Lay, Lie, Lain... Oh, What A Pain!

Meet my dad.

You want to talk creative?  You only think we've been creative up to this point.  Real creativity is me trying to avoid using the word "lay" or "lie" - or any derivative thereof - when around my father who is the consummate English professor.  You think I'm kidding?  I'm not.  Richard and I joke all the time about the creative ways we skirt use of word, for fear of the big red pen.  

• I "laid" or "lied" the pencil on the desk?  Who knows.  What about...
  
• I put the pencil on the desk.

OR...

• I'm tired, I think I'll "lay" or "lie" down?  Who knows.  What about...
  
• I'm tired I need a rest.
  

OR...

• Heck, even "I'm tired, I think I'll get horizontal," is safer than committing to either "lay" or "lie."  

And "lain?" Forget about it.  On this, we completely throw up our hands, knowing even if we get it right, that the rest of the world will consider us crazy.

That is... of course... unless we the readers of highlowaha decide right here and now... the eighth day of the seventh month of the year two thousand eight, to start a grammar revolution.  O.k., o.k. maybe not a whole revolution, but how about a small commitment to, once and for all, firmly embed in our minds the differences between lay, lie, laid, and lain?  We could do it.  And then, leading by example... one memo, one conversation, one text at a time... watch the incredible ripple effect. 

After yet another tutorial from my father, via phone... I proudly, but nervously, present the following...  

You lie down when you are by yourself and nothing else is involved.  In my dad's words... when it is intransitive and an action is not being carried over to anybody or anything else.

Bottom line...

• I'm so tired I need to lie down.
  
• If Richard calls me from the kitchen and I am in bed, I am lying down.
  
• If you want to know what I did Sunday afternoon (past tense)... I lay on the couch and watched Wimbledon.
  
• Now the tough one...  If I reflect on an action/incident that happened in the past  (past perfect)... If I had not lain there all afternoon watching Wimbeldon, I would not have a mountain of laundry facing me today.
  

Now onto items.  Things that we place somewhere.

• I will lay Jack in his crib when he finishes his Sunday sundae.
  
• Past tense... After rinsing the ice cream stained table cloth, I laid it in the sun to dry out.  P.S. There is no such thing as layed.  That is why spell check will underline it every time.  Don't ignore it.   
  

That's it.  All that hype and really there's not that much to remember.  So how about printing off today's post and reviewing it a few more times before day's end?  Be a nerd and bring it to lunch with friends or colleagues; glance over it while sitting at a red light; share it with your family tonight at dinner; and then, one more glance before you lie down and go to sleep for the night!  

You'll feel smarter and my 82 year old father will rest easier tonight knowing his good word is being spread.  Do you have your own grammatical pet peeve?  Make my dad's day and jump on the bandwagon.  Make a post telling us what it is and teaching us something. 

 

As for me... all the exertion of mental energy has worn me out.  It's back to bed where I can lie down for fifteen more minutes, recharge, and get ready to lay out today's clothes for Matthew and Jack.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Peanut and The Shell

Announcements at the end...

What could I possibly know about - or care about - peanuts and shells?  I'm deathly allergic to peanuts.  I'm the reason you get pretzels on planes instead of peanuts.  I'm the kind of allergic responsible for store bought birthday cupcakes at your child's school, instead of homemade.  Truth be known, I know very little about peanuts or shells.

What I do know is that my sister went away to Camp Betsy Cox one summer and while gone she and her fellow campers participated in a game called Peanut and the Shell.  It must have sounded like fun to my mother (Queen-of-Create-an-Occasion), because she later decided to implement it for all our neighborhood kids.  Who needed summer camp when Nancie was on the scene?

You'll recognize the game as I start describing it, but as a kid it was thrilling.  Each child on the block (Hollywood Avenue) selected a slip of paper bearing the name of another child on the block.  For one week we exchanged mystery notes and treats.  The goal... brighten someone's week, but keep your identity a mystery.  This allowed for all kinds of creative shenanigans... ring and run, hanging treats in trees, special deliveries by Hank the Postman, and much more.  A cookies-and-punch reception topped off the week, allowing neighborhood kids to guess who was peanut and who was shell.

