Tell Me A Story

Friday, May 2, 2014

TO MY CHILDREN

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

TO MY CHILDREN

REAL Life is More Fun Than Fiction

I have the best facebook friends.

This is my tribute to my fabulous, funny, facebook friends.

Forget the *Stepford wives and mothers.

*Stepford Wives

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives_%281975_film%29

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0SO80VlzmNTRUYAGYNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTBsOXB2YTRjBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkAw--?_adv_prop=image&fr=mcafee&va=Stepford+Wives

These are REAL wives and mothers.

Hear us ROAR.

The following is actual dialogue

that I stole from a friend's facebook page.

Their names shall remain anonymous,

unless they forgive me for taking their conversation,

and want credit for their humor.

thegraphicsfairy.com

MOM'S FACEBOOK POST:

"This post is for my biological children! Do not start your laundry if you are unable to finish it. That means do not leave clothes in the washer, and leave the house. Thank you very much. I will always love and adore you. I know you all read my post!"

FRIEND: "Do you ever find trash literally falling out of the trash can, and you're the only one who notices it !!!???"

DAUGHTER: "Mom!!! There's this thing called texting and it's much less public. Also..I'm very sorry.... !!! I love you!!!"

MOM: "If you don't respond on social media no one would know which of the 4 of my children I was talking to! By the way - your laundry is folded nicely on your bed."

MARCIA: Amen, sister! Let's gets signs, magnets, and T-shirts printed with your message. I need to blog about this. Yes. I get the trash thing, too. How about replacing toilet paper? No one in my house seems to know how to do that. Sometimes they make it as far as putting the roll on TOP of the holder - but not exactly putting it on the roller.

You and 23 others like this.

FRIEND: "LOVE it!"

FRIEND: "Yes! The trash can be spilling, and no one notices."

MOM: "I'm so glad I am not alone. I think that makes me feel better. "

thegraphicsfairy.com

Feel better, my friend.

You are not alone.

Laundry Queens Unite.

We need T-shirts.

CLICK on each image to ENLARGE.

Can I get an AMEN?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend.

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Thursday, May 1, 2014

DAVE'S '67 CHEVY

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

DAVE'S '67 CHEVY

It was LOVE at first sight when I first saw the baby-blue, '67 Chevy truck David Stovall restored.

My daughter, Kristin, (Dave's wife) wondered why I liked it so much.

"It's from her era," my son-in-law said.

Oh. Yes.

It's from my *era. The Sixties. The Swinging Sixties.

I graduated from Liberty High School in 1967. Our school colors were blue and white.

*Era

A period of time in history that is unified by cultural or historical factors.
A period of time marked by distinctive character, events, changes on earth.

The Sixties

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s

Dave named his baby-blue '67 Chevy truck Mater, after Tow Mater, in the Disney movie, CARS.

http://cars.disney.com/mater

"Mater is the rustiest, trustiest tow truck

in Radiator Springs. He loves tractor tippin',

helping out stranded cars, and most of all,

hanging out with his best friend,

Lightning McQueen.

Mater is great at driving backwards,

because he doesn't need to know

where he's going

as long as he knows where he's been."

The old '67 truck was in need of repair when Dave bought it from an individual who wanted to fix it up, but never finished it. Dave finished the job, and painted it my favorite color: baby-blue.

KRISTIN: "I drove it once. Oh. My. Mater had one of those "granny gears" that goes super slow. It was hard for me to shift!"

Sometimes Dave says, "I wish I still had Mater so I could _______________________ (fill in the blank) ."

Dave always has at least one DIY (Do It Yourself) project going at all times.

I wish I had purchased Mater when Dave sold it...so I could _______________________ (fill in the blank)."

I have my own share of DIY projects, and could sure use a rusty, trusty tow truck.

Meet Mater

DAVE'S '67 CHEVY

Images of '67 Chevys

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://photobucket.com/images/67%20chevy%20truck?page=1

My daughter, Kristin, married Dave the day after Christmas, December 26, 1992. It was a beautiful wedding.

