Family Rules

There's been a huge onslaught in the decorating/etsy/pinterest world of what they call "Subway Art."  I don't really get why they call it that.  I've been on a few subways and I've never seen art quite that pretty.  In Rome, there was definitely more graffiti.  In D.C., there's really just not that much art.

Regardless of what it's called, I like the outcome.   Put it on older wood (say fence posts) and I totally dig it!  The English teacher in me loves quotes and sayings and inspirational tidbits!  I even used a few for our wedding.  (Really, it was a ploy to have some in our house.)  That's the way to decorate for a wedding!  Right now, this baby's hanging in our bedroom.

My Daisy Ladies - All together!!

Well, we decided to make up our own family rules.  Maybe someday (when we get more than three) I will paint them on a board and hang them for display.  For know, I'll just blog them.  A few weeks before we got married, Frank and I decided to go Christmas light looking.  We got some yummy hot chocolate from Riverside Cafe (who seemed to have another set of owners - as long as the place doesn't go out of business).  Sustained with warm beverages, we set out.  Frank stopped at the house in Riverside with synchronized lights - man I love that stuff!!!  After sitting through a few songs, we headed out driving again, looking for the new and prettier.

We ended up driving past a friends house.  A few minutes after we'd passed saying, "There's Justin and Steffanie's house!"  we made up our first family rule.  That's right, we weren't technically family yet and already making rules.  Rule #1: If you pass a friends house while light looking, you must stop and carol.  I'm sure there will be amendments to this rule for lateness of hour.  But if you get visited by Frank and I, now you'll know why!!

Family Rule # 2 came about while on our honeymoon.  My parish did a fantastic job of celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family every year.  (Which, come to think of it, always involved caroling and hot chocolate. Coincidence?  I think not).  This year, we went to Mass and headed out for our nice dinner.  I had some sort of elegant fish dish.  Frank had calf fries.  It was our nice dinner.  Over some mulled wine and in front of the fireplace at the restaurant in Manitou Springs, we wrote down the first and second family rules.  Family Rule #2: Always celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.

Rule #3.  So I posted about Dad's Apple Cake last week?  That's rule #3.  What I'm hoping will be tradition started last year.  Frank and I were supposed to meet my sister at our parents for the 4th of July.  Then Dad came down sick so Teri invited us up to Omaha (otherwise known as the land with the BEST restaurants!).   We had the best time and found the PERFECT spot for not one but two fantastic fireworks shows.  Oh, and I made apple cake and we ate it for breakfast.  Yum . . .

Do you guys have family rules?  Are they all sophisticated like, "always love each other, hug every day" stuff or are they more silly (and therefore way more fun) like ours?

Dad's Apple Fritters

My mom was famous when I was in high school.  Well, at least her apple cake was.  We'd have bake sale fundraisers on Fort Leavenworth to raise money for band.  Her apple cake was "To Die For."  I'm pretty sure there were a couple of guys that raided the bake sale and bought up all her apple cake only to ask for more.

The best part of the apple cake?  It's SUPER easy.  The hardest part was cutting the apples.

Fast Forward about 15 years (give or take . . . ).  We attempted to support River Fest this year.  We went out on Wednesday and ate yummy fair food and sat next to one of "The People of Riverfest" at the Montgomery Gentry concert.  And Frank promised to take me to fireworks last night.  Well, we got there to listen to some Red Dirt (gotta love my redneck husband;) and chill before the fireworks.  We'd even saved some food tickets for a funnel cake.

Well, rain is not our friend.  It is important for the farmers but it closed the funnel cake stand (and the rest of the Riverfest) just as we got there.  BUMMER!!  And the Braum's we got as alternative last night just didn't hit the mark.  (But if you get a chance, their new chocolate flavors are pretty yummy!).

This morning I woke up with the sun (and the dog) and was craving some baked good.  Really, something with apples.  So I got online and looked up Chocolate Covered Katie - she always seems to have something to curb the sweet tooth that I don't feel guilty about.  But the Apple Pie Pancakes just didn't look good enough and had ingredients I don't have.  Then I googled.  Nada.  Well, nothing that looked good.

Then, it hit me.  Mom's Apple Cake.  That'd make some pretty fantastic fritters!  So I cut down the recipe and got out my ice cream scoop and cookie sheets and made the cake in fritter form. Perfect breakfast, right here!  Yum!!