My Revue on Bob Seger!

Yes it has been a very long time since I did  a revue on a singer. Yes I have been doing albums but not about them. So I decided to do one on Bob Seger. I like his music very much.

Bob Seger born on May 6th, 1945 in Dearborn Michigan. He was raised by his mom and dad and has a brother named George.  At age six they moved to Ann Arbor Michigan. Then at age ten his father walked out on them and his dad moved to California. Left his mom to raise both of them.

Bob did attend school and he did graduate high school. While in high school he was on the track and field team.

He is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and a pianist. He does write songs for other artist. Bob Seger was inspired by Little Richard, Elvis and James Brown. He recorded songs that dealt with blue-collar worker theme. 

In 1961 Bob had a three piece band called Decibels. Bob was on the guitar, piano, keyboards and lead vocals. Peter Stanger was on guitar. H.B. Hunter was on Drums.

Here is a list of the other bands Bob Seger was in-
The Town Criers
Doug Brown and The Omens
Last Heard
The Bob Seger System
Then he went Solo
The Silver Bullet Band in 1973

In 1973 Bob went back to Detroit to form the Silver Bullet Band. Then in 1974 with The Silver Bullet Band they released the album Seven. In 1975 they released Beautiful Loser. In 1976 they released Live Bullet this album had Turn The Page on it. In 1978 Bob co-wrote Heartache Tonight for the Eagles and this single went to number one.

In 1980 he released Against The Wind, 1981 he released Nine Tonight. This had three albums. This album sold over five million copies. In 1983 the song Old Time Rock and Roll was in the movie Risky Business starring Tom Cruise. In 1984 he wrote and recorded Understanding for the film soundtrack Teachers. In 1986 he wrote and recorded Living Indide My Heart for the film and soundtrack About Last Night starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore.

In 2001 the song Old Time Rock and Roll was named one of the songs of the century. In 2004 Bob Seger was Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009 he released what we thought might be his last album called Early Seger Vol 1. In 2010 he was on one of Kid Rocks album Born Free. He on it along with Sheryl Crow, Zack Brown Band, Martina McBride and many others. In 2011 he does have a new album coming out or it may already be out called Downtown Train.

He does have to tour dates for in November. I can't believe it he has been singing since 1961 to the present and he is still going strong. Yes there are some songs that I do not like but most of his music is really good. If you are really a true fan you have his albums. Unless like for me my ex sold all my albums. So now I have to try to get them back some how.

I would really like to hear what you have to say about my revue. I am like always going to leave you with a video. Thank you for taking your time and reading this.

Saving Heirloom tomato seeds

This past weekend we saw so many heirloom tomatoes on sale. I think you can find heirlooms almost anywhere these days. We bought one of the large, yellow tomatoes called Mr. Stripey, a beefsteak tomato that is primarily yellow with red stripes on the end. It is a low acid tomato and we liked this tomato so much that we bought one to save the seed for next year.

Saving seeds from a vegetable or flower plant is usually very simple. I sliced the tomato and then picked out the seeds. The tomato, I saved for later. No need to waste a perfectly good tomato! The seeds are put in a wire strainer and then washed with a slow stream underneath the faucet. I don't think you really need to wash the seeds off but, I do because my father always did.

I then pour the seeds onto a paper towel and spread them out to air dry.

Above is how they look after drying overnight. I might let them dry another day or so to make sure the moisture is gone and I will then scrape them off the paper towel and save them in a plastic bag in a cool, dry place, or the refrigerator, marked with the name of the seed. I will then get them out and plant the seeds around January or February. That is it. Much cheaper than a package of seeds and I don't usually see this variety.

I also dried some Cherokee Purple seeds. An old variety grown by the Cherokee Indians, according to what I have read.

I have generally heard it is best save only heirloom seeds, but recently I read that while it is the best practice to follow for most vegetables, tomatoes might be an exception to that rule. You could save seeds from any variety and it might be a bit different from the original, especially if it is from a hybrid tomato, but the fruit might not be that different. If you really like the tomato, it might be worth a try. You may get something really different, of course, so I would recommend it only as a test, but I am thinking about trying it.

