Barbara

My friend Barbara and I share shopping for bargains(she is better than me).  We share the love of food! Both are trying to diet  but we love hot fudge sundaes from Ted Drews a local creamy  for frozen custard. 

We love gambling together  and doing adventures that get us into trouble!  She loves garage sales  and finds me bargains.She loves shopping at stores for sales. I love using coupons.  We are opposite in so many ways but that's why we are friends. I would trust  her with my life and she trust me with hers. Her family has adopted me and my dog.

 Losing my husband to cancer was a difficult time for me and she was my only friend that knew he was sick. Keeping his illness from friends his and mine was very difficult. Only our immediate  family knew of Joe's illness. Barbara knew and kept his secret. She helped take him to appointments. She has stood by me in the best of times and the worst of times. Her dream is to be on the Ellen show on her birthday December 4th.  My dream is to stay healthy and not worry so much.And try to make her dream come true!

We are different religions and different politics  but we trust each other! We are like  little girls our secrets will always remain within our hearts.  Barbara is my sister friend. She knows so much about me and yet not everything.  No one should know everything about me - where would be the surprise  but she does know my fears and my goals and my laziness too! 

Spring into a Easy Dessert

Spring Recipe to start with now! Triple Recipe  

1 prepared angel food cake (13 oz)   1 lime

1 qt. fresh strawberries                       2 cups thawed frozen whipped

1 cup raspberries                                2-   8  oz  Key Lime Flavor yogurt

1 cup  blueberries

1 cup blackberries

Cut cake into 1-in. cubes set aside. Hull fresh strawberries and cut into

quarters. Set aside ½ cup raspberries  and ½ cup of the blueberries for garnish. combine remaining berries -mix well. Remember to wash and dry all berries.  

Juice lime using  to measure 2 tbsp juice. In Mixing Bowl, whisk yogurt,

 lemon juice until smooth using Whisk; immediately fold in 1 cup of the

whipped topping.

To assemble trifle, place one-third of the cake cubes into Trifle Bowl. Top with one-third 

mixture  pressing down lightly. Top with one-third of the yogurt mixture,

spreading evenly. Repeat layers two times, spreading last layer evenly  using a Spreader to create a

flat surface.

To garnish,  with remaining  raspberries and blueberries .Refrigerate for 1 hour or over night.

ready to serve.

Yield: 16 servings

  

You can use this recipe with pound cake and other flavored yogurts. I like the lime as it gives it a zing!

Today is April 29th 2013.   Baseball and Softball season is upon us. I once coached with one of the best woman coach in St.Louis. We were team and I think we improve kids lives by being their coach.

 I began coaching long before I moved to St.Louis. I started with a law league that was my former husband(college life- we couldn't live together so we married)  and than when I moved to  Missouri  and my son was in first grade- I discovered how ruthless and mean men coaches are.Back in those days I was much thinner and better looking.  I put down to be an assistant coach but I was told my commissioner it would be better to be the coach.  So I recruited my sitters who had both been on teams .  I had to pick my team by the names on the board . The men that supposedly helped me in the draft  lied to me about it all and were not gentlemen on the field. After losing 11 games out of 12 I made a pack with myself that this would never happen again. One of my  sitter coaches Laura made a list of all the good players and their skills when playing our team. My other sitter David taught me about soccer too.  Both sitters were on their high school teams.

I contacted all leagues to find out if there were any coaching clinics. I signed up for all and learned so much from the top coaches in the community. I attended all classes all winter. I was coached in recruiting, teaching techniques for batting, sliding and all aspects in Little League. I learned about a draft and how to make a comeback with comments from other coaches.  I sent my son  to soccer and baseball camp. I went to select team drafts to watch coaches from my classes in action. And they in turn coached me. Never had I experienced such enthusiasm to teach me. Teams should be fun but this was work and I was going to prove to myself that I wasn't going to lose 11 games again out of 12. 

This time I signed up as a Coach.  I watched the 2nd graders try out for the draft. My son wasn't rated high but that was okay- he was also prepared to play ( they went by my scores the year before) . Only one coach could be in the draft - you pick your assistants after the draft. I let all the same coaches from the year before put all the top players on the board( I was prepared I had my notes).We picked numbers out of a hat to see when we could do our pick and lucky for me I picked number 1. So I picked a player  that was rated high.

I was informed with one of my  colleagues that was his neighbor and they coach together. I said he either plays for me or he doesn't play.The bickering went on but it was resolved that I got the player. I was told he won't play for me and my reply was - if he doesn't play for me - he won't play this year for anyone. And than the war began. 1,2,3,4........ All the coaches whose son's or daughters were on the board as top players had to pick their child in the first round. Needless to say I ended up with 4 girls and 8 boys.  I than called the parents that night to recruit assistant coaches.  My first pick's father told me point blank that his son wasn't going to be on my team and my response was he won't play this summer at all. I had called all the leagues  and the coaches that had helped me about what happened.   It turned  out that the father became my assistant coach as well as 2 other fathers . We had great practices and a wonderful team. My parents were worried about me but that began my coaching career(also commission of sports,umpiring and working on many boards for kids in sports). Our team beat all the teams and we had perfect win record.  Over the years I got into soccer and  co-coached with other coaches. Later after my son went on  to 7th grade - I took a team again in 2nd grade with my friend Margie and we coached kids together for several years ( had select teams). Sometimes I even see some of my former players-   Being a commissioner in sports is another story. TERRI  Love to Play- Love the game! It should always be fun!