I want to see kid pictures!

How are everyone's children? I would love to see some recent shots. I know I am old now, because all I really hope to see when I sign-in is pictures of the sweet ones. Anyway. Here is Valerie's easter picture a lady I know took at her studio yesterday. She has a sweet Nikon D80. I must have one of those one day.

I will post a picture of "Spike" after my next ultrasound on April 8. Pretty crazy- that will be three by 13 weeks...

Another one...

This Macaroni and cheese is EXCELLENT and does not require making (my most-dreaded) white sauce. I like it because it is cheesy and yummy! I topped it with a good 1.5 cups of cheddar because that is my favorite part, but little did I know... Me being in a delicate condition, I could not eat the cheese, so Matt got doubles (FYI- that is the Man Sandwich and Mac and cheese with no running for Matt this weekend, he is in a weakened state, losers!)


I only could eat a serving the length and width of my Pampered chef spatula, minus the yummy topping and Valerie ate about the same portion size. One guess as to whom ate the rest... BTW, I halved it (1 cup heavy cream + 2 eggs). There are only 3 of us...


It is good though, I promise...

My Mama’s Macaroni and Cheese

1 16 oz. pkg. macaroni noodles, cooked in salted water

1 pint of heavy whipping cream

At least 1 lb of medium cheddar cheese

about 1/2 lb. of muenster cheese

3 eggs, beaten up in the whipping cream

about 1/2 stick of butter….butter is better than margarine

Boil the macaroni until tender. Taste it, and if it’s too salty, just rinse the noodles under running water right in the colander.

Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in the bottom of your casserole, and put one layer of noodles in. Layer about 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, muenster cheese and a few pats of butter on this layer. Put another layer of noodles and then another layer of cheese and a few pats of butter. Mix the eggs up with the cream and pour over the entire casserole. Dot with any additional butter on top.

Bake uncovered at 375 for about 20 minutes and check it. Slide the back of a spoon down one side of the casserole, and it should be congealed….not runny at all. If it’s still runny, continue to bake and check it about every 5 minutes until you get the custardy consistancy. Serve hot….if you wait until the cheese cools off it’s not nearly as good.

Arvilla Rides Again

So, Mom and I went to the movie last night - "Bonneville" with Jessica Lange starring as Arvilla, a grieving widow who makes a trip with a couple of friends, Kathy Bates and Joan Allen (one a jack-Mormon and the other active,) from their home in Pocatello, ID to Santa Barbara, CA, in a Pontiac Bonnevile convertable. Pretty good movie, with some scenes (mostly highway) of Pocatello, SLC, and other areas of Utah. Lots of references to Mormons, Pocatello, and Arvilla. Pretty good. Worth seeing. See the link below.

http://www.bonnevillethemovie.com

The screenplay writer (name of Davis) is apparently from Downey, ID, and I thought for a while that he might have known my mother, and thereby named the main character after her. I've known of only one other Arvilla. But, I see on the website that he created the characters after his own grandmother Arvilla, and a couple of her friends, one of them named Criddle (Kathy Bates), and thereby, likely related to your Mom (through Great Grandma Criddle-Christensen). So the movie character Arvilla was obviously not my mother, since I have no Davis relatives. Anyway, I thought you would find this interesting and nostalgic.

Dad

March Madness

Anyone want to do a NCAA Mens basketball bracket for the tournament? I have created a group on espn.com. I would love to encourage all to participate! Even if you don't know one thing about mens college basketball. It is still fun. Dana and I have been doing them the past couple of years, and it has been a lot of fun.
You might even find a couple teams you want to cheer for, or boo, BYU?, Boise State?, Oklahoma? Duke? Virginia Tech?(Oh, wait. Maybe VT in the NIT)
Maybe the winner could get one of those awsome looking manwiches.
Anyway, here is what you do:
Go to: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage
Sign up for a free account.
Once signed in, go to the "My Groups +" Tab above "My Entry"
Click on "Create or Join a Group"
Search for "Croshaw Clan"
Password: croshaws
Then you can fill out your bracket and have it posted to the group.
Hope to see your bracket!
Jason

American Idol top 11

onto a new week. comments?