Heirloom seeds can vary a bit, too. Pollination plays a big part in what next year's crop will be. It might be a good idea, if you want your seed to remain true to the original, to place them in a spot far away from other tomatoes.

Since I am often a little too optimistic, I am hoping for a great new variety I will like even more.

Another thing to consider -- seeds that flourish in one planting zone, don't always flourish in a different one. I will have to wait until next year to see how Mr. Stripey's do in this area, rather than the mountains, but I love large, yellow meaty tomatoes so this could be great for me.

Visiting Knoxville's Market Square

I have been on I-75 that passes through Knoxville, Tennessee a number of times but it has never been a destination for me until this past weekend. It is the scene of an obviously vital and growing city that is embracing new things while still holding on to the important cultural gems of the past. They are obvious animal lovers and appreciate their large farming community -- just north of the Blue Ridge mountains and south of the Cumberlands. When we arrived, we saw a bustling downtown district that was a perfect mix of old and new.

We walked a block over to Market Square, the home of a bi-weekly Farmer's Market and saw tents and vendors of all kinds catering to the gathering crowds. This is the site of the International Biscuit Festival each May, for art shows and downtown entertainment. Our first sights and sounds were of art shops, trendy restaurants and musicians with horns and guitars ready to delight, entertain and sustain us on a pleasant Saturday in Tennessee.

This is a perfect place to bring your pet for a walk. Most shops had pet watering bowls filled with fresh water outside and there were times we had to be careful not to treading on a dog resting in the shade, waiting for its owner to shop or finish a meal.

Kids decked out in bathing suits were playing in the fountains rising from the ground -- a very popular spot.

"Pick a card, any card." I chose not to, but at times this vendor was very crowded.

Yes, this is a big cat on a leash -- never seen one of those before.

Most booths had heirloom tomatoes. Above, Mr. Stripeys and Black Cherokees.

This vendor said we could try any of the hot peppers we wanted. He then smiled, knowing he wouldn't have any takers, especially after telling us that the Tennesse Cherry peppers were hotter than anything he had ever tasted. They are the small red peppers in a small square basket above the miniature yellow cherry tomatoes To the left of those are the Ghost peppers. I've heard they are one of the hottest peppers ever, but this guy claimed his Tennesee cherries were much hotter.

One of my favorites was the EatYourYard.biz vendor. They advocate growing edible fruit trees and plants rather than grass. They were recommending blueberries as one of the best plants.

There were so many tents with tomatoes and pretty vegetables.

And I really liked the way this market shared the skyline with semi-high rise buildings, green space and sculptures.

Above, a lighted archway and garden spot and at right people are gathered to try free samples of ice cream from a local farm selling $1 mini-ice cream cones.

The last stop was a trip through the Mast General Store back on the main street. I had never been to one and we could have used a few more hours to explore. They had everything from dry goods to clothing to a huge selection of bulk candies and country jams, jellies and mixes.

Knoxville is now on my list of places I am glad I finally stopped. I wouldn't mind going back one Saturday, maybe one May for some biscuits.

Top 10 Ways to Survive Your Crappy Job

Your job sucks and for whatever reason you can't leave. At the same time, if you don't leave you're pretty sure you're going to lose your mind. What can you do about it? Here are our top 10 strategies.

10. Get Some Perspective

Today is one day out of your entire life. Unless you're going to die soon, it's probably not going to be that big of a deal. If it's one of your days off, you may find yourself doing nothing because you want to figure out the best way to spend such limited time. If it's one of your work days, there will be other days where other things happen...

This post was obtained from www.lifehacker.com.  To read the remainder of this post, click here.

Crispy Baked 'Fried' Chicken

Ingredients
8 chicken pieces (preferably 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs and 2 wings)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups cornflakes
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground sage


Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet.


Rinse the chicken in cold water; pat dry. In a wide bowl or on a plate, season the flour with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge each chicken piece through the flour so it's fully coated, tap against the bowl to shake off excess flour and set aside. Discard the flour.


