Mindless Monday, Blog Linkage, Pecan Pie Bars, Are You Kidding Me Cake, Arkansas Green Beans

Good Monday morning!

The Faulkner Five had an unbelievably, easy-breezy weekend, and I will say, it was much needed.

Because, you see, June is our unbelievably busy, fun month!

RANDOMNESS #1 - Mike, Bev and Grandmother have birthdays which we will be celebrating between June 9 and July 4. Since we are now all adults and even the "kids" are working, we have to plan things around the actual birthday "date."

While Mike doesn't turn 52 until Thursday, June 13, we will be partying this upcoming Sunday afternoon, June 9.

Although Father's Day is officially Sunday, June 16, we will begin spreading the Father's Day love Saturday, June 15 and bringing it to a close late Sunday evening.

Part of our Father's Day activities include a Balloon Release at my Daddy's grave.

My Daddy passed away nine years ago this June 25. Every year since he's been gone, we have released balloons at the cemetery some time during the Father's Day weekend. Each grandkid (there are six) grew up having a "color" at Granddaddy and Grandmother's house. Toothbrushes, cups, bags, etc. were a specific color that "matched" a different child.

Each child releases a different colored balloon. (Brad - blue; Katie - pink; Austin - orange, etc.)



Roxie's color is/was purple.


I always pick up a few white balloons just in case a colored one pops before the release time. It has only happened once, but it was nice to be able to immediately hand over the spare balloon, because even at ages 22, 21, 19, 19, 16 and 15, no one wants to be empty-handed when it is time to remember Granddaddy.

Bev's birthday is actually Monday, June 24, but because she is in the midst of planning an impromptu mini-vaca, we are patiently waiting for her to get her dates together and then we'll know when we are partaking of her birthday cake.

Grandmother's birthday is officially Monday, July 1, but she always opts to celebrate on the 4th... which technically allows her NOT to age for three extra days. (My birthday is August 26, but I'm thinking about not celebrating until November 1... which will technically allow me to stay 51 a little while longer. I haven't worked out all the details yet. I still want my gifts and cake on August 26. However, I don't want the age-change thingy until November. I'll let you know how that turns out.)

I will tell you, the older I get, the more I really, really appreciate all of the celebrations in our life. When the kids were small, celebrations were still fun, but any prep work (shopping, wrapping, cooking a dish or two, baking a cake, traveling to and fro, etc.) could easily get in the way of truly enjoying the moment.

Perhaps it was just the uptight, mom-of-three-little-ones, always-frazzled Enchanting Belinda that felt that way. I shouldn't assume other Moms in this world are the same.

Whatever the reason, I am now enjoying the ability to savor the special times when we are all together as "family" instead of taking it for granted.

And for that new-found maturity, I am very thankful.

Getting older does have some benefits... just not in the "gravity" department.

RANDOMNESS #2 - I was in a cookin' kind of mood this past weekend. That means I will probably not turn on the stove this week. Sad, but true.

If you want to check out three NEW-TO-ME recipes, just scroll on down!

RANDOMNESS #3 - Humidity and Gone with the Wind - I wrote this little "Ode to Summer" June 3, 2010... and it still holds true three years later, June 3, 2013!

As promised, this will be short and sweat... I mean short and sweet.

I have seen Gone with the Wind several times during my 48 years of life. It is a prerequisite for growing up in the South, you know. It sweeps you away to another time. A time in history when homes had names (Tara), and gentlemen had big ears, but were still incredibly handsome and charming (Rhett Butler), and spoiled brats... Well, there have always been (and will always be) spoiled brats (Scarlett O'Hara).

But I'll never forget the first time I saw Gone with the Wind at The Alabama Theater with a bunch of girlfriends. What a picture-perfect setting to watch that classic movie! However, for some reason I was not able to "get into" the movie as I had done in previous viewings. Something kept nagging at me. What was it? Why was I not enjoying the movie? What was different?

And then new questions started popping into my mind. How do those women wear those HUGE dresses in the middle of summer in the Deep South and not sweat? Where is the big ol' humidity hair? How do they survive in a house (no matter how big or how cool the name is) without air conditioning? What was their equivalent to today's deodorant or hairspray?

I couldn't get past these questions to enjoy the movie! And when Scarlett made a dress out of the heavy, dark green velvet drapes... Well, I almost passed out from the vapors!

I later asked some older women what they used in place of deodorant back in the day, and one of them told me they used rose water. Rose water? I knew I could have walked around with a rose bush under each arm and it wouldn't have helped on a truly hot, Alabama day!

What about all the courtin' and flirtin' that was taking place? Once again, when I'm in the midst of a humidity meltdown, I don't want Mike or Rhett Butler or anyone else standing too close to me, much less sweeping me up in their arms for a big, old passionate kiss. (And if women were using rose water as a deodorant substitute, what, pray tell, were the men using? Hmmmm?)

As I push my thermostat buttons to a humidity-free number (what Mikie doesn't know won't hurt him), and drink a glass of water with big ol' ice cubes floating in it, and bribe one of my many children to walk to the mailbox to get the mail, I am once again thankful for the year in which we live... and deodorant.

I'm super grateful for deodorant. Men's AND women's.

Blog Linkage - Today's linkage is fun. Go to Nesting Place under My Blog List and click on today's post entitled "Welcome Summer." You get to "tour" five houses a day for the rest of this week and see how the five different women decorate for Summer.

I already finished the tour for today, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Arkansas Green Beans

I made these to go with Sunday lunch, and they were sweet and delicious. Mike gave me a thumb's up, so I'll be making them again.

You will need the following:

5 (15 ounce) cans green beans, drained
12 slices bacon
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
7 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the drained green beans in a 9" x 13″ baking pan.

2. Cook bacon in a frying pan on your stove top or in a microwave on a microwave-safe plate until bacon strips are cooked enough to chop into large pieces. (They should be done, but not real crispy.)

3. Sprinkle the bacon pieces on top of the green beans.

4. Combine the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the green beans and bacon.

5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Pecan Pie Bars

You will need the following:

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup (dark or light)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten

1. Unroll dough and separate into 2 long rectangles. Place in an ungreased 9" x 13" pan and press along the bottom and 1/2" up the sides, pressing the perforations firmly to seal.

2. Bake for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla and egg.

4. Pour over crust and bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

Are You Kidding Me Cake

You will need the following:

1 box cake mix, any flavor
3 large eggs, beaten
1 can pie filling, any flavor

1. In a bowl, dump dry cake mix, eggs and pie filling. Stir together until well mixed.

2. Bake in greased 9" x 13" pan, 350 degrees for 35 minutes or test with toothpick for doneness.

NOTE - Pair flavors of cake mix and pie filling. Apple filling with butter pecan cake mix. Cherry pie filling with Devil's food cake mix. Pineapple cake mix with blueberry filling.

The Enchanting Belinda - All three recipes were very good, and I'll be using them again and again. However, the Pecan Pie Bars were the favorite. I will be taking these to parties and other gatherings.

Also, I made the Are You Kidding Me Cake using the apple pie filling and butter pecan cake mix. Delcious! You do not have to add icing because the cake is moist and sweet enough without it.

I'm going to leave you with a picture of The Chick because she makes me happy today. (I bet you can guess which of my three kids went to the mailbox for me this morning!)



I'll be back Friday with new pics (of something), a Seasonal Tradition and more, more, more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting, Celebration-Appreciative and Gravity-Challenged Belinda