Weekend in Springfield

Saturday - The weather is cold and promising rain.  Candice and Rhyanna went to stay out at Margot and Jeff's.  Tyler had come home on Friday from playing College Basketball and CA was due home Sunday.  Craig, Vara, Candice and Rhyanna went with Margot in to Nashville to shop for shoes and were finally successful!.  Judy and Jane spent the day at home just lounging around and enjoying the warmth inside as it was getting colder and colder outside.

Jeff picked up Ivy, Judy and Jane and drove us to Nashville for the Vanderbilt Commodores versus the Tennessee Technology basketball game. The others all went together in the hire car.  We drove through very heavy rain complete with thunder and lightning.

AJ Ogilvy - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

The game started at 5pm.  It was great.  Usual basketball hype but it was really well done.  All the players get introduced including their city and state of origin.  Then for Vanderbilt AJ Ogilvy from Sydney, Australia.  He is a good player and top scored (20) on the night.  During the game, all manner of snippets of music is played, including "I Come from a Land Down Under".

Vanderbilt won which was also good.  Vanderbilt is in Nashville and is the college which Margot and Jeff attended and Jeff also was a star player for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Afterwards we went to Chang's Chinese restaurant.  By this time - approx 7pm it was freezing with an absolutely freezing wind.  We enjoyed our meal from the extensive menu choices.  Leftowvers were boxed up in those cute chinese food boxes to be taken home to the hungry hordes (Tyler and Joey).

Sunday dawned a bright sparkling day - freezing cold though, but no snow.  Craig, Vara, Candice and Rhyanna were at the shops at Rivergate by 11am.  Judy dropped Jane off at Walmart in Springfield while Judy and Ivy went to church.  Jane needed to exchange her new camera as it had suffered a major malfunction.  No worries exchanging it for a new one.

Margot and Jeff live on Homer Worsham Road at Cross Plains. The afternoon was spent preparing for their pre-Christmas "at home" for their neighbours.  Judy made sausage rolls, Margot made pavlova - amongst other things.  The neighbours all brought a plate.  There were about 12 neighbours or so and their associated children plus all the out of towners and the boys and their friend Joey and Jake. What a variety of southern style food!  We really enjoyed the cream cheese with Jezebel sauce - we have the recipe.  We also enjoyed the Apple Dumplin' provided by Ann.  She was very kindly dropping off the recipe to Oak Field (Jeff and Margot's place) on Monday morning.  We ate Dirt Balls - crushed up Oreo cookies with other ingredients rolled into marble sized balls and coated in chocolate - mmmm!!!  Popcorn, bean dip, Mexican dip, Methodist dip (?), black eyed peas, corn chips, crackers etc.

The trip back to Springfield is only about 15 minutes, but the weather was freezing and the car hardly had time to heat up before we got back to Judy's house.   Ivy was dropped off and Judy and Jane went straight to their warm beds.  The weather for Monday is predicted to be even colder!!!  Bad luck though, it is getting warmer and wetter towards Christmas with no hint of snow.  We all want it to snow at some time whilst we are here - keep hoping!!!