Man work deserves MAN MEAL

So this morning, Matt and I went grocery shopping, and upon our return I mumbled out loud how awful the front yard looked. It is covered by brown/white/grey grass (which we cant do anything about) and the beds were full of hay-like grass and weeds and the mulch looked terrible.

So, while I set out to be a good daughter and fix my mom's webpage (which took forever and really tried my patience), then go for a run/jog/walk (first time in oh... 9 months), Matt was still working hard, so I decided to make him a treat that I have heard, he will think is heaven on earth because now our front yard looks much better, even the neighbor came over to comment. I wish she would have taken the bird with her, man is Sydney annoying.

Valerie and her friend pitched in until Valerie broke her Crocs (only her FAVORITE SHOES :-/) then replaced then with flip flops and proceded to attempt and sever her big toe with a shovel (to which I gave my standard, must-not-freak-her-out-by-panicking response "Why'dja do that?!"



So, Matt is currently eating his treat and keeps saying "mmmmm." My sources were telling the truth.

As for me, I stay away from cow for the most part, but I think Valerie will like it, she can try it when she is done playing with her friend next door.




Man’s Favorite Sandwich
2 to 3 pounds cube steak (tenderized round steak that’s been extra-tenderized
1 large onion OR 2 small/medium onions
4 French/Deli rolls
Butter, man
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco

-Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.
-Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.
-Heat 2 TBSP butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown.
-Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.
-Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 TBSP butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.
-Butter halved French rolls and brown on skillet.
-To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonfull of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

And go get on the Stairmaster. Now.


He has lost a ton of weight since December (even his doctor congratulated him) and I dont feel like barfing- I think that run/jog/walk helped and he worked really hard. So this recipe is for the ladies to make when their better halves are in ultimate deserving mode. It is really simple and it smells great. Oh yeah, I added mushrooms to the sauteing onions and muenster cheese (wish we would have had provolone...)

Happy Birthday Big Guy! March 16th

Lilia's Twin- my nephew, Gavin

Gavin is my littlest brother's (not literally, he is a giant) baby. He was born 2 hours after Lilia, but definitely not after one push. His wife was induced 26 hours before...

He is a cutie- on my side, we have now 3 nieces and 3 nephews (but with Valerie it is 4 girls and 3 boys)... I am sorta hoping for a drama-free boy, but girls clothes are much better. Either way, I will be thrilled completely.

Anyway, here is Gavin Reed Scott.

SCARY TREND of College Violence

Wow- last year's tragedy at Tech really publicized the lack of adequate security for us on college campuses. Last night during Idol, I got a text then a voicemail alerting of an attack at MBC. So this is REALLY SCARY following the deaths last week of the sweet Auburn student Lauren and the dynamic amazing Eve from UNC-Chapel Hill!

STAUNTON - An unidentified man attacked and robbed a 22-year-old Vermont woman Tuesday night on the campus of Mary Baldwin College, the Staunton Police Department said.

Authorities said the woman was standing outside of Kable Hall when she was punched in the back of the head by an unknown man. The woman, who was visiting a friend on campus, said her wallet containing identification cards was stolen. The attack took place about 7 p.m.

Police said the man was described as white, about 40 years old, heavyset and slightly balding. He was wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki pants.

No arrests were made. Police said the case remains active.

The victim did not require medical attention.

Snow, snow go away!!

Oh, will spring ever arrive. It was just 60 degrees the Monday before the snow storm. The picture of the garage is on Saturday and the other pictures are from Monday. We had a very large drift that accumulated on the right side of the driveway. Colin shoveled 3 times on Saturday and then we shoveled it all again on Monday. He hadn't slept all night either. Needless to say he was very tired and I have a new respect for him for all the times he's gone out and had to shovel. We will be hiring a plow next year if we stay. A snowblower would require someone to run it. Colin isn't around enough and hiring a plow is cheaper. The day we shoveled was nice and sunny, we stayed out for about 2 hours and you can see that Jack had had it. The picture of Jack is Mia's creation and he wore it for just about all day. Poor boy has had to wear purple snow boots all winter. I was sure he would hardly use them but he has worn them quite a few times. Good thing he doesn't care about that thing yet.