How the mil10s Eat Chinese Food

Here in Hometown, Texas there is really only one *real* place to eat Chinese food. There are imitators and there are buffets, but they don't compare. When the mood for Chinese food strikes, we always order the same thing. One almond chicken lunch special. It is a classic.

For the mil10s, it is always a to-go order. It would look too weird if we tried to eat it at the restaurant. Why? Let's see. First mrs. mil10 doesn't eat Chinese food other than the fried wonton. EK usually shares some of mr. mil10's rice and almond chicken. EK usually gets the egg roll, too. We are not sure that he would eat any of it if he knew what it really was, so we don't talk about it much other than having to say, "just eat it" or "you always eat the pieces that look like that." EK really does like it, but we want to keep it that way. We can't let him over analyze what he is eating. That leaves the hot and spicy soup for mr. mil10 as well as the rest of the rice, almond chicken, and any egg roll that EK may not have finished.

That leaves the fortune cookie for the end. Today EK broke the cookie and read the fortune, but we have all had turns. We all usually end up with at least part of the cookie. Since we are sharing the meal and the cookie, does that mean we all share the fortune?

There you have it. For us "Chinese food" consists of one meal from one restaurant shared three ways. Now you know how the mil10s eat Chinese food.

Fireworks

For the Fourth of July Hometown, Texas put on a nice firework display.  Everyone drove to the park or to the nearby Lowe's parking lot to watch the display.  We opted for the parking lot.

Waiting for the sun to set.

Auntie Em and Baby B found us in the parking lot and came by for a quick pose in front of the camera.  Could that me a Peru shirt she is sporting?  She says even though it was questionable to represent another country on "our birthday," she had to wear it since she had already worn all of her patriotic clothes and it was the only thing she had left that was red.

Playing with my camera settings in the dark, I was not totally sure what setting I was using and I wasn't sure if any of the pictures would look very good.  Over the course of the show I used about fours settings.  About three of those settings were used accidentally.

Of the 99 pictures I took that night, many were either not in focus or caught the firework explosion too late or too early. Anyway, these were the best.

Happy birthday, America!

All in all, we were quite impressed with the display!

Firefighter Night

Tonight the local Chick-fil-A was having it's weekly children's night. There is always the "buy an adult and the kid's meal is free" promotion. Sometimes there is a craft, snack, or other activity for the kids.

Tonight was firefighter night. The hometown fire department was there to show off the truck. It was fun to look over the truck and see all of the supplies they use when fighting fires. Somehow mr. mil10 managed to manage to hold his to-go cup with one hand and the cell phone in order to capture a few photos. He passed the opportunity to take a picture of the package of Marlboros that were under the driver's seat.

Pictures from the County Fair

More to come later...

The Birds

The birds are here for their nightly Hometown visit. This photo doesn't really do justice when compared to the number of birds that are usually in the area.

As gross as they are, it is always fun (in a weird kind of way) to roll down the windows as you drive through the area. Maybe it is the sound, maybe it is the thought that they will fly into your car. Alfred Hitchcock was definitely onto something.

NOW: County Fair

Tonight we ventured to the county fair. I suppose since Hometown is the county seat, we are fortunate to have the county fair close at hand!

EK entered several pictures in the creative arts contest again this year.  Last year's entries can be viewed here.  EK's artwork this year consisted of several paintings, one piece that utilized markers, and one photograph.  This year, he was at the youngest end of his age category.  However, each entry still received a ribbon.  In all there were five First Place ribbons and one Excellent ribbon.  Way to go, EK!

 "My Dog Savy"

 "The Cobra"

 "Fourth of July"

"Awkward Indian"

 "The Fat Chick"

 "The Mighty Minotaur"

Today is also Flag Day.  At the fairgrounds a Flag Day ceremony featured local citizens, the mayor, and the Elks club.  Not only did we say the Pledge of Allegiance, but sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and "You're a Grand Old Flag."  Despite the hot conditions, it was a nice ceremony.

The music was lead by HTBC's own Steve Payne!

Hometown's mayor.  "I shook his hand," EK reminded us.

The Elks presented a visual and oral history of the past American flags.

"You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave."

Thanks for the memories, county fair!  See you next year!

BIG: A Whole Lot of Water and a Little Sign

Earlier this week when we were leaving baseball practice, EK and I found this orange wet floor pyramid in the middle of a parking lot.  It just sat there on the edge of the big pool of water.  As you can tell in the picture, one might not have noticed the standing water and slipped on the concrete.

I don't know if it was intentional or if someone did it for a laugh, but EK and I thought it was funny. 

As you travel through Hometown, watch out for BIG pools of water. Someone might not be so courteous as to leave a wet floor sign!

BIG: 150 and Our Saturday

The last blog was actually post number 150!  That is a BIG milestone. 

Today was a busy day.  It started off with a friend that had spent the night on Friday.  EK and his guest woke up at 7:00 (after staying up well past 10:00) and were ready to play the wii.  Later we made a trip to Rockwall to purchase supplies for baseball including pants, shoes, socks, and a belt.  We also had to pick up supplies for the pinewood derby racer that we will need later this week.  We bought lead weights, paint, and decals.  EK's "rocking roadster" will look great come Wednesday!  Back in Hometown, we found our favorite chicken restaurant that plays Christian music way too crowded.  We made the wise decision to eat outside.  What a great day to do that!  Our last stop before heading to the casa was the ghost town that is our local mall. 

