this has to be

some of the best cornbread. Even if you hate cornbread, you've got to try this. It's sweet and almost like a cake.
This is what we had at Union Oyster House in Boston. This stuff was delicious. As soon as we got home I searched the internet and found this recipe. I was out of corn meal so I had to substitute it with polenta and it was just as good. This stuff makes a full 9x13 pan of cornbread. Like I said, it's almost like a cake. I mean please, it calls for 2 c sugar, 3 1/4 c flour and only 1 c of corn meal. The next time you need cornbread, try this.

it's time for

a little Strat humiliation. I pulled out one of Eric's infant t-shirts. It fits Strat perfectly. I had to do it.

this was my

birthday cake. It was sooo good. That thing was massive. It was three layers and must have weighed 20 pounds. It was so dense and delicious. We didn't go out for dinner since Ike had so many places shut down. Instead, we grilled steaks at the house. I had a really good time and way too much to eat.

time to

evacuate. Here we are leaving for Austin.
Here's Strat resting on Cosme.

Here's Lucille checking everything out on Eric's lap.

oh please

Don't, for one second, think I'm taking sides with the government because that's not the case. I'm simply stating my opinion against those who think the government isn't doing their post-Ike job. There are people who think the government owes them after the storm. A text went around telling a group of people (I don't know why none of my friends got this message) to be at the George R Brown at 5:00 this morning to receive $500. They were irrate when this was proven to be false and began to rant on tv how they're not being treated right. Okay. If someone really needs the money, then they shouldn't be in line for a handout at 5:00, they should be home getting ready for work. Forget the government, they need a job of their own. Besides, there's no handout from the government. They can thank working Americans for that handout. I wish someone would slap them with reality. Let's see how they like it when or if they get a paycheck (yeah, I know it's not likely...but let's use our imaginations) and the government deducts from their earnings so someone else can have a handout.

No, I don't work. Not like it's anyone's business, but I worked for quite a while. Now that I have the opportunity to stay home, I do. I also know that I would be on a job hunt before I EXPECT a handout.

I guess they are pretty smart though. If all it takes is to do nothing and then start jumping around and throwing a fit when they want something, why not. I'll keep that in mind.

a message to

local news...Save the drama for your mama.* There's a voluntary evacuation for the county that started at 6:00 this morning. I'm so happy the local news reported that to me. I appreciate that...but they still get on my nerves. Why is their cone of whatever always worse than TWC? It's funny how everything for their viewing area is always in the worse situation. Yes, I understand we will get rain regardless but enough of the drama. I'm so sick of it. Anything for ratings. I guess that's how it works. For an unbiased weather report I guess I'll stick to the Weather Channel.

Oh, thanks to the local newspaper I also know there is a prisoner on the loose. See that? Local news is so wrapped up in building up the storm, they're failing to mention other things.

*NOTE: While I'm on my soapbox, I'd also like to direct this message to all the drama queens out there. (Even though they more than likely don't realize who they are.) I don't understand why they think the world revolves around them. Guess what. I HAVE MY OWN LITTLE WORLD GOING ON RIGHT HERE, as does everyone else. (Chances are, as much as I like to worry, I'm probably not sitting here dwelling on your problems.) They need to get over themselves. Yes, I hate that anyone may have problems or less than perfect situations but the rest of the world is not rotating around that. They honestly need to get over themselves.

Yes, I'm done.

now back to the

vacation...

We left Rhode Island and drove on over to Massachusetts. It was pretty early when we got into Boston so we kept driving and went to Salem. As neat as the city was, I only got one picture.

It was so neat. I loved all the old buildings and stories. We stopped for lunch. It wasn't so great. We started with corn chowder. I don't know about you but I'm not big on greasy soup with Veg-All. The dessert was horrible. I had high hopes of the cannoli being wonderful. I broke it up on my plate so it would look like I had eaten a lot of it...just to be nice. We finally got to our hotel in Medford. We went for dinner down the road from the hotel. The girl at the front desk gave us a list of popular nearby restaurants, pointing out the favorite. Yuck. Oh well, we got back to the hotel and settled in. The next morning we took the train into North Station. We started our day walking through the North End with a quick stop for espresso and biscotti. Let me just say YUM. After a quick bite, we walked the streets. Here are some pictures.

Want to see more? Okay.I guess it really is one of those things that has to be seen to really enjoy it. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We stopped to tour Paul Revere's house. I loved all the buildings. I loved the cobblestone streets. I loved the food. For the record, from New York to Boston, those were some of the nicest people. That means a lot coming from a southern girl.

After our walking and stopping for some really great Italian food for lunch, we headed for Faneuil Hall. I did some shopping, we stopped for a drink at Cheers then bought tickets for a trolley tour and harbor cruise. (We tried to get tickets for the duck tours but they were sold out.) We took the cruise at the perfect time. It started to pour in the middle of it. Here are some pictures.

See the rain coming? The boat makes a stop for anyone wanting to tour this ship. We didn't get off because of the rain. In the background you can see the Bunker Hill monument.
When we got back to land, we hopped on the trolley for a really cool tour. There were a couple of stops I'd liked to have gotten off and seen but we were right in the middle of 5:00 traffic and I didn't want to get in a stressful situation...you know, like being stranded with no ride back to the beginning. Anyway, after the trolley ride we walked over to the Union Oyster House. It was really good, I loved the cornbread. Also, we sat across the aisle from JFK's designated booth. That was kind of neat. After dinner we took the train back to Medford. Call me a wimp or maybe I've seen The Departed one too many times but I wanted to be in before dark. It doesn't matter though. We thought Boston was great, especially the North End.

we interrupt

the regularly scheduled post to bring you this important image.
While we're on the topic...Oh heck. I'll go ahead and show you my favorite.

the next morning

we drove out of New Haven and headed along the coast to Mystic. Before getting to Mystic we stopped at a beach. These people are nuts. It was 68 degrees out and a van full of kids showed up in bathing suits.Once in Mystic, we parked and walked along Main Street to visit all the neat shops they have. During all of this, we had to stop for lunch at, of course, Mystic Pizza. Cosme hadn't heard of the movie until we went. That pizza was good.

After lunch, a little more shopping was necessary. We then drove to Stonington Vineyard for some wine tasting.

Next was Foxwood. What could make a great vacation even better? Generous slots. I already decided I was only going to spend $100. So, $100 and 10 minutes later, we cashed out with a little over $300. We left the casino and started towards Rhode Island.

Let me first say how much I love Priceline. I'm totally addicted. I want to get hotel rooms just to see how cheap I can get them for. So, I got this room at the Renaissance Hotel in Providence for $59. I had to get a couple of pictures so everyone could see what a good deal I got.

We knew which restaurant we were going to that night. I also knew what appetizer I wanted to try. I asked the front desk about the walking distance to the restaurant and she mentioned a coupon. She wasn't sure if she had any but she'd check. Guess what. She found one. Also, it was for the appetizer I wanted.
Once again, we got to bed early. Not only were we heading out the next morning for Boston but we were also still recovering from New York.