Jul 18, 201201:14 PMEditor's Blog
Hello, Austin!
In case anyone noticed, I didn't blog last week. Well, you probably didn't notice, but I'm back. I missed a day of work to go with my middle daughter down to Austin to start a job with Americorps. That simple statement holds a **#&-load of worries for me and my husband. Yes, of course we're proud of her, but what about the traffic? Driving in Austin is not fun. Those overcrowded streets, busy highways....I-35. Yikes! And living with roommates that I don't know. Hell, she doesn't even know them. The Internet is wonderful for those kinds of things. She found three other Americorps young people to live with, and they've already found a house. I've found that it's best to not ask too many questions or look too closely. I trust my daughter -- she's pretty cautious and smart. So, enough about that. I also missed work on Friday to go to climb Black Mesa (the highest point in OK) with my husband and 17 friends. That's the positive side of not having kids at home -- you can go off and do things like that.
Speaking of doing things... I have some picks for you and the family of things to do this week. I highly recommend Black Mesa and the friendly owners of the Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast. Vicki makes some pretty delicious blueberry pancakes, not to mention the Southwest style egg casserole and biscuits and gravy. There's some great stuff right here in our own state to explore.
And speaking of great stuff, I love free stuff, and if you do, too, head over to the Tulsa County Free Fair on Thurs. or Friday this week at the Fairgrounds Exchange Center. Your kids will love the petting farm and the presentations about the animals. You can also find out how to live "green" and how to save money. From what I understand, it's kind of like a big garage sale there, too, so you might find good deals on treasures for yourself. There will be more for the kids to do, too. The Tulsa Children's Museum will have activities, as will the Tulsa Police Department, Safe Kids Coalition of Tulsa, the Master Gardeners and 4-H. On Friday night, 4-H will have a Fun Festival to raise money. Kids will be able to play there for only $1 admission.
Have you all bought any peaches lately? I've been buying them like crazy because they're so good this year. If you want to immerse yourself in all things peachy, go to the Porter Peach Festival this week, Thurs., Fri. and Sat. Besides the peaches, they'll have arts & crafts, music, carnival rides and lots of other fun activities for the entire family.
Another festival that sounds like fun is the Boats Melons and BBQ event at Keystone Lake on Saturday. They'll have a Kids Fishing Derby starting at 9 a.m., and a Kids Zone with infatables to play on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., live music throughout the day and evening, and the big event -- the Cardboard Boat Race. That gets underway at 2 p.m.
If you don't feel like a festival, enroll your kids in the Tulsa Garden Center's Little Green Thumbs class on Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30. It's for ages 4 to 11, and this week the kids will be learning about how to grow vegetables and herbs. Call the Garden Center to sign up. The cost is $15. http://www.tulsagardencenter.com.
There are a couple of super kid-friendly performances this weekend. One is "Tom Sawyer" at the Spotlight Children's Theatre on Riverside Drive. It's described as a "play with music." It opens Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and is also on Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. You can see it next weekend at the same times. I loved taking my kids to the Spotlight performances. It's very intimate, so you're right up close to the stage, which keeps really young kids fascinated. The place is definitely un-stuffy and casual. Here't the link: http://www.spotlighttheater.org If your kids are interested in acting, this is a little community theater, so adult and child actors are just like you and me. Try-outs for "The Hobbit" will be Monday night at 6:45 at Spotlight.
The Tulsa PAC is presenting "Peter Pan" this weekend. There are evening performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Go to http://www.myticketoffice.com for tickets.
There's plenty to do in Tulsa and the surrounding communities. Be sure to check our online calendar often. You can watch me on KTUL Channel 8 on Thursdays between 9 and 10 a.m. to find out what's going on for the week.
And if you go out and get those peaches, here's a recipe for Light Peach Cobbler that you might want to try.
Light Peach Cobbler
INGREDIENTS
6 peaches (peeled and sliced)
6 1/3 TBS sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS reduced calorie margarine
1/2 cup nonfat milk
Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large saucepan, combine peaches, 1/3 cup of the sugar (5 1/3 TBS), cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon; toss to coat peaches. Set pan over medium heat and bring to boil. Cook about 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and put mixture in an 8-inch square baking pan. For topping, combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Work in margarine with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and stir until mixture is evenly moistened. Drop 8 tablespoons of topping mixture onto peach mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Serves 8. 187 calories per serving.
per serving
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Betty Casey started editing TulsaKids when her youngest child was 3 years old. That daughter is now a freshman in college. Her son is 24 and her middle daughter is 21. TulsaKids and her children literally grew up together (and she lived to tell about it)! Betty's blog ranges from commenting on current parenting issues and upcoming articles to personal reflections about being the mom of three children, who are now wonderful young adults.