So how 'bout it?  Are you up for a round?  Here's what I'm thinking.  Interested highlowaha.com community members would make a post (or send an email to cbeeny@lslog.com) letting me know "you're in."  I will find an innocent bystander to match up names and seal them in an envelope.  Then I will send you an envelope including the name and address of your Peanut.  Since we are busy and a week goes much more quickly as an adult, our game will last four weeks (August 8).  This will allow ample time to mail a secret note, make an anonymous post, send a postcard or package, or implement another clever idea you might dream up.  There will be no "criteria" for how many times you reach out, though 3 -4 would be great.

This seems like a great way to beat the dog days of summer while meeting someone new.  If you are unsure about jumping into our community to participate (though, please don't be), then how about coordinating a round of Peanut and the Shell with the kids on your block... neighbors in your community...friends at work... or "regulars" in your aerobic class?  You'll have fun and I bet the reaction is great... just hopefully not allergic!

Announcements:

Only one announcement today, as I am trying to avoid information overload.  P.P.D.C is anxiously awaiting names and addresses for her 13 remaining gift cards.  Here's what we need from you in order to assure this anonymous act of generosity does not go un-utilized. 

• Names of 2 highlowaha readers, each willing to place a $5.00 gift card inside a book you're ready to pass along.  Naturally, we suggest leaving the book in a Starbucks.
  
• Names of 3 highlowaha readers willing to start a kindness chain by using the $5.00 gift card to purchase someone a cup of coffee at their local Starbucks.
  
• A minimum of 8 names of people who might benefit from receiving a "perk me up."  P.P.D.C will send the gift card, but we are looking to your for the names of neighbors, colleagues, relatives, friends of friends, etc....   

Signing off until tomorrow...

Kick the Can Ice Cream!

This entry is compliments of Maureen who passed it along to another reader a couple of months ago.  It seemed like the perfect way to round out the week.  It's relatively simple and will do a great job of engaging your kids, the kids you babysit, or your nieces and nephews.

Here is goes...

Kick the Can Ice Cream

Makes 4 Servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup milk (can use lowfat, fat-free, or flavored)

1 cup whipping cream (can use half-and-half)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ice

Rock salt

Large and small cans with lids (like coffee cans, cleaned)

Duct tape

Directions

Pour milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla into small can.  Cover the can and duct tape well.  Shake the can to mix.  Put a layer of ice and rock salt in a large can.  Add small can and layer more ice and rock salt.  Cover can and duct tape well.  Lick or roll the can for 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove the small can.  Scrape the ice cream away from the side of the can.  Retape and put back in large can with more ice and rock salt.  Kick or roll for 5 to 10 minutes.  Open can, stir and serve.

Variations

For reduced fat ice cream, use lowfat or fat-free milk and half-and-half

For strawberry ice cream, add 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen sliced strawberries

For chocolate chip ice cream, use chocolate milk and add 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Enjoy your Saturday and with only 27 days left in July, get busy eating some ice cream!

Signing off until Monday...

Free For All Friday: Topping Off the Week!

Maureen is the winner of the Ice Cream Cone Cupcake pan, guessing exactly the right number of fudge fish in half a pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food Ice Cream... 21!  Congratulations, Maureen.  

T.G.I.F.  I'll be brief today, as I know most of you are on your way to a July 4th celebration.  Me and my family included.

Today I pose two things for which I would love your free-for-all-feedback.  First, toppings.  My mother bought me the Lazy Susan Ice Cream Sundae Bar pictured below.  As many of you already know, in my house... Sunday is actually "Ice Cream Sundae."  We end each week (or start each week, depending upon how you want to look at it) with the perfect treat.