When we got home we had some time for baseball practice.  Peeps was even able to come over to practice with EK.  There was also time for cutting and painting that block of pine wood so that it hopefully resembles a car.

We finished the night with a meal cooked on the grill.  BBQ chicken is the best when cooked over a bed of hot charcoal!  Sweet potato French fries, corn on the cob, and Blue Bell ice cream rounded out the meal.  We ate the meal off of Dallas Cowboy plates that we bought earlier (clearance!) that day at the sporting goods store.  The sales clerk asked if we were having a party for the implosion of Texas Stadium!  No, I don't think so.

It may just seem like any other Saturday, but for the mil10s Saturdays are a BIG deal.  It is a good time to rest from a busy week and have time to spend together.

BIG: A Night of BIGness

Tonight I went to a fund raising meeting that is centered around raising money for community projects and non-profit organizations with a musical revue.  Thanks to a friend, I realized that the evening was very much related to this month's theme!

You may have heard that everything is BIGger in Texas.  It was definitely true tonight.  The meeting was held in a committee member's home.  Just to say that the house is BIG is an understatement.  It was bigger than big.  There was a circle drive that went beneath a car port (you could have probably parked six cars beneath the covering).  The circle drive was even named!  One direction was "Nana" while the other path was "Papa."

Inside, the living and dining areas were one enormous space.  Large picture windows flanked the walls.  There were two fireplaces.  There was plenty of space for a baby grand player piano, two seating areas, three tables (the main dining table had seating for ten), two sitting areas.  The ottoman was large enough for EK to use as a bed.  And we only saw the first floor. 

The desserts served consisted of several things, but the highlight had to be the BIG pies.  The homemade coconut and chocolate pies probably had almost and inch and a half of filling and meringue that was at least two inches thick.  Mmmm.  I thought about taking a picture after I had already taken one bite of pie, but I didn't want to stop eating it long enough to do so!

The meeting was called to order by someone wearing a BIG hat.  Not just a hat, it was really a BIG hat.  Think of a hat with a brim about the size of a sombrero's brim.  Paint it black.  Now cover it in feathers.  No, it wasn't as tacky as you are picturing in your mind right now.  It looked better.  Put it on the right person in the right setting, and it would never look out of place.

There was BIG business to discuss as we voted on this year's beneficiary after listening to two presentations.

Thanks to a friend with a BIG heart for the ride there and back. Also, thanks for helping me to notice all of the night's BIGness!

Meeting All Your Ranching Needs

Today was the grand opening celebration of Atwoods. Apparently this is the place to go if you have ANY ranching needs.  If your heart's desire is animal supplies, western wear, ranching toys, or old fashioned candy you might want to stop by for a visit.  We saw several cars that must have driven from Oklahoma. For the celebration they were giving away free tire pressure gauges.  We always manage to misplace ours, so we were very glad to get a few more.  

We were surprised to see a horse, we were told it was the world's tallest, fenced off at the end of the aisle.  How many times have you walked through a store to find a live barnyard animal? Only at Atwoods I guess. 

We left with a bag of peanuts, a wind chime, and a coonskin hat. I think we are set for a while.

Who Needs Big Foot?

In the post below I mentioned animals and the annual county fair. I forgot to mention the monster goat we saw.

To say I don't know a lot about farm animals, or animals in general for that manner, is an understatement. I just don't have a high interest level or experience in that area. However, I did not know about "monster goats."

This is apparently a breed of goats raised in our area. Who knew! It was as tall as EK. Really! Ok, it was as tall as the pen.




Here are two pictures for your viewing pleasure. I don't think the size comes across in these photos, so go look for it. Just beyond all of the normal to average sized goats, keep an eye out for the "monster goat."

See you at the fair!

Let's Visit the County Fair!

When I think of the annual county fair, many things come to mind:

• animals - As hard as I try, viewing of the animals has never elicited a strong emotional response from me as it does with the other mil10s. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the industries and work that goes into getting my food from the field to my table, but I cannot see it as a hobby in this modern age. Here a cow, there a cow, every where a cow cow. Not for me.
• food - The food always looks and smells so appealing. Perhaps it is due to the glow of the flashing yellow bug lights. Fresh lemonade. Funnel cakes. Yum!
• carnies - I am weirded out a bit. I hate to stereotype, so I am going to say only one word-carnies. I will leave it at that.

Last week the mil10s helped to open the county fair. Yes, "Fair Boss" was there to greet us when we entered. No, it may not be as impressive as seeing Big Tex when you enter the state fair, but is a fair tradition.

Our primary reason for venturing to this year's fair was to see some of EK's work that had been entered in the Creative Arts competition. This was our first year to submit his artwork for judging at the fair. Originally, we were going to enter one, maybe two, pieces. Then we decided to enter four. The sunset picture that went to the state level of Creative Arts was a sure entry. The other three were pieces that EK worked on during art lessons.

We had no idea of what to expect. We even talked to EK about the possibility that his pictures might not be recognized. However, we were pleased to see...

"The Chubby Pig" - Superior Ribbon

"The Colorful Parrot" - First Place Ribbon and Superior Ribbon

"Sunset" - Excellent Ribbon

"Three Chinese Men" - First Place Ribbon and Superior Ribbon

Way to go, EK! Here is one picture of EK riding the rolling cylinder in the fun house. It was his only ride of the night. $3!!!

"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.