If I could describe my weekend using one word, the word would have to be "tweak." Our weekend could have been/would have been great... except it needed just a little "tweaking."
RANDOMNESS #1 - Saturday morning, Roxie, Bev, Katie and I made our annual pilgrimage to Christmas Village. (Did you notice how I put a "Thanksgiving-y" word and a "Christmas-y" word in the same sentence? Did you? That's not an easy task, you know.)
It was very crowded, but that's not really a problem any longer since the girls are not little. We don't have to worry about watching them.
It was quite warm, but that's probably a "51 year-old" problem and not a "poor circulation at the BJCC" problem. (We don't have to tweak anything here. Well, except maybe I'll wear a tube top and Daisy Duke shorts next year. Don't worry. I'll make sure the garments are red and green so I won't offend any Christmas Village "people.")
The girls were SO tired. That was a problem. They weren't grumpy, but Bev and I think/know they would have had a much better time if they had been well-rested.
Here comes the Tweaking List for Christmas Village 2013...
1. No late nights or spend-the-night parties the night BEFORE Christmas Village.
2. If you must have a late night or attend a spend-the-night party the night BEFORE Christmas Village, there will be NO Saturday afternoon plans. We will sleep late Saturday morning and attend Christmas Village late Saturday afternoon... well-rested.
3. Have more shopping money in the Christmas Village envelope.
I took Austin's little digital camera to Christmas Village because it was so much easier to carry.
As you can see, I have grown accustomed to my five-pound camera, and I don't take very good pictures with the little one.
But don't worry. Bev is going to e-mail me a couple of good ones, and I'll post those Friday.
This is Roxie's little tradition. She slides down a series of four of these railings when we leave.
I'll be interested to see if she does this when she is 51... and I am 86. (I shouldn't have typed that. Very, very depressing.)
See. I can't even get two whole faces in the frame when I'm using an "easy" digital camera.
Pitiful.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Because of extreme weekend "busyness," The Faulkner Five Fun Fall Ride had to be taken on the way to Bev's house for our annual Fall Feast. (That's right! We had a ton of "annuals" this weekend.)
It wasn't the road less traveled, but it was still pretty (and since we were headed to the Martin's home, all Five Faulkners were along for the ride).
You may or may not notice my dirty windshield. The colors would have been much more vivid if The Big Gold Van had gotten a bath this weekend.
Just saying.
The Tweaking List for The Faulkner Five Fun Fall Rides is as follows:
1. Roxie and Josh are allowed to go on a Fun Fall Ride as long as they do not realize it is a Fun Fall Ride. We had ZERO complaints yesterday because they were oblivious.
As you can see from the picture, oblivious is good... and just a little blurry.
2. The Faulkner Five Fun Fall Ride must always end with The Big Gold Van stopping at some kind of ice cream or coffee establishment for a snack.
3. Have more money in The Faulkner Five Fun Fall Ride envelope.
RANDOMNESS #3 - We have gotten together with my side of the family for Halloween for the PAST 21 YEARS. That's right. I said 21 YEARS!
But this year it was a little different.
We didn't get together Halloween night to eat and make s'mores.
We didn't have a "plan" for a fun, memorable activity after our Fall Feast since it had turned into a daytime event.
I couldn't concentrate on enjoying the family because it was obvious tweaking had to be done before everyone headed home for the Sunday afternoon nap!
Hence, the Tweaking List for Fall Feast 2013...
1. Nighttime is preferable to daytime. Don't ask me why. It just is.
2. Fire is a must.
3. S'mores are a must.
4. Any or all of the following activities are a must:
Apple Bobbin'
Hayride
Pumpkin Chunkin'
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest
Dinner
S'mores
Movie
5. Definitely have the Fall Feast in October... not November. (I have nothing against November. It's my second favorite month of the year. However, I like things separated a little. We celebrate the Fall Feast in October. We celebrate Thanksgiving in November. See. It's very orderly.)
The cousins did play a little football in the front yard. And I did take a few pictures.
She plays more than volleyball and basketball, you know.
Brad is known for his "form."
No one knows what Katie will ever do with the ball... including Katie.
He just thinks he'll catch her.
Once again, a perfect example of Brad's "form."
I'm not sure, but I think Roxie may be a little off sides... whatever that means.
And then I took some "inside" photos.
Josh and Katie.
Just Katie.
And Rusty. (He looks sweet, but if you aren't a Martin, he'll turn on you in a second!)
RANDOMNESS #4 - Trisha's Chicken Tortilla Soup I posted last Friday is amazing. Everyone liked it. Just be aware one recipe makes a LOT of soup. It would be great for a big family or company.
If I Could Turn Back Time - I would hold my newborns for hours on end. I wouldn't worry when people told me, "You're going to spoil them," or "You need to do the laundry, vacuum, sweep, dust, make beds, etc., etc., instead of holding them all the time."
They were wrong.
I have all the time in the world to do the laundry, vacuum, sweep, dust, make beds, etc., etc.
But I don't have any babies to hold.
Clean laundry is highly over-rated when a newborn is in the house!
Blog Linkage - If you like decorating and rearranging, go to Nesting Place under My Blog List and read the post entitled "You're Going to Wish You Had More Walls." Beautiful!
Butterfinger Cream Cake
You will need the following:
1 yellow cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smucker's Caramel Ice Cream Topping
1 small container of Cool Whip
2 or 3 Butterfinger Candy Bars
1. Bake the cake according to package instructions.
2. Poke holes in it while still warm.
3. Pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake.
4. Pour a jar of Smucker's Caramel Ice Cream Topping over the top of the cake.
5. Cool.
6. Spread with Cool Whip and sprinkle crushed Butterfinger Candy Bars on top.
I am an expert at poking holes in cakes. I think I could work in a bakery as a professional "hole poker."
I am also an expert when it comes to pouring things into the holes. I poured the Eagle Brand Condensed Sweetened Milk...
And then I poured the Smucker's Caramel Ice Cream Topping...
And then I tried very hard NOT to lick the cake.
A little whipped cream and some crushed Butterfinger Candy Bars and you've got a rich, decadent, super-moist cake.
And that's not bad for a few minutes of poking and pouring. Not bad at all!
Have a fun Monday. I'll be back Friday with more autumnal goodness, pics and ideas.
Take care, and I'll talk to you at the end of the week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. I have a few more autumn pictures to share. I hope you don't mind.
I was taking a picture of the beautiful blue sky and the golden tree, and Mikie just happened to be sitting on our roof smiling! What are the odds?
Sparkle is her happiest in a big pile of leaves in the corner of her yard.
Copper is happiest sitting close to Sparkle.
I absolutely LOVE this tree.
This looks incredibly sweet, but they had just had a HUGE Acorn War... and I threatened them with an hour-long photo shoot if they didn't stop.
That's right. The Enchanting Belinda uses threats when parenting... ALL the time!
I highly recommend it!
No comments:
Post a Comment