This week I'll take suggestions from you about what kind of toppings I can use to fill the containers.  Usually toppings include: crushed oreos, graham cracker crumbs (my favorite), colored sprinkles, candied almonds and cherries.  In the center bowl we put hot fudge.  Help us break out of our sundae rut.  What other toppings should we try.? NOTE:  Based on Sajid's suggestion, we will serve Heath Bar this week.

Below is a picture of a "card" I made for Richard years ago when giving him an ice cream maker for some holiday (he requested it and I, of course, saw the wisdom in immediately granting him his wish).  The top says, "Get the Scoop on Why I Love You" and each scoop lists another quality about him that I love.  I won't use the idea again (remember, "creativity is fostered by never using the same idea twice"), but wouldn't it be fun to start National Ice Cream Month off with the cone and each day add another quality?  Today is only July 4.  It's definitely not too late to treat someone you love to this idea.

Or how about tweaking the idea?  Add a scoop for each thirty minutes your child reads in July (or over the summer).  Reaching 5 scoops earns an ice cream cone; 10 might equal a banana split; 15 could be a sundae as big as your head; 20 might be ice cream for your child and two friends; and 30 might be an ice cream sundae party at your house.

No problem getting your child to read?  How about exercise; days with room kept clean; walking and feeding your pet; or using good table manners?  Pick anyone of the hundred things we have to remind our kids about.  Ice cream is about as good an incentive as there is. 

What other ways might the "progressive cone" be used and/or what other ice cream related ideas might you have?

Now, That Takes The Cake!

What a way to start the day!  Our friend and loyal reader, Cheryl, forwarded this picture of she and her boys celebrating National Ice Cream Month (with what looks like FOUR gallons of ice cream, yummy topping, and some fun dishes).  I just love the idea that all around the country ice cream is being eaten and that I could have something...anything to do with it.

More announcements at the end.

Today is dedicated to the creative ways in which ice cream and cake intersect.  Bottom line... this topic is really inspired by a cake pan I saw and fell in love with.  The pan is actually a heavy cast iron mold, made by Nordicware.  It makes six ice cream cone shaped cupcakes, each to be topped with a scoop of ice cream and some sprinkles.  If you're beginning to know me at all, you know this is where I would typically insert a photo of me having made the ice cream cone cupcakes so you could enjoy the creative moment along with me.

Oh, but not today.  I can't.  I can't bake the cupcakes because, even though the mold is in my possession, it is not mine!  It belongs to one of you!  Yup, that's right.  I wrote away to the company, sharing my vision for this important week of ice cream blogging, and they agreed that the celebration of ice cream is no small matter.  So they sent me a free mold to be given away to one of our lucky readers.  

To check out the mold up close and personnel, visit noridicware.com and look for the item labeled Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Pan.  It will also serve as a nice way to thank Nordicware for supporting the activities of our fun community.

So how can you win the mold?  We'll get to that in a minute.

In the meantime, giving away an ice cream mold does not a blog entry make.  So I wanted something else.  I was sitting in the doctor's office last week with Jack (who was having trouble breathing) and I picked up this month's copy of Real Simple to read while waiting for our appointment.  Page 186 featured an easy ice cream cake recipe.  I committed to getting the magazine (my conscience would not let me rip it out) and making the cake for my family.

Here's why I liked the recipe and thought it worth sharing.  It's EASY and fast.  You know it's easy when the only ingredients are: 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, 6 ice cream sandwiches (3.5 each) and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.  This was all stuff I had in my house already.  It literally took me longer to whip the cream than it did to do anything else.

The recipe:

• Line an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with a piece of wax paper or parchment, allowing the paper to hang over both long sides.
  
• In a large bowl, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
  
• In the bottom of the pan, arrange 3 of the sandwiches in a single layer, cutting them to fit as necessary.  Spread with half the whipped cream.  Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and whipped cream.
  
• Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chopped candy bar.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
  
• Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a platter.  Discard the paper, slice the cake, and serve.  
  