Here comes the part kids like best: Crush the cornflakes by placing them in a big resealable plastic bag, carefully pressing the bag to push out the air. Seal up the bag (with as little air inside as possible) and run over the flakes with a rolling pin. Open the bag and pour the crushed flakes into a wide bowl or onto a plate.


In a large bowl (big enough to dredge the chicken pieces), mix the buttermilk, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika and sage. Give each floured chicken piece a good buttermilk bath and then roll in the cornflake crumbs.


Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and place in the hot oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. The juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife. Serve with Easy Greens.


Per serving: Calories 520; Fat 22 g (Sat. 6 g; Mono. 9 g; Poly. 5 g); Cholesterol 136 mg; Sodium 1,040 mg; Carbohydrate 41 g; Fiber 1.5 g; Protein 40 g


Photograph by Con Poulos


SOURCE

Back To School!

I can't believe it is this time of the year already. It seems like we didn't even have a summer again. I don't know if it is me or not but it just seems like the summer's are going really fast these days and the winter's are just hanging around a lot longer.

I am just so happy that I don't have to buy school supplies for all three of my kids anymore. I do have my youngest daughter to get it for. She is going to be starting her first year of college next month. She can't wait to start her classes. She is still living with my boyfriend and I but she is going to a Technical College. She knows what she wants to major in for her degree. I am so proud of her.

She had a really hard time in high school but she did graduate back in June. It was really nice to see my youngest to graduate but sad at the same time.

My boyfriend and I also have his son going back to school he is going to be a freshman in high school. He is looking forward to going to high school but he also had a hard time last year in school. He starts school next week. Last week I took him and his mom to the high school to get his class schedule. He has a busy schedule and I pray he will make sure all his work is turned in this year.

Yesterday was my day off of work and I spent it doing back to school shopping. So much for me relaxing and getting the house cleaned. I went school shopping for two kids and I couldn't believe how much I spent when I got to the checkout. I know one thing I did good was bought a whole box of spiral notebooks. Kids go through them so fast with writing notes and drawing instead of using it for there school work. I also can't believe that the kids in high school need a scientific calculator for math classes. When never could use a calculator in high school. The calculators are not cheap either.  This is the time it is cheaper then later paying regular price.

I know one other thing is when the kids get into the higher grades they need less supplies. I remember when my kids were in grade school and I spent twice as much for school supplies.

I hope everyone is done with there back to school shopping. I know I just can't wait until the kids are back in school so I don't hear I am bored anymore from the kids. I would like to hear your comments about this.

My new cake stand

This is my favorite cake stand. I love it for its simplicity but I really love the large dome that fits over large decorated cakes. I have never had a cake stand quite like it and it is my all-time favorite.

This is my new cake stand I found at a second hand store. Which do you like better?

If you think they look eerily similar, you are correct. I have been looking for a matching cake stand for ages and I finally found one at a local second-hand shop. I was so excited to find it because I have this fear that I will break my old one and never find one to replace it. I would have preferred to have found one at a yard sale because it would have been even cheaper, but no luck -- maybe one day.

The original, a Martha Stewart design, I bought at K-Mart before it went bankrupt. I went to several K-Marts to look for them before the stores closed (I know K-Marts that are open, and though I have searched stores in surrounding area, I have never found a cake stand like this one.) I have looked on eBay but nothing there either.

When I found this at a store across the street I didn't think twice about making the purchase though it was more than I would have paid for a normal cake stand at a second-hand shop (almost half the price of the original). I suspect that it has never been used owing to the fact that there is not a ding or blemish of any kind.

Now I don't have to worry so much about breaking the one I already have. I also will enjoy having it for holidays and parties. I just love symmetry and having the same cake stand at opposite sides of a dessert buffet table appeals to me.

My husband thinks I am a little crazy. "Why in the world do you need two?" He really can't argue with the price and he really loves cake so I think it will be OK.

Don't you just love second-hand shops?

