heard the Princess snoring or was that me?

Happy 4th of July

I am so thankful that God allowed me to be “Born in the U.S.A.”!  And I am very gracious for those who sacrifice and have sacrificed their lives so that we may enjoy all the freedoms we have here in America.  In honor of this day I thought I would share a few photos with you:

 

 

July 4, 2001

 

 

My Navy brother and his wife, he is currently serving our country while stationed in South Korea.

 

 

Fabulous Flag-Flying Fourth 

(Click to go see more flag flying bloggers)

 

 

 

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

‘Fro Me to You—Meet Gus

In this week’s edition of Kristen’s Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You, I would like to introduce y’all to someone. This someone I actually don’t know very well, but would like to have known. (wow, what tense is that?)

I’d like for you to meet the patriarch of my Greek family, my Papou (grandfather):

Constantine Nicholas (Insert LONG Greek last name)

“Gus”

Unfortunately, Papou died when I was about 3 years old, so I have no real recollection of him. I just know the stories I have heard throughout my life. My Papou would be at the top of my “who I would like to meet” list.

Here are a few things I do know about him:

• He came to the US from the small island of Skyros when he was a young man. I understand his first attempt was thwarted by his mother.
• Due to his sneaky departure, he did not use his real name when he went through Ellis Island, so we cannot track his entry into the US.
• He and my Yaya lived in Mobile, AL where they raised 2 boys and 1 girl—Nick, George and Maria (what else are Greek children named).
• “Gus” was a common nickname for the popular Greek first name, Constantine.
• He did return to his native island to give back to the community
• He was not tall in stature, but meant what he said.
• He boxed, and there is some family story that he boxed someone famous (I cannot remember who, Bob Hope maybe)
• He owned a restaurant named “Constantine’s” and the food was delicious. So good the sign read “world famous”.

This photo, taken in 1952, is of his original restaurant in Mobile before it moved to it’s final location sometime later. I thought it was funny to notice the sign also reads, “air cooled.”

I have always wondered what it would have been like to have known him. What was he like? What would we have done together? Would he have taken me back to the “old country”? Would he have taught me all his “famous” recipes.

I would like to hear his life story and all about my family back in Greece. But God did not have it in His plan for me to know Papou. I wish He had.

And after watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, ohhh, about a thousand times, it makes me wonder more about him.

Here are the things I wonder about Papou:

• Did his voice sound like Gus Portokalos? Probably.
• Was he able to take any word and prove that it has Greek origins? Maybe
• Did he ever use Windex for skin maladies? Probably not.
• Did he ever say, “There are two kinds of people - Greeks, and everyone else who wish they was Greek.” *laugh* I hope he did.

Thanks for letting me share my Papou with you. I hope to see him again one day, and I have a lot of questions to ask him.

For more Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You fun, click on over to Kristen’s at We are THAT Family.

Happy Birthday, Princess

It’s hard to believe it’s been 7 years since we brought home our little pink bundle of joy!

Today she’s the big 7 year old. Even though she defines the word “drama” and “daddy’s girl”, we are truly blessed and know God has great plans for this determined, energetic and bright little girl.

2001

2008

Toffee Apple Dip

This week’s edition of Shannon’s WFMW includes recipes with five-ingredients–or-less. Which is great, since I don’t have time for complicated recipes.

Anyone get tired of eating plain ol’ apples? Or maybe you are looking for something new to make for your next gathering. Here’s a recipe that will kick apple-eating up a notch, I promise. And it should come with an addiction warning!

1 8oz. Cream Cheese, softened

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup White Sugar (can vary sugar amounts to taste)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 bag Heath Bar Bits

Cream the first 4 ingredients together, then fold in the Heath Bits. Chill. Serve with fresh apple slices—granny smith or roma apples work best.

For more five-ingredients-or-less recipes, hop on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Photo Gallery

The photos I am going to share with you today are none that you will find in any famous art gallery. They were not taken by anyone famous and the artist’s perspective may not be understood.

You see, the pictures were taken by my 9 year old son, with his new digital camera he received on his birthday, which he did ask for. His last digital camera, a hand-me-down from his cool parents, was worn out from so much use.