One small caveat for any other Type A people out there.  The only ice cream sandwiches I could find were 3.25 ounces each.  They did not COMPLETELY cover the pan.  I actually used a fourth sandwich on bottom and on top to assure it was completely covered and that the sandwiches were nice and snug.  In retrospect, I probably wouldn't do it again... and, in fact, didn't...

The cake was so easy to make, I decided right then and there to make two more I could give away as acts of kindness.  One went to the thoughtful neighbor who judged yesterday's whacks and the other went to Cheryl who came over last night so we continue work on the Altoid Table.  I tell you this hoping you might consider making one and delivering it to someone with a note saying, "Happy National Ice Cream Month."

Back to the Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Pan.  How can you win it?  I've always wanted to cut a pint of Ben & Jerry's down the middle to see how many pieces of "stuff" were inside.  This seemed like the perfect week.  So... for the winning cake pan...  How many Fudge Fish were embedded in half a pint (cut vertically) of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food?  If you've never tried this flavor, it's a must.  Chocolate ice cream with gooey marshmallow, caramel swirls, and fudge fish.  Yum, Yum.  The person who comes closest wins.  

Announcements:

Here's the final word on how we'll distribute the Starbuck's gift cards offered to us by the anonymous P.P.D.C.  We took into account each of your suggestions.

• 1 for a blog reader whose gone above and beyond.
• 1 to someone from my lucky Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) box of postcards.
• 2 tucked inside a Random Acts of Kindness book left at a Starbucks.
• 3 to someone whose down and out and could use a random  "Perk me up."
  
• 3 to someone willing to start a Kindness Chain, by purchasing a coffee for someone behind him/her in line.
  
• 5 to a completely random person we think has potential to be a new highlowaha reader.

We are looking for:

• 2 volunteers to distribute the gift cards inside an-already-read-and-passed-along- RAK book
  
• 3 volunteers willing to start a kindness chain by buying someone a cup of coffee at their local Starbucks.  
  
• A minimum of 8 names of  people to receive a "perk me up" or potential new readers to whom we can send a card.  
  
• Post to let me know if you are interested in either distributing via RAK book or starting a kindness chain.  Email with an address me if you want to "nominate" someone for the "perk me up" or potential new reader.

As for the other 2 cards...  

If I may, I will be bold and award the one card allocated to a reader who has gone above and beyond.  Peggy this one's for you.  Not only did Peggy (and Julie) submit ideas for the Tear Away Flyer, but she also promptly sent me items for the Altoid box AND another fun treat I'm hanging onto until the right moment.  Not to mention your daily posts are always fun to read. 

 

And the lucky winner from the lucky RAK box is... Debbie from Massachusetts.  Debbie is loyal reader, but has yet to post.  Maybe this will graduate her from "lurker-status" to "poster-status."

Now a couple of follow-up pics from readers who solicited our ideas and then used them...

Cassie P's house warming present for neighbors returning to a home in which they once lived

Carnival-themed birthday party for Andrea's son.

She used some of our ideas.  Looks GREAT!

Enough announcements for today.  Check back tomorrow for more.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday: Impossible!

How do you whack the perfect dessert?  Impossible.  

Today Von Oech's creative whack pack gets put to W-O-R-K!  The deck of cards, of course is designed to whack our thinking... to take an imperfect idea and make it better.  I am not qualified for this.  Ice cream to me is the ultimate dessert... perfect in its current state.  In need of no changes... nada... zippo. About the only recommendation I might concede worth making is some kind of topping for an otherwise ordinary scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The hair just stood up on a handful of your necks, I'm sure.  My husband's included.  He's a purist.  Vanilla ice cream, no chunks, no chips, no syrup.  Not me.  I like texture.  The more the better (unless of course it's a nut which I won't eat due to allergies).  Nonetheless, if my choices are straight up vanilla ice cream or a cup of fruit cocktail... I'm going vanilla ice cream every day of the week.

Are you ready to start whacking?  All warmed up (or cooled down as the case may be)?  