Corn flour

Corn meal is an ingredient I am very familiar with because I have eaten plenty of cornbread and corn muffins in my lifetime. But when I tried corn flour, it opened my eyes to a whole new area of baking and battering.

Corn flour is much like cornmeal (made from the whole corn kernel)  but is more finely ground. I have read it is milled with the same equipment that millers use to grind flour so it is softer and lighter than cornmeal. I think one thing people dislike about cornmeal is the texture. It is somewhat grainy. Don't get me wrong. I love cornmeal and I am not troubled by the consistency but corn flour gives that great corn flavor and is more like wheat flour.

I would bet that if you make corn muffins using half cornmeal and half corn flour rather than half wheat flour, as some recipes recommend, you would probably produce a corn muffin that is richer in corn flavor. It would be a more agreeable bread for a person with celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Most cornmeal baking mixes contain wheat so this is a good alternative.

Corn flour is also a good alternative for baking breads using rice and other alternative flours. Tortillas are made using corn flour, oil or lard and corn flour. That is what makes the texture so fine. I was confused by this the only time I tried to make tortillas using cornmeal. It didn't work at all. I made the grainiest corn tortillas ever.  I am sure if a veteran tortilla-maker had seen me, it would have been good for a laugh. I just didn't know that corn flour and cornmeal were so different. My eureka moment came when I bought some masa harina (corn flour) and used it for battering fish and okra for frying, then began experimenting with corn flour for baking.

I am sold on using corn flour to dredge fried foods, especially okra but I am just beginning to experiment with corn flour for baking.

One area of confusion for me is that I have read that cornstarch and corn flour is the same product. That is not true at all. Cornstarch is made from the endosperm only of the corn kernel. Not too long ago I saw a recipe for bread that called for a large amount of cornstarch. I have a feeling that recipe was wrong and the author meant corn flour. I can't imagine why a person would even try to put large amounts of cornstarch in a recipe unless they like bread that is hard and gummy.

Corn flour, containing the whole corn kernel does possess the starchy part of the corn and that would give it an ability to act as a binder similar to the gluten in wheat and that makes it a good candidate for bread.

In my corn flour muffin recipe, pictured above and listed below, I used an egg. But that was only because I was testing it out and hadn't thought it through. I will be trying it without eggs and I think using two tablespoons of cornstarch would be a good binder for this recipe. I also think children like the texture of corn flour muffins better than cornmeal muffins. Another thing I want to try is adding cream-style corn and some peppers and onions to make a good, gluten-free, vegan Mexican cornbread.

I hate running on so long about something so mundane as corn flour but I really do think it is an important under-utilized flour -- at least for me.

Corn Flour Muffins

3/4 cup corn flour
3/4 cup rice flour (or corn meal)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1-1/2 cup water or almond milk (buttermilk could also be used)

Mix all ingredients together until mixed and pour into greased muffin pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes for mini muffins and 20 to 25 minutes for regular-sized muffins or until muffins are firm on the top when pressed and golden around the bottoms. Remove from the oven and using a knife or small spatula lift muffins on their sides in the pan and allow to cool until they are firm enough to handle. These are great with vegetable soup.

Sorry I Haven't Written On Here!

I really feel bad about not writing on here. I have so many ideas to put on here but I just don't have a lot of time in a day to write them anymore.

I just started a new job the first of the month and I have such weird hours there. I start anywhere from 7am to 11am and get off anywhere from 4pm to 7pm. Then when I get home it is time to get dinner going unless my boyfriend or my daughter started dinner for me.

Then see how my boyfriends day was at work and see how what my daughter is up too. I want to spend time with them when I get home. To me my family comes first then my blog comes second. That is why I haven't been putting much on here this month. Last week my boyfriend surprised me and he took me out for dinner. It was a day that neither one of us wanted to cook dinner and we just wanted to go out. My daughter was up north by her brother. So It was just the two of us at home. It was really nice to go out for dinner and not have to worry about cleaning everything up from dinner.

