RANDOMNESS #1 - The Chick is earning money this week. Meet Jax.
Dog sitting has turned into quite a lucrative little side business for Roxie.
Who knew?
RANDOMNESS #2 - Roxie has a new vehicle. You may recall on May 21, Roxie totaled her little red car.
I know. I know.
It has been over three months ago.
But don't worry. Mike has been driving The Big Gold Van and Roxie has been driving Mike's Edge.
And I've been working with everyone's schedule and using a truck or other vehicle whenever the need has arisen.
That's in my job description, you know.
Roxie says it was worth the wait!
RANDOMNESS #3 - Since Monday was my actual birthday, we decided to go to Steel City Pops for dessert. Josh couldn't be with us because of school, but Melia met us there, and a good time was had by all.
Roxie and Mike. Roxie tried Strawberry Cream and Mike ate the Strawberry Juice Bar.
Austin and Melia. Austin ate the Chocolate Chili bar, and loved it. I've had that one before, but it was only good for three or four bites. Then the burning began, and I wanted a plain ol' Vanilla Pop.
Fun fact for you... Steel City Pops will NOT let you trade in a half-eaten Pop for a new and different flavor.
That may be their only flaw.
Someone recently told me to try the Buttermilk Pop. It tastes like Donna Gaines' Buttermilk Pie recipe. Heaven on a stick!
I liked it, but not quite as much as I enjoyed Mikie's Strawberry Juice Pop. If I had a favorite Monday night, it was the Juice Pop... and since it was my birthday, Mikie relinquished his death grip on the Pop.
Did I mention it was MY birthday?
Blog Linkage - Go to Big Mama under My Blog List and read today's post entitled "Fashion Friday." She has a Christmas book review I want all of you to read... and then buy the book. (Don't worry. I'm planning on purchasing a copy, too.)
Daddy/Daughter Adventures (Pinterest)
1. Share some special memories from your own childhood! If you live in the same area you grew up in, take a drive (windows down, music loud) and drive by your childhood home, where you went to school, where you learned to drive, etc. If you don’t live in the same area, visit the library and check out your favorite books from when you were a kid, go to the grocery store and buy that treat you loved when you were little, go to the park and play your favorite childhood games. Tell her about what it was like growing up, things you liked, things you learned, things you dreamed... and watch her enjoy them as well.
2. Go to an event from the community calendar! Check to see where your community’s calendar of events might be. It could be on your town’s website, at the library, in the newspaper, etc. These calendars have lots of info about upcoming concerts, local farmers' markets, events at pick-your-own farms, jam-nights at the bluegrass parlor, museum events, local productions of plays, etc. etc. Generally, this can be a goldmine for interesting activities to do together.
3. Teach her some of your car skills! There are lots of practical things girls should learn from their daddies on how to handle themselves in emergencies (how to change a tire, jumping the car battery, and driving in the snow). Yes, it’s work... And yes, it’s fun! I remember loving it when Dad would show me stuff about how to fix something on the car, not because I was particularly interested in cars, but because it was fun to spend time together, and it made me feel much more confident to have that knowledge.
4. Take your daughter to work! Whether on an actual take-your-child-to-work day (or not), taking your kid to work can give them a great look into what you do. Let them see the good that you do, how you work hard. She may or may not be interested in pursuing your field as an adult, but it will still be good for her to see you at work. Or, if your work environment isn’t suitable to bring a child along while you’re working, have her come on your lunch break to eat together and give a little tour.
5. Share your hobby! If Daddy likes to play the guitar, do gardening, work on cars, make carvings, shoot targets or has some other hobby, why not spend some time sharing that? It’s good for a daughter to see her daddy's talents. Plus, it’s fun as the daughter to learn something new! My dad got me involved in his antique business. We went to auctions to hunt down new finds, figured out the date of an item, set up what we found in the antique booth, etc. It doesn’t even have to be such a long-term project. Spend an afternoon sharing something you enjoy with your daughter!
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookie
I found this recipe on the back of a box of Sugar Cookie Mix, and because The Chick only eats caramel-type desserts, I made a batch last night.
You will need the following:
1 package Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup caramel flavored topping
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine cookie mix, flour, butter, egg and almond extract in large bowl. Mix with spoon until soft dough is formed.
3. Shape into 3/4" balls. Make a round indentation in the center of each cookie.
4. Bake 10 minutes.
5. Reshape indentations in cookies. Fill each with a scant 1/2 teaspoon caramel flavored topping. Bake an additional 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Sprinkle caramel with a pinch of coarse salt.
Hey! This cookie is CRAZY good.
If Josh had been here, it would definitely have been FIVE STARS!
Weekend Happenings
1. Friday night, Austin will begin his job as the voice of the Donoho High School Falcons in Anniston.
Josh and Roxie are going to meet Katie for a Friday night movie (which means Josh is coming home for the long weekend).
And Mikie and I are going out on a dinner/movie date for my birthday. Just the two of us. (I think we might see The Butler... or Jobs... or Monster University. And I'm pretty sure we're going to eat at The Fish Market... or Joe's Italian... or Klingler's.)
All I do know is I am NOT cooking tonight!
2. Saturday morning, Roxie is leaving bright and early for a pre-college weekend at Troy. She's going to ride with Taylor's family, go the the Troy/UAB football game, etc., etc., etc.
To say she is excited would be a huge understatement.
I'm not sure about Josh's Saturday plans, but Austin is going to stay in the Anniston area and produce the JSU game Saturday evening. For a football-lovin' guy, I don't know if there could be a better weekend.
I'm hoping Mike and I can get up early Saturday morning and head to Pepper Place Farmer's Market. I haven't been yet, and I think Saturday might be the day. (Mike will probably read this post, and call me to tell me why Saturday will NOT be the day, but until that call comes in, I'm hopeful.)
3. Sunday is church day. Again, I'm not sure about the plans, but just relaxing after church sounds pretty good to me.
4. Monday is Labor Day. The Chick will return home, and I hope Mike and one or both of the boys can have a nice, long fishing day.