As you might have imagined, today's we will whack ICE CREAM.  We'll go broad.  That is to say, we'll look at ice cream in any form... flavor, methods of delivery, venues for selling, or when and how it is consumed... you pick.  Now the whack...

Imagine How Others Would Do It.  What people do you respect for creative achievement?  A leader in your field?  A teacher?  A parent?  Now, imagine that one of these people is responsible for developing your concept.  What would they do?  How would they approach it?  How would someone else change your idea?

Here's my crack at a whack... My friend, Sherry is the first person who came to mind when thinking about someone I respect for creative achievement.  A little about Sherry...  

I came to know her while working at Southern Methodist University.  She was part of what I affectionately refer to as the "Dream Team" (a group of people with which I had the privilege of working for a number of years).  I - the ideas person - would dream up some seemingly outlandish orientation theme, requiring props, printed materials, back drops, costumes... the whole nine yards.  The Dream Team made the ideas come to life.  Deanie, the props; Fred, anything made of wood; Quynh, master organizer and overseer of all details; Carol, the money lady and creative financier; and Sherry... well Sherry was the graphic artist who set the whole thing in motion.  For, without a "look" nothing else could follow.  To say we were a WELL OILED MACHINE would be an understatement!

I have dreams for Sherry and me.  I've told her since the day I left SMU, that one day I will make it big and when I do, my first order of business will be to hire her on staff.  Sherry is a total package.  She's master photographer, a fellow paper-lover, a nature lover, has a genuine love for children, and never, never, never complains.  She has the midas touch, transforming even the simplest thing into something that looks like a million bucks.  The world is a more aesthetically pleasing place because she is in it!

Sherry left SMU for a short stint and moved to another part of Texas where she and a couple of other women opened an art studio where, among other things, children's art classes were taught.  So, when thinking about how Sherry might change ice cream, children and art immediately came to mind.

Would she open an ice cream bar where children could order sundaes not only by flavors, but also by shape?  Want a panda bear sundae?  Sherry sets to work using ice cream, oreos, m&m's, Butter fingers and a variety of other toppings to depict the bear's paws, eyes, and mouth.  How about a giraffe?  Maybe a scoop of ice cream with a pretzel rod sticking out?  A snowman sounds yummy?  Two scoops of vanilla, a marshmallow hat, red hot buttons....  I'm limited, but Sherry... NO!  I feel certain she could go on for days rattling off animals and all sorts of other shapes children could create using ice cream and assorted toppings.  Or maybe she wouldn't even do the decorating.  Maybe the whole point of the ice cream bar is that the basic ice cream sculpture is provided, but kids use their creativity to decorate their bear, giraffe, or snow man however they see fit.  Sherry could make it work.

How about you?  Whose creative achievements do you respect and how might they whack ice cream?

Here's one final kicker to make today extra fun.  I have in my possession three bags from the clearance rack at Target.  They make the perfect tote for moving creative projects (card making, book writing, sewing, etc...) from one place to another.  One bag will go to the highlowaha reader who submits the winning idea (as awarded by my neutral neighbor.  Ideas should be submitted by 9:00 CST).  The second bag will go to the person who inspired your whack (the person you respect for his/her creative achievement) and the third bag will go to... are you ready?... a RANDOM WINNER selected from my Random Acts of Kindness box of postcards!  Yes, the box of postcards is finally activated! 

Still need to submit your postcard for future giveaways (another coming up later this week and still another next week) and random acts?  My address is:

Claudia Beeny

4012 Harvestwood Court

Grapevine, Texas 76051

Remember all you lurkers... no need to even reveal yourself.  Just send a postcard with your address and that's enough to get you included in the drawings. 

Signing off until tomorrow...

Now It's Your Churn

Thanks, Katie for whipping up a great story and topping of the month of June!  

If Baskin Robbins can tout 31 flavors, we can certainly fill the next five days with ice cream adventures.  Today we dig into some of your favorite memories.  I'll indulge by starting off with a couple of my own.