I just don't want anyone to think I forgot about posting anything on here. I am going to try to get an album revue on here this week. There is one that I have wanted to write about for awhile and I plan on getting it done. I just wanted to let you know what has been going on for me that I haven't posted anything. I am really sorry.

A cake with no "sorry streak"

My recipe for pound cake is either really good or kind of disappointing. Most of the time it is good and even when I have a "failure" it isn't a total waste because I can turn it into something good, like a trifle. I wrote about it in an earlier blog.

Recently, Amelia Adams brought in her new "Coweta Cooks" food feature to be photographed and she mentioned that cakes sometimes have a "sorry streak."

"You know," she said, "It's that dense streak that is sometimes in a pound cake."

I was fascinated because I had never heard it expressed quite that way. A "sorry streak" is, to me, a term used for a person who has lazy tendencies. I was delighted to have a new "baking term" that was colorful and properly descriptive.

The other day I made a pound cake for an event thinking I would be able to write about the sorry streak because my pound cake sometimes has one. This cake was so perfect. It was tall, fluffy and probably the best pound cake I have ever baked -- but no sorry streak. I was equally, happy, puzzled and confused. How can the same recipe be so good and at times disappointing?

After looking for the causes of cake successes and failures, I happened on this website for Land-O-Lakes, (my favorite butter) to see what they had to say and found an informative page I wanted to share, especially with anyone, like me, who has had a frustrating cake baking experience. Here is the link for a list of common cake baking problems entitled "How to bake a cake."

There were a number of "reasons" given under the heading, Common cause of cake failure. Under that header, a list of common problems including, A Soggy Layer or Streak on Bottom. The problems listed, included:

Under mixing of ingredients
Too much liquid
Eggs too big (most recipes are developed for large eggs)
Butter too soft
Too much sugar
Too much leavening
Not baked long enough

I am still thinking about what I do wrong and right with my pound cake recipe and I am thinking it could be one of many things in that list. Thankfully this time, my pound cake was perfect -- extremely moist, tasty and no sorry streak. I just want to make sure it is perfect next time as well. I will be taking advantage of their research with my cakes in the future.

This Happened At My Work Yesterday!

I had no idea this was going to happen at work yesterday. When one of the guys told me this was going on I was about to laugh. There was one girl and four guys.

Yes this is what you would see at a baseball game. I never thought I would see this at my job. I asked the  guy that was walking in front of them if he was going to cook them later and he said yes.

They had to walk around inside the store and outside the store from 10am to 2pm. People were coming to take pictures of them. One of the guys mom came to take pictures and I asked him to send the picture to my email so I could write this.

One little girl was screaming when her mom took her to close to them. I thought that was really sad because she didn't know what was going on. The little girl only looked like she was two year old.

I just couldn't believe the people that came to checkout say that the reason they came in the store was to see them. I was so shocked. One guy waited until they came off a break to see them and get a picture. I will tell you one thing the store made money with the people that came to see them.

When they went to go outside they had to bend in half to get out the doors. I was laughing so hard when I seen that. People were giving them hugs along with the pictures. It was so neat to watch them. They had a lot of fun doing that too.

I just wonder what is going to happen next at work!♥

FREE e-Book: Organized Teacher, Happy Classroom {by Melanie Unger}

By Heidi on August 18, 2011

 

Amazon has temporarily marked down the ‘Organized Teacher, Happy Classroom‘ e-book by Melanie Unger to FREE!

Read it on your Kindle, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7, or your PC & Mac! Go here to get your free Amazon reader App!

Got a Barnes & Noble Nook? Get it for Free when you search for ‘Organized Teacher, Happy Classroom’ on your Nook!

Prices change often, so if it’s still Free… the price will still be listed as $0.00.

This post was obtained from www.thefrugalgirls.com.

Hodgson's Mill Bread: Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote that we (actually my daughter) made a successful loaf of bread using Hodgson's Mill's Gluten Free Bread mix. I asked her to send her photos and here they are. A day late but you can see the bread looks very good. It is a tight loaf with few "holes." It is hard to tell from the photo but it is not crumbly at all and is moist -- like wheat bread.