Theirs is a "mixed marriage." Kristin and our entire family eat cheese: LOTS of cheese. Dave does not. Well - he nibbles from time to time on a bit of mozzarella, but that's about it.

I hoped and prayed their marriage would last.

It turns out a cheese-eater can build a strong marriage with a non-cheese eater, but it takes compromise.

Sometimes (like on Dave's birthday) Kristin and I go out to eat cheese, but we always call Dave to let him know we are actually celebrating his birthday.

Thank God, Dave has a sense of humor. He needs it - especially now since he's dad to my grandchildren: Joshua Taylor (16), Emily Grace (14) and Caleb Edward (10).

My mom, Mema, once told me: "Men carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. They work hard. They need to play games and laugh."

Windermere Conference Center

Lake of the Ozarks

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.windermereusa.org/about_us.asp

Dave's '67 Chevy inspired me.

It's a classic, and so is my son-in-law.

I created a STORYTELLER greeting card with my photos of Mater.

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

Tell Me A Story: STORYTELLER GREETING CARDS

Jan 18, 2014

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com

GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are absolutely delicious.

They are not difficult to make, but you have to pay attention to the instructions.

Focus.

I almost lost an entire batch when I made these, because I got distracted, so I edited the recipe to make it easier to follow.

Good luck!

RECIPE

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients

3 CUPS Pecan Halves
1 and 3/4 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
3/4 CUP Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar
3/4 CUP COLD Butter, CUBED
1/4 CUP Unsweetened Cocoa
1 and 1/2 CUPS Semisweet Chocolate Chips
3 (Three) Large Eggs
3/4 CUP Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 CUP Corn Syrup
1/4 CUP Butter, MELTED
1 CUP Sweetened Flaked Coconut

Baking Supplies

Shallow Baking Pan
9 x 13 Inch Baking Pan
Aluminum Foil
Wire Rack
Large Mixing Bowl
Mixer
Cutting Board
Pastry Blender or Food Processor (Optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Bake Pecan Halves
Arrange 3 CUPS Pecan Halves in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking. Set aside to use later as a topping.

Prepare Crust

Prepare 9 x 13 inch Baking Pan: Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil...leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.

Whisk together:

1 and 3/4 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
3/4 CUP Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar
1/4 CUP Unsweetened Cocoa

Add 3/4 CUP Cold Butter (CUBED) - and combine with a pastry blender or cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Press mixture into bottom of pan, and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.

Bake crust for 15 minutes. (This is a partial baking of the crust.)

Remove from oven and...
Immediately Sprinkle   1 and 1/2 CUPS Semisweet Chocolate Chips evenly over crust.

COOL on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Prepare Filling

Place   3 Large Eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly.

Add
3/4 CUP Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 CUP Corn Syrup
1/4 CUP MELTED Butter
Whisk together until smooth.

Stir in 1 CUP Sweetened Flaked Coconut and lightly toasted pecan halves in to Filling Mixture.

Pour filling evenly over partially baked crust.

Bake 28 - 34 minutes, or until edges are golden, and filling has set.

COOL completely on a wire rack.

Refrigerate for one hour.

Using foil overhang, Lift bars from pan, and Place on a cutting board.

Use a sharp knife to CUT into bars.

Makes about 24 two-inch bars. (I cut them in all sizes.)

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, September 2012.

I wrapped each bar individually - in or in pairs to give as gifts.

I baked one batch in a 13 x 9-inch pan, just as the recipe suggested, and then experimented by baking another batch on a longer and thinner cookie sheet. I also threw in some walnuts in one batch.

Both batches took longer than expected to bake. The thicker bars (baked on the 9 x 13-inch pan) were softer than the ones baked on the cookie sheet.

Thick or Thin - both were delicious.

ENJOY!

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Tell Me A Story

TELL ME A STORY

Friday, May 2, 2014

TO MY CHILDREN

Thursday, May 1, 2014

DAVE'S '67 CHEVY

GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS

AMERICA'S STORYTELLER, Marcia Norwood