Score!

No, I did not just make a goal. But the mil10 blog has just reached twenty posts, or a score of posts as Abraham Lincoln may have said. Although I think he may have had better things to read than the random ramblings found here.

What is the signifigance of twenty? I don't know, but I listed below several things associated with the number. You never know when you will need a list of such information.

--> Twenty is a village in Lincolnshire, England.
--> A twenty is a denomination of U.S. currency featuring Andrew Jackson's portrait and a denomination of UK currency featuring the portrait of Adam Smith.
--> 20 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Egypt.
--> Interstate 20 is a freeway that runs from Texas to South Carolina.
--> 20 is a 1988 album by Harry Connick, Jr., but Twenty is a 1997 album by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
--> 20 is CB slang for "a place," being short for "10-20," and is used in reference to a person or object's location.
--> The Twenty Year Curse refers to the pattern of presidents of the United States who were elected to office in 1840, 1860, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1940, and 1960 to die in office.
--> 20/20 is a newsmagazine on ABC.
--> 20/20 indicates normal vision at 20 feet.
--> 20 is the atomic number of calcium.

I know twenty posts is not a big deal in the blogging world, but it is twenty times that the mil10s have opened up and shown a small slice of who we are that may have otherwise gone unseen. Twenty is just the beginning.

Mil10, TX

Who knew there is a town in Texas that shares our last name? Milton, Texas. While looking up random information tonight, I stumbled across this apparently tiny Texas town. I figured it could not be too big of a town since I was not familiar with it. Learning that Milton is southwest of Paris still didn't help me much. Zooming in with an aerial photo showed me only a handful of homes and Google's search engine offered little information.

The Handbook of Texas Online did provide some insight.

MILTON, TEXAS (Lamar County). Milton, on Farm Road 1501 sixteen miles southeast of Paris in southeastern Lamar County, was settled around the time of the Civil War and was originally known as Minton. A post office was established there under the name Milton in 1874; by 1890 the town had a Methodist church, a general store, two combination gristmills and gins, a saw mill, and a dry goods store. A Milton school was in operation by 1896; in 1906 it had an enrollment of sixty-five. The post office closed in 1907, but the town's population continued to grow during the second and third decade of the twentieth century; in the early 1930s 300 residents and four businesses were reported. Since that time Milton has steadily declined. The school and all of the businesses were closed after World War II, and by the early 1970s only a church, a cemetery, and a few scattered houses remained in the area. In 1990 Milton was a dispersed rural community with an estimated population of fifty. The population grew to 80 in 2000.

It may not be the most famous Texas town, but there is a cool association having a town share your last name. Last summer we visited Milton, Florida for that very reason.

Entering Milton, Florida's Historic District. Edie took this photo through the passenger side window while I was driving.

What was the highlight of the visit? The Santa Rosa County Veterans Memorial Plaza. The memorial is "dedicated to the veterans of the United States of America - America's heroes of centuries past and freedom's defenders of days to come."

The Defending Eagle – A bronze statue placed at the entrance of the park. The Defending Eagle has an approximate 12-foot wingspan. The American Bald Eagle is probably the single most recognized symbol of freedom. The Eagle is in a stance of defense, claws dug in, wings out and upward and the head will be tilted at an angle listening for danger. He is ready to defend. On the base of the Eagle is inscribed, “Freedom.”

Ever Tried These?

Always looking for something that can be eaten on the run in the mornings, I have been a fan of granola bars for some time. I prefer the chewy variety as these tend to not be as messy and crumble less than others. Less mess is always a plus when eating in your vehicle on the way to work!

Since our local big-box-store was out of the Kashi bars (TLC Chewy Granola Bars) that had become a day-starting staple as of late, and I have long given up on the Nature Valley bars (both the Chewy Trail Mix and the Chewy Granola with Yogurt Coating) due to burn out, Edie picked up something new. Pictured below is the Fiber One Chewy Oats and Chocolate Bar, the breakfast bar that taking the staring role this week.

Of course, the funny thing is I still have not seen them in the light. You see, since I drive to work in the dark, I really wasn't sure what they looked like before posting this picture.

I am telling the truth when I say they have a great flavor. To adapt a line from Joey after he tasted Rachel's English trifle, let me just say, "What’s not to like? Chocolate? Good. Oats? Good. Gooey, sweet, caramelized substance holding it all together? Gooooood." Unlike the trifle, these bars do not taste like "feet."