Here is a photo after the first slice. The loaf is casting a shadow, but you get the idea.

Another angle. The bread slices are big, very much like the large loaves we often buy in the grocery store that fits snugly into a sandwich bag. This was the second loaf.

And this was the first try. Great bread --wrong pan. It was almost scary how it rose. In all my years of making wheat bread, I never had one rise this high. No problem with this yeast batter. It was tasty but very large. She had to go out and buy new pans for the next loaves.

A good gluten-free bread mix

In our ongoing quest to make a good loaf of yeast bread without wheat, we have found a mix that is really good. Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix is evidently a new product for them. It says so on the box!

I have used Hodgson Mill mixes and pastas over the years and I like their products. We used to make an oat bran muffin from one of their mixes at least a couple of times a week and my family loved those muffins. I've also used their whole wheat products -- really they had whole wheat products before most of the other mainstream companies jumped on the bandwagon and started offering whole wheat. It really hasn't been very long, after all, since the American public began to embrace whole wheat bread.

Now that so many people have wheat allergies, this company has expanded to include a line of gluten-free products like all-purpose baking mix and gluten-free cookie mix. Many of their products include speciality flours like this bread mix, with garbanzo bean flour. But it is only gluten-free and not a vegan or organic bread mix. This recipe does include eggs which gives it a very nice texture.

I will say, it is good. It holds together and can be toasted or used for sandwiches. Our little one who is on a wheat-free diet wouldn't touch many of the breads we made using oat and other flours because they were too crumbly and didn't have the taste and feel of wheat. He is now eating sandwiches from this bread and I honestly think he feels much less deprived. I also think this bread could work for pizza dough and buns. I am in the process of shopping for bun pans and when I do, I am thinking this mix would work well for hamburger and hot dog buns.

I discovered this in the regular bread mix section at Krogers and have been back for more. The price was $3.99 and it makes a very big loaf makes approximately 14 large slices.

I am a little disappointed in one of the claims. They say this mix includes whole grain rice but the ingredients only list rice starch as an ingredient. Here's the listing: Garbanzo Bean Flour, Corn Starch, Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Starch, Organic Raw Cane Sugar, Fava Flour, Rice Starch, Xanthan Gum, Flake Salt, Soy Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid. I also thought the fiber content was a bit low, so make sure you think this is good for a high -fiber diet. I do think it is a very good alternative to wheat.

I also think garbanzo bean flour mimics wheat better than most flours but you do have to get used to the taste, as with almost everything else. It's not quite what mama used to make but it is very good. To sum it up, I will say that we offered my husband, who is our resident "Mikey" a slice. He added butter and honey and said, "Hey, this is really good. I could eat this all the time." That's good enough for me.

My Revue on Randy Owen's Book Born Country!

If you are a fan of the group Alabama this is a book for you to read. Randy goes into very good detail about how he grew up and how him and two of his cousins started their band. I am going to tell you some of the book to give you and idea of how the book is. I really enjoyed this book a lot.

He was born December 13, 1949 in Alabama. His parents owned a cotton farm. Randy is the oldest of three kids. He has two younger sister's. While growing up he had a very christian life style.

His dad played the guitar and his mom played the piano. So he did have the music growing up and that is all he wanted to be is an entertainer. He never thought he would be a lead singer of a band he just wanted to be in the band playing his guitar. His parents would go around to different churches and play the christian music. They went in about a hundred miles radios.  When Randy got his guitar and his dad showed him some cords on it then Randy started to play with his parents.

Randy did get his schooling but didn't graduate with his class. He did graduate high school a year later. Randy is a very family oriented man. His dad had gotten sick and Randy figured his dad needed him more than him going to school. So he was helping his dad pick the cotton in the field instead of going to school. His junior high school principal found out and asked him why he is not in school. Randy did try to go back but the principal at the high school would not let him back in school. Then the junior high school principal called the high school and Randy was let back in school. He graduated high school and went to college and got a B.A. in English and a minor in Spanish.

