Prediction

Yes, I'm an American Idol junkie. And I'm about to make a prediction.

Before I actually tell you who I think is going to win, let me tell you why.

The Cleveland, Ohio area is very loyal to their own. Although those of us who live in the northern half of Ohio have known this since birth, the rest of the country found out about it back in 1996 when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell decided to move the Browns to Baltimore.

Even though Modell had spent DECADES in Cleveland, he sorely underestimated the loyalty of the blue collar city.

The Browns were not the first team to be relocated by their owner, and have not been the last. However, Cleveland is the ONLY city to go to court to retain the team's name and colors for a future expansion team.

Clevelanders (and northern Ohioans) are very proud and loyal.

The old Municipal stadium, sitting on the shore of Lake Erie, could easily boast a wind chill of ZERO degrees or below during a December or January football game. However, there would still be 80,000 fans in the stands. Even if the Browns had a losing record, the stands would still be filled.

Their loyalty persevered. That's why when the Browns came back in 1999, they were still called the Cleveland Browns AND wore the brown, orange, and white.

So....on to American Idol.

Back in 2005, there was a contestant from the Cleveland area. Scott Savol was a pretty good singer. He finished 5th in the competition that year. Was he good enough to end up in 5th place? Many would say probably not...he was a top 10 contestant for sure, but maybe 8th or 9th was more realistic.

However, Scott finished 5th and that was more than likely due to the fact that northern Ohioans showed their loyalty once again and voted for him enough so that he made it as far as he did.

That loyalty is something that can always be counted on, and that is why I predict that.....

the winner of American Idol this year will be.....

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX.

Crystal is from a northern Ohio town called Elliston. It's a small town of approximately 1509 residents. Although the town is almost 2 hours west of Cleveland, it's still in northern Ohio.

Please don't get me wrong. I think that Crystal is extremely talented, and would probably finish in the top 2 or 3 regardless of where she is from. But you just can't rule out that northern Ohio loyalty factor.

If you haven't watched Crystal on American Idol, you may want to give her a listen. She really is a great singer.

That's my prediction, and I'm sticking with it.

Happy Easter

When I was young, the upcoming Easter celebration always involved a new dress. Not only did I get an Easter dress, but Easter shoes, an Easter hat (or other hair decoration), an Easter coat if the holiday came early in spring, an Easter purse, Easter gloves, and a new slip and under garments.

After Ted and I had been married for a year or so (and before we were thinking about children!) I happened to run across the most GORGEOUS fancy little girl's dress and coat set. It was frilly and pink and absolutely adorable. I was at a sidewalk sale at a local department store and it was on the end of the rack next to a table of clothes I was looking at for myself. I immediately thought that it would make a wonderful Easter outfit!

It was a size 2T and I held it up and looked at it. I put it back, then returned to it, studying it again. I wanted this set. I don't recall how much it was originally, but it was on sale for $20, and I remember that being a HUGE discount. I tried to rationalize this possible purchase.

Although we weren't currently considering having children, someday we would. We knew we would have more than one child, so there was a chance (at least 50/50) that at least one of our kids would be a girl. No matter what time of year this potential little girl would be born, more than likely she could wear a size 2T at Easter at least one year in her life.

I must have picked that dress/coat set up at least four times, considering purchasing it. Finally, I decided that even though there was a drastic discount, $20 was a lot of money to spend on a dream at this point in my life, and I put it down for the last time. I walked away that day, having purchased nothing.

I still think of that dress and coat occasionally, and am thankful that common sense took over, because we never had a daughter. However, I wonder if anyone bought the outfit, and how it looked on a little girl.

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When I was young, my mom would always make sure that she and I had a corsage for Easter. They were always so pretty and smelled so wonderful. To this day, when I smell carnations, I think of Easter. The church would be full of that sweet scent. If I turned my head, the side of my face would brush against the soft flowers. What a comforting feeling. Sometimes my mom would let me wear my corsage to school the next day.

We would always go to my grandparents' for Easter. My uncle and aunt, along with their children (my cousins) would be there too. We all arrived in our Easter finest, then after dinner, we could change into "play" clothes if we wanted. I would wait a while, continuing to get in touch with my feminine side.

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Although the traditional dinner of Easter consists of ham, my Grandma switched things up a bit. We usually had homemade ravioli. OH MY. If you've never had homemade ravioli, then you haven't experienced italian food.

Grandma made meat ravioli and cheese ravioli. I never liked the cheese ravioli, but my mom would make me eat one. I was allowed to have a meat ravioli, but then I had to have a cheese ravioli before I could have another meat one.

Grandma let me "help" her make the ravioli once in a while (on a non-Easter Sunday) when I was young. The pasta dough was the same as when she made spaghetti, but when pushing it through the pasta machine, it wasn't cut. Grandma would put a spoonful of the filling on the dough every few inches along one side. Then she would fold the other side over top and press down with her hand in between the bumps of the underlying meat or cheese. Once she felt the edges were sealed well enough, she would cut them with a small roller that made zig-zag edges. She would let me use the roller tool, showing me exactly where to cut. I felt so special when she let me do that.

She never told me how long to cook them. She always just put them in boiling water, then when they rose to the top of the pot, they were done. Sometimes it took longer than others, based on the current weather.

Such fond Easter memories!

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I hope you all have a very happy Easter!