After shooting close to 150 photos, I thought it was time to download the photos and take a look at them. While viewing them, I found myself laughing hysterically as well as scratching the top of my head--- while trying to figure out what, exactly, I was looking at. Then followed by an “Ohhhhh” when he told me.

I also found myself having a discussion with him about what is appropriate to take photos of…..and stuttering through an explanation of why we really shouldn’t take photos of others with their “bums” in the air or while other’s pretended to hit their “bums”. Go figure.

So, you want to know what a 9 year old boy takes photos of? I am proud to present:

Life Through A Lens: Do You See What I See, Check Yes or No.

The Photographer

First Photo with new camera, birthday dessert

Elementary School Chicks, which I am allergic to

Indiana Jones Legos

Little Sister in 3D

Backyard as seen from swing

Best buddy at end of school party

Little sister’s room, as seen through paper towel tube

Toothless upside down sister

Front-lit cookie on kitchen counter

Lindsey Lohan, as seen on TV

(**moment of silent prayer**)

Road Trip Stowaways, decorated with little sister’s cookies

Pertinent Weather Data

Immediate weather coverage

The great black out of Summer 2008

Before Erik Estrada called to get his glasses back

Baby tomatoes, coming soon to a salad near you

I don’t want to wear everyone out with our first presentation of photos, so I will bring this photofest to an end.

Consider yourself warned that this may not be the last entry from my son’s camera. Because I’m sure after another 100+ photos there will be plenty more to share with you all. Hope you enjoyed seeing life through my 9 year old. I’ll leave you with one more photo which was taken by the Princess.

A Must See

I case some of you have been living under a rock this weekend, the new Pixar hit "Wall-E' came out Friday. And you better believe the GRITS household was there for the opening night viewing.

In my opinion, there is nothing better than a Pixar movie and "Wall-E" continues their awesome movie making tradition. Along with the anticipation of the full length movie, was the excitement over the Pixar Short film. We were introduced to Presto the magician and his rabbit sidekick. It too was VERY cute!


The whole GRITS family gave "Wall-E" two thumbs up! Which should be enough incentive for anyone to go see it. Coincidentally my friend Teresa has also reviewed the film, so check it out. I also discovered the Pixar Blog which has a lot of information about the film.

Trust me, you won't want to miss this one in the theater folks. Check out the Wall-E widget below.

Greek Isles Pasta Salad

I honor of the summer heat and the overwhelming desire NOT to turn on the oven, I am going to share with you a delicious summer recipe that only involves cooking the pasta. 

I found this recipe at the Kraft food web site, which I visit regularly for quick and simple recipes. 

 

 

3 cups bow-tie pasta, uncooked

2 cups  baby spinach leaves

1 cup KRAFT Natural Mediterranean Style Cheese Crumbles 

1 cup  cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed

1/2 cup  KRAFT Greek Vinaigrette Dressing

 

COOK pasta as directed on package; drain. Place in large bowl.

ADD remaining ingredients; mix lightly.

SERVE immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

 

My own, more Greek, rendition of this recipe includes using only Feta cheese and adding kalamata olives.  Enjoy!

Business in the front……

 

You know the rest……PARTY in the back!!

 

 

In this week’s rendition of Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You, may I present to you The Mullet Years—College Edition:

 

The Where’s Waldo Party Mullet?

 

The Formal Mullet

 

The Intramural Mullet

 

The Equestrian Mullet

 

The “Tide-Slide” Mullet

 

The Preppy Mullet

 

The Graduation Mullet

 

Now that the damage has been done, I should apologize to my friends who were thrown under the bus with me.  Sorry Judson sisters, I still love you.  Close your eyes and repeat after me, “it was the style, it was the style…”.  Besides, we all outgrew it. 

For more Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You fun click on over to Kristen’s site at We Are THAT Family!  It’s the best thing going on Thursdays! 

Works-for-Me Wednesday

This is my maiden voyage for this blog carnival sponsored by Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer. I’ve been a stalker for some time, but decided to jump in this week.

I am sharing a fabulous product that has become part of my son’s morning routine here at the GRITS house. Words are not really necessary:

Too bad we didn’t name him “Spike”:

A few squirts of Johnson and Johnson’s “No More Bedhead” spray (found at Publix):

Prince Charming ready for the world:

Click on over to Rocks in My Dryer for MANY more wonderful ideas. Even better, go add one of your own!