The first name of the band was called Young Country then was called Wildcountry. The band was basically in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They played in a bar called the Bowery. This was a regular for them and they played anything that the crowd wanted to hear from Rock to Country music. They played here all year round and while Randy was in college. They started here in 1973 and Randy was writing music and playing that there too. The only day they had off at the Bowery was Sunday's.

In 1975 Randy and his wife got married. His wife grew up all over her father was in the Army. So she went to school all over the world. But one day her mom and some other ladies said that there was a band playing at the bar. And his wife wanted to go and here the band. That is how they met.

In 1980 three record labels called them. The labels are RCA, Capitol and Columbia. They chose RCA and they stayed with them the whole time they were singing and going on tour. Things really started looking really good for the band. This is the time they changed the name to Alabama. Randy, Teddy, Jeff and Mark really made a name for themselves and fast. Now everything was moving so fast for them.

The day they were suppose to go and sign with the company Randy got a phone call that his dad had past away. Randy couldn't drive back home so Teddy took them home. All Randy wanted was his dad to see how he made it with his music and he wanted to take his dad flying. There was so much that Randy wanted to do with his dad once he made it in the music business but was never able to do it. Randy never had time to grieve for his dad. He had to leave to start the tour for Alabama. So Randy wasn't really in the mood to go on tour but he did  it for the band. The band was doing 280 dates a year.

No one in the band ever did drugs or drank alcohol. In 1994 Randy was rushed to the hospital. He was awaken by a jet flying over the house very low. His wife woke up and said that Randy looked really pale and his heart was racing really fast. His wife called a friend of hers and she was a nurse. Her friend told her to get Randy to the ER really fast. It sounded like he was having a heart attack. Thank the lord it wasn't that he was having an attack of exhaustion both mental and physical. He just had to take it easy for awhile. They also think it could something to with the fact that Randy never got to grieve for his dad. 

Alabama always had a way to give back to people for helping them make it so big. Alabama gave back with charities. Like June Jam, Celebrity Softball, Golf Tournaments, Helping the Farmer's, St. Jude Children's Research. Along with St. Jude's the have a radiothon to raise money for the kids. There is over 280 radio station's that take one or two days to play music and play conversation with the kids and there families. They have raised over 500 million dollars in on year for the kids for research for the different illnesses. Alabama also received and award for all the help that they have done for the kids. Randy also goes and talks with the kids and the families at the hospital.

Their Farewell Tour was for forty cities in 2003 but ended up being a two year tour. They had gotten such and enormous response during the tour that they added another forty shows for 2004. They remember people coming to their very first shows wearing Lynyrd Skynryd t-shirts. This was really different for them. They just thought at this point in there lives they wanted to leave while on top. They didn't want to be starting to hit bottom when they left. During this tour Randy had gotten sick again. Everything started to spin on him. He had gone to the doctor and no doctor could find out what was wrong with him. It was Vertigo that is light headedness or dizziness. But he made it through the tour.

The band had a lot of awards like Entertainer of the Year, Group of the Year, Country Music Hall of Fame, Star on the Walk of Fame, Entertainer of the Decade and sold over 73 million albums and countless miles on the road away from the family. They also have over forty number one hit songs.

Randy was also friends with Dale Earnhardt. He was suppose to go and see him race the day Dale died. But his son had a basketball tournament and he went to go and see his son. Randy and his wife also went to Dale's house for New Year's Eve and having a great time there. Randy is also a Packer fan.  

I am leaving you with Alabama's very first video when they were called Wildcountry. This also has Randy's son in it. The song is called Tar Top. I thought this was just the right video to put on here it is their very first video and song. I hope to hear what you thing of this revue.

Chili Tortilla Chips

Directions
Cut twelve 6-inch corn tortillas into 6 wedges each. Toss the wedges with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of cayenne. Working in batches, spread on 2 baking sheets; bake at 350 degrees F until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.


Per serving (6 chips): Calories 80; Fat 3 g (Saturated 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 106 mg; Carbohydrate 13 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 2 g


Photograph by Jacob Snavely


SOURCE

My Revue on Bob Seger Stranger in Town Album!

