...a PEACE of the Ellis': Life Is In Session

Life has been busy and life has been full, but most of all our life lately has been full of fun! Over the past several weeks we've been spending lots of time with my sweet sister. Days packed with 3:00 p.m. "good mornings" and hardy evening dinners. Late night movies and pounds of sunflower seeds. All night (really, all morning) board games that result in...surprise (no surprise)...Jess winning Trivial Pursuit at the crack of 6:00 a.m. Yes, I come in last, but after all, I am the youngest (can I still play that card? haha). Sitting in the floor like a bunch of little Indians, playing through board game after board game. Laughing so hard we are quite literally gasping for air, our cheeks rosy and soaked from tears! Being three fairly-intelligent 20-somethings and not catching on to the clues for the easiest, cheesiest questions. Eric using his prime distraction techniques on Jess (making ridiculously odd faces during a timed question). Getting ourselves into philosophical debates that go on for hours... about Lord knows what. Sisterly quick-trips to the neighborhood Starbucks provided for evenings full of lattes and Letters to Juliet (a movie we do not recommend. Cute story line, but horribly produced!). Doing some major damage at every store within a 20 mile radius (damage to our bank accounts, haha!) and coming home with department store bags and beautiful button-downs blooming with red roses and laced collars. Car rides and sharing crazy news stories....she always has the latest scoop on the most outrageous news. I don't know how she has room in that head of hers for all the news, ha ha! Hitting the AMC 24 for the late showing of the newest chick-flick, sipping on icees and munching on candy corn the whole movie through. Leaving with wide eyes and a little sugar high, back to the homestead for some more 'Scene It' trivia games.

I could share every detail of the hours I've been blessed to spend with my dear sister. But, all of these moments, all of these joys, all of these memories, I lock away in my mind and in my heart. And on a rainy day when I'm feeling blue, I go to that place, pluck one out and a smile dawns on my face. The quirks and the fantastically bizarre oddities that make up our relationship make me so happy. I love every flavor of every mood and every little black bobbie-pin I find in the carpet after she's gone (Jess' signature trail). Such a natural, organic relationship our Father God has gifted us with...it's one of those things I want to personally thank Him for one day when I'm in His Presence.

To give her the best Oklahoma, last taste of redneck, dirty, smelly send-off we could, before she leaves for the UK.....we went to the Oklahoma State Fair! There's nothing better to make you want to run to the other side of the world than this circus full of crazies (well, fair full of crazies, I guess I should say!). Eric and I purchased some tickets and rode a few rides, we walked around for 3 hours and took in the sights-the lights-the sounds, but most importantly, we scouted out the eccentric selection of appetizing fried morsels of "food". This was entertaining. This was unusual. This was belly-ache good.

The first selection of the evening was roasted corn. This was my favorite "real" food of the night. To top it all off (and by that I mean to clog the last little space left open in your arteries) they pull this ear of corn off the grill, and swirl it around in a big vat of melted butter right before they hand it to you! But it's a vegetable right :)?

Next, we fell victim to the turkey leg. If anyone has been contemplating one of these things...don't do it! haha! We'd always seen them at big events and wondered about them, and the smell of them on the grill was to die for! But, sadly, after about 3 bites you want to slap someone and declare the code of vegetarianism. Too much meat too much meat. Whew...we were regretting this one for about an hour!

Out of respect for our ancestors (haha), we dutifully purchased an Indian taco. It was loaded with cheese, beef, beans, lettuce, and who knows what else....all on the beautiful sight we like to call INDIAN FRY BREAD! This was Eric's first taste of the delightful nourishment, and he was a fan. Welcome to the family my friend, welcome to the family.

Our next ~~mistake~~, I mean, food venture, was the almighty hand-dipped foot-long corn dog! Hallelujah! This is always a favorite of ours and was quite delicious. Our taste buds were dancing but our tummies were beggin' for mercy! I would buy one of these again, a good choice for the not-so-venturous souls out there.

Yes. Yes, this IS what you think it is. A battered, deep fried, chocolate drizzled, sugar covered...fried twinkie on a stick. As we were naively about to exit the fair gate, Jessica with her keen eyes spotted the little stand dawning the fried twinkie sign. Like moths to the fire, our spirits were drawn to the window, our last $4 (made up of change and random dollar bills) pulled from our pockets, and surrendered to the man with the hot oil. Going out with a bang...that's what life is all about right? Well, this night we hit that nail on the head and went out in glory! Fantastic, it was simply fantastic! With each of our first bites, came shock and awe, them "mmmmmmmm. oh my gosh. that's good" and a large grin.

Well my sister, I hope you got your fill of the great state of Oklahoma and its people, sights, and food for a while! I don't think you'll be finding any savory, fried twinkies on a stick where you're going! I love the memories we made at the fair this year, and I'm going to miss you every single day you're gone. I miss you already! (Bring me back something cool and maybe I'll get over it! haha just kidding) I know you're going to have the time of your life and I love you to pieces!

Quickly, I also wanted to share a neat, easy recipe I made just a bit ago. It's an absolutely lovely dessert, full of Autumn spice and cool delight! The recipe was simply on the side of the pudding box, which I never pay much attention to, but this time -the Lord knowing my love for Autumn- I took a look and found a real piece of joy! It's called Pumpkin Spice Mousse! Doesn't it just sound delicious? It's because it is! Using the recipe on the box, low fat milk, and low fat Cool Whip...you end up with a delicate, sweet treat to welcome in the new season with! It's a quick comparison of pumpkin pie without the crust! A little creamier and a little sweeter...but just as tasty!

This little box of "seasonal release" Jell-O pudding mix packs a lot of punch. After making this recipe and tasting it, I would have been just shocked that it came from a box if I hadn't known better. Mix up the pudding with 1 cup of low fat milk. Whisk until your arm feels like it's going to fall off and the pudding is thick. This is how you know it's mixed well :)

Fold in one container of Lite Cool Whip. Do not over mix, do not whisk. Fold it in to keep the light, airy texture of mousse present! You'll be happy with your result!

Break out the most beautiful pieces of porcelain china you own, spoon the mousse out into 4-5 servings, and enjoy what an easy, festive dessert you've just created in under 10 minutes! (Covering each and refrigerating for about an hour before eating allows for the best taste!) This would be great for kids and adults alike, and is quite a snazzy show when it's all finished. A gorgeous mousse, straight from a box, and low fat too!

To further add to our celebration of the first day of Autumn, and the month of October arriving in about 9 days, we ventured into the Halloween aisle at Wal-mart the other night and bought our first bag of Halloween chocolates. Needless to say, I am going to be putting myself on a strict gym regiment if I want to enjoy all of the scrumptious treats this season and still be able to fit into my jeans on Christmas day!