Take me out to the ball game... or enforced family fun

Last night we all went to a Kane County Cougers ball game. It was fan appreciation night, so that meant Free Tickets! Who turns down that? And since the stadium is less than a half an hour away from our house, we decided that everyone would go and it would be a fun family outing. Some older people were not so sure this was their idea of fun, but sometimes we just decide that it is a required family fun time. J. and I were reminded of the ball game trip that J. took the six younger people on last year. Same place, but a lot more involved because of the length of time it took to get there. This was a lot more fun. Plus, the Cougars won... 9 to 1. A slightly closer game might have been a little bit more exciting.

G.

K. and L.

Y.

R.

J. explaining the rules of baseball to D. I was doing the same thing the row behind with TM. It turns out neither of these boys knew how baseball worked. They do now.

D., having done a little research during the game, was filling me in on the likelihood of getting hit with a baseball at a game.

I don't think P. was doing baseball research.

H. with slushie. I briefly thought about calling our little night out an eating, rather than an outing. (Hat tip to Russel Hoban in Best Friends for Frances.) Because the evening was filled with a lot of snacks. Various people would head up to the concession stands, come back with something, and share it. 

G. and L.

A. even came... without Olive, who had to stay at home in her crate.

Y.

H.

D. took some pictures for a while.

We really did watch the game.

What three young people really wanted to do was catch a fly ball. They moved over to the emptier part of the bleachers, where several fly balls had been hit, but... nothin'.

Seventh inning stretch. 

Y. thinking the ball was coming to her.

But it didn't.

It was a fun night spent together, even if no fly balls were caught.

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Vegetable tally

Tonight I needed a fairly easy dinner so we could eat early and get to the game. So, I made homemade hamburger helper. It's pretty easy, and you can vary the ingredients to whatever you want. Here's the general recipe. Chop some vegetables (I used onion, celery, and carrots) and saute them for a bit in some oil. Add about a pound or so of ground beef and brown. Add a can or two of diced tomatoes, some salt and pepper, and I added some marjoram and parsley. In the meantime, cook some egg noodles and drain. Right before I add the meat mixture with the salad mixture, I stir in some frozen peas. Mix everything together, and add some grated cheddar on top. Easy, and generally popular.

Artichoke - 1

Avocado – 3

Basil - 1

Beans (black) - 2

Beans (navy) – 2

Beets - 1

Bell pepper – 2

Broccoli - 1

Brussels sprouts – 1

Carrots - 3

Cauliflower – 1

Celery - 2

Chickpeas - 1

Chipotle pepper - 1

Corn – 3

Cucumber – 2

Edamame – 1

Escarole – 1

Green beans – 1

Green onions – 1

Jalapeno – 1

Lettuce (iceberg) - 1

Lettuce (leaf) – 4

Lettuce (romaine) – 2

Mushrooms (white button) - 1

Okra - 1

Onion – 7

Peas - 2

Potatoes - 1

Spinach – 1

Swiss chard - 1

Tomato (cherry) – 2

Tomato – 6

Zucchini - 2