My question for you is, have you ever tried these bars? I will wait to post my full review of the bar for a few days. I will wait just in case someone else wants to share an opinion first or you want to rush out and try one on your own.

On a side note, this is not my photo. I borrowed it from someone else. However, the really neat thing is that we used the same plates at my house when I was growing up. Now if they had just used the utensils with the brown handles...

Hip, Hip Hooray, It's Almost Valentine's Day

Can't you see how excited EK is about Valentine's Day. This is at his school party. Be sure and notice the whole cupcake he had just shoved in him mouth.

As excited as he looks, was how I felt when I came home last night. My sweet husband and little boy had picked out some beautiful roses for me for Valentine's Day. EK picked out the most gorgeous color of pink roses. Thanks for the roses guys. I love ya'll so much.

Artist's Corner

This week's entry is EK's take on prehistoric times.

Baking with a Buddy

Tonight at HTBC we had our annual Baking with a Buddy. This is an event for Dads, Granddads, and children to have a cake baking and decorating contest. The first year of the contest JMM and EK created a treasure chest cake. Last year with help from Peeps, they created a three layer heart cake with M&Ms. This year we were running low on ideas, so with a little help from our dear friend The Baking Redhead we were given some inspiration.

This years All Around Prize Winner was a cake titled "Love Letters." We used a pound cake mix with some snickers added into it for a little extra kick. The pound cake was turned into a mailbox. The letters were made from Pop-Tarts that were iced, addressed, and stamped with a heart.

Thanks for the idea, Baking Redhead. Great job, JMM, EK, and Peeps! I can't wait to see what ya'll create next year.

Love is in the Air

Well, we have spent the day with EK creating his Valentine gifts for his "GFF." As he tells it that means Girl Friend Forever. We had already purchased a little Valentine gift for R. Usually he gets her a Valentine stuffed animal. This morning we found out that Home Depot was having Kid Workshop Day, and they would be making jewelry boxes with a heart on the lid. Of course, I was hoping he would want to create the box for me, his sweet mom. When asked who the box was for he replied, "my girlfriend, R." I should have known.

It is so neat to see how they act with each other. They have been great friends since they were little toddlers in the nursery together. It reminds me of another little boy and girl I used to know. I wonder if their story will turn out the same.

"I'm good!"

I am not a Pepsi Max fan, not even a Pepsi fan, but I could definitely relate to this commercial. Yes, I would laugh if I saw you trip and fall. Yes, I would stop to help you get off of the ground. Then I would have to laugh some more.

Hopefully you would be laughing, too. Hopefully.

Yeah for Modie!

Modie received a recipe for Dr. Pepper Cake from Jane R. Modie knows how much I love the Cracker Barrel Coke Cake which is only offered seasonally. Last night at family dinner night, Modie made the cake. It was delicious. So moist and light. After sharing with fellow blogger The Baking Redhead the Dr. Pepper Cake became a recipe featured on her site. Yeah for Modie! The nonblogger now has two posts dedicated to her cake. Visit The Baking Redhead for the recipie.

Artist's Corner

As most of you know, we have a budding, young artist on our hands. This is his second year of art lessons, but he has been drawing since he could hold a pencil or crayon in his hand. He actually takes lessons from the same teacher his dad and uncle J took lessons from many years ago. We have now dedicated the entry way in our home as an art gallery to his masterpieces. However, there is only so much wall space, and we are not able to showcase every piece. I have decided each week I will spotlight one of EK's works of art. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

"I'm Going To Disney World!"

Everyone knows we cannot wait until our next Walt Disney World vacation. We even have a graphic on the side of the blog showing how much of our wait for this year's trip is complete. WDW is a destination that our family always enjoys and has given us many great experiences and memories over the years. However, we are not the only ones that enjoy being there. Every year at about this time, someone will proclaim, "I'm going to Disney World!" Let's look back at everyone that has proclaimed that now famous phrase.

A Look Back at "I'm Going To Disney World!"