I remember getting this album and my parents had a fit. They didn't like it because he had long hair. I told them it is the music that I really like I didn't care what he looked like.

I really like all of his music it don't matter what song it is he has great music. I am going to keep this short today so I am getting started with the songs.

Here is what I think of each of the songs-

Hollywood Nights- This is a great song one of my favorites. The music in the song is so awesome and his voice to go along with it can't compare to anything else.

Still The Same- This is a ballad but is a great song by him.

Old Time Rock and Roll- This is a great song but yes way over played when it came out. But I still like to listen to it once in awhile.

Till It Shines- This is a good song. I do like it but wouldn't listen to it all the time.

Feels Like a Number- The beginning of the song with the music is awesome. This is a really good song I do like this one.

Ain't Got No Money- I really like the beat of this music. But the lyrics I don't care for on this song.

We've Got Tonight- This is a ballad but it is an awesome song. I can listen to this one all the time. Kenny Rogers did a remake of this song too.

Brave Strangers- I like the music in this song. I makes you want to get up and dance to it.

The Famous Final Scene- I like the music in the beginning. This is a ballad but a really good song and I really like this song a lot.

I know this is a short revue today but I am still going to leave you with a video. I would like to hear what you think of this album!♥

Trumpet vines

The other day, my sister took me out to the edge of a wooded area to show off her trumpet vine seed pods. Trumpet vines, campsis radicans, can be grown in garden on arbors or fences, and like some plants, they create both positive and negative emotions.

Positive because they are easy to grow, produce beautiful orange to reddish flowers and they might have been a vine your grandmother grew on a fence or up a pole. Negative because they can be invasive and have been compared to kudzu or ivy and some people can have allergy symptoms after coming in contact with the leaves. (Not like poison ivy.)

They can be trained to cover arbors or privacy fences but must be cut back or they can "jump" to other areas -- so you must be ready to prune heavily in the spring, fall and even sometimes during the summer. They grow to 35 feet and can damage a tree or rock fence by growing into them. Trumpet vines can completely hide a chain link fence and unlike other vines, the flowers last all summer. They can easily grow up and cover an unsightly post or pole. They don't need too much fertilizer or you will see growth in vines, but not many flowers.

The foliage is a deep, rich green and seed pods are very large, containing quite a number of seeds. The pods break open an spread the seeds when they are dried. The pods may be edible for birds but I couldn't find any data on that. I wouldn't recommend trying them especially since the leaves are irritating for some people.

I really like them. These were totally voluntary and very interesting plants. I hadn't really considered growing them in my yard, but who knows. I have always wanted an arbor. One where you put a table underneath and have tea while hummingbirds flutter around the trumpet vine flowers. Sounds really good to me.

Santorini Greece information and pictures

Santorini officially Thira is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 sq mi) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. The municipality of Santorini is composed of the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana. The total land area is 90.623 km2 (34.990 sq mi). Santorini is part of the Santorini peripheral unit



Santorini Greece the best place in the world

Santorini Greece homes

Santorini Greece on mountain view

It has been said that the sunsets in Santorini are the best in the world. From the Caldera breathtaking views of the volcano & neighboring islands. From the east, miles of dark sandy or pebbled beaches. Everywhere one sees small domed churches and remnants of days gone by.

Santorini Greece

Santorini Greece nice view

Santorini Greece information and pictures

Santorini officially Thira is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 sq mi) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. The municipality of Santorini is composed of the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana. The total land area is 90.623 km2 (34.990 sq mi). Santorini is part of the Santorini peripheral unit



Santorini Greece the best place in the world

Santorini Greece homes

Santorini Greece on mountain view

It has been said that the sunsets in Santorini are the best in the world. From the Caldera breathtaking views of the volcano & neighboring islands. From the east, miles of dark sandy or pebbled beaches. Everywhere one sees small domed churches and remnants of days gone by.

Santorini Greece

Santorini Greece nice view