Maybe I should tell of my long and illustrious four-year stint working at Haagen Dazs.  Or, my three year stint at Yogurt Oasis (do you see a trend?).  As much fun as it was, there's no great story to relay (other than every man on ASU's campus calling the store to see if Gail Trybolt was working that night.  Gail is the brunette on the left with the deep tan.  She was considered the female version of Big Man on Campus). 

 

I could tell of my all-time favorite date.  One of my college boyfriends majored in Aeronautical Engineering and was intent on being a pilot.  One summer night - maybe even a first date - he ran in to pick me up from work.  I say ran, because his car was a jalopy and he couldn't turn it off in fear that it wouldn't start again.  Once in his car I noticed a zip lock bag with with two spoons and napkins inside.  We were headed to the Phoenix airport with ice cream and the zip lock bag in hand.  We spent the next couple of hours on the top level of parking lot watching planes land and eating ice cream.  It seemed magical.

 

I could tell of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Fests, but I seem to remember talking about that crazy ritual in an earlier blog entry.  ...A pint of ice cream for each participant.  Pass to the left, pass to the right.  Round and round it went until the last chip had been eaten.  Five people, five pints.  Ten people, ten pints.  Ugh, gives me a sugar rush just thinking about it.

Then there is my son Ricky's favorite story.  Every summer he goes to the quintessential all-boys summer camp in Tallulah Falls, Georiga.  I'm talking rustic cabins; archery, riflery, and kayaking; a lake in the center of the camp - fully equipped with a "blob," where big kids catapult smaller kids into the water; no showers; a mess hall where slop is served three times a day; and a canteen where kids can buy snacks to compensate for the slop they didn't eat earlier in the night.  

His first year as a young adult the counselors talked all week of the much anticipated ice cream hike.  The story was, that for every pound worth of rocks the boys could carry up the mountain, they would receive a gallon of ice cream.  The group of boys schemed all week about stuffing rocks into their pockets, back packs, and even canteens.  They were motivated!  Finally the day arrived and the boys executed their plan flawlessly.  Each kid did their part by lugging close to their body weight in rocks for three miles straight up a mountain.  When the boys arrived at the top and were ready to dig in, the counselors - intent on teaching them a life lesson - pointed to a huge pile of rocks and said, "If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is."  The fact that Ricky remembers his counselor's words... VERBATIM is a good indication it worked.

Since it's summer, I think I''' finish with one of my own favorite camp memories.  

As mentioned a few weeks ago, I worked at a great day camp about 50 minutes from my house.  We drove to the wooded camp grounds every morning and drove back every evening.  I feel lucky to have been a part of this ritual for so many years.  The bus ride home was always much anticipated because every kid and every counselor knew this is when cups of ice cream were distributed. You might be able to envision the ones I'm talking about.  Small cups, half vanilla, half chocolate.  Pull back the tab and dig in with a small wooden stick wrapped in white paper.  By the time the ice cream got to us, it was in a PERFECTLY... let me say that again... PERFECTLY melted state.  The ice cream stuck to the lid when you pealed it back, leaving you no choice but to lick it off.  

The real question was, "Who would get the extras?"  Sometimes the counselors would hoard them because they could.  Other days they would give them to kids who might have been celebrating a birthday, or to someone who could dig into their bag and deliver a specified item (red towel, deck of playing cards, blue pen). Sometimes they would just throw them out and let Darwanism take over.  Every once in a while they'd actually make you work for the ice cream by posing trivia questions.  Answer the question right and win the coveted cup.

I don't have one of those cups and chances are, if I did, it wouldn't still be around.  But, I do have a $5.00 gift card to Marble Slab.  Be the first to answer the trivia correctly and I'll toss it your way.

According to Sajid, manager of Marble Slab in Grapevine, Texas (where we had dessert tonight):

• The most ordered way to buy ice cream is cup or cone?
  
• The favorite topping is which candy bar?
  
• The busiest day of the week is?
  
• The flavor most ordered by children is...
  
• The average person asks for how many samples?
  

Signing off until tomorrow....