First Spot: Super Bowl XXI (Phil Simms, New York Giants)
Number of Spots Since Inception: 40

Chronology of "I'm going to Disney World" Spots:

2009 - Super Bowl XLIII (Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers)

2008 - Super Bowl XLII (Eli Manning, New York Giants); American Idol (David Cook, Singer)

2007 - Super Bowl XLI (Tony Dungy and Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts)

2006 - Super Bowl XL (Hines Ward, with Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh Steelers)

2004 - Super Bowl XXXVIII (Tom Brady, New England Patriots); Major League Baseball World Series Champions (Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox)

2003 - Super Bowl XXXVII (Jon Gruden and Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

2002 - Super Bowl XXXVI (Tom Brady, New England Patriots)

2001 - Super Bowl XXXV (Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens); Major League Baseball home run record (Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants)

2000 - Super Bowl XXXIV (Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams)

1999 - Super Bowl XXXIII (Terrell Davis and John Elway, Denver Broncos); Women's World Cup (United States Championship Team)

1998 - Super Bowl XXXII (John Elway, Denver Broncos); Major League Baseball home run record (Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals)

1997 - Super Bowl XXXI (Desmond Howard, Green Bay Packers); Holiday Gift-Giving (Santa Claus)

1996 - Super Bowl XXX (Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys)

1995 - Super Bowl XXIX (Jerry Rice and Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers)

1994 - Super Bowl XXVIII (Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys); Winter Games XVII (Nancy Kerrigan, U.S. Figure Skater)

1993 - Super Bowl XXVII (Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys); Stanley Cup (Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens)

1992 - Super Bowl XXVI (Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins)

1991 - Super Bowl XXV (Ottis Anderson, N.Y. Giants); NBA (Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls)

1990 - Super Bowl XXIV (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers); Graduation (Jim Thompson of Temple University, and Matt Kaldenberg, Phyllis Kaldenberg and Laura McEwen of Simpson College)

1989 - Super Bowl XXIII (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers); NHL (Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames); NBA (Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons)

1988 - Super Bowl XXII (Doug Williams, Washington Redskins); Miss America (Gretchen Carlson); World Series (Orel Hershiser, L.A. Dodgers); NBA (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers)

1987 - Super Bowl XXI (Phil Simms, N.Y. Giants); America’s Cup (Dennis Conner); NBA (Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers); World Series (Frank Viola, Minnesota Twins)

The Super Bowl has been the catalyst for the most "I'm going to Disney World" spots (22).

There have been four "I'm going to Disney World" repeaters: Joe Montana (1989 and 1990), Emmitt Smith (1994 and 1996), John Elway (1998 and 1999) and Tom Brady (2002 and 2004).

"I'm going to Disney World" spots immediately following the Super Bowl have featured non-Super Bowl MVPs eight times: 1989, 1995 (shared), 1996, 1998, 1999 (shared), 2001, 2003 and 2007. *

I don't know what happened in 2005. Wikipedia says Disney decided to opt out because "the company's advertising efforts were focused instead on its global Happiest Celebration on Earth event in honor of the 50th anniversary of Disneyland."

Was it a bad year for visiting WDW? I don't think so. We were there!

"I don't know? Where do you want to eat?"

We are a family that eats out often, very often. In Small Town, Texas we usually go through the list of usual restaurants and decide upon something that sounds good to everyone.

It sounds simple enough. However, it is usually much more complicated. You see, the city website says we have almost sixty full service restaurants in our town. I, on the other hand, do not include local school cafeterias in that classification. By the time you eliminate the schools, veterans organizations, and motels, there are only about 40. But that is still a stretch. You cannot include the pizza or corny dog places in the mall or anything Asian or Italian. There are some listed that I could not even recognize. Chimos Taqueria? Cool Business Inc? Not places we frequent, much less have heard of. The fast food list is equally misleading. You can't just drop by a consession stand, a donut shop, or a video store and make a meal of it. We also don't usually consider the gas stations that try to disguise themeselves as fast food resturants. You see the list of possible options begins to narrow very quickly.

When we consider the shortend list of food establishments, we have to agree on something. TaMolly's is good if you can go home and change clothes. The smell does linger. Cracker Barrel takes too long. Applebee's doesn't agree with EK and JMM has had too many bad experience at Chili's. Body parts do not belong in the condiments. Edie does not do sea food, so Red Lobster is out. You can't eat at Peddlers or Chicago Style Pizza, Little Ceasars, or Papa Murphy's. Speaking of Papa Murphy's, who wants to cook their food at home? If we were going to cook at home, wouldn't be eating out! Papa Murphy's concept has been lost on the Mil10s.

Saturday we played the elimination game and finally settling on Cracker Barrel of all places. We had time to spare. I think EK was happy because of the shopping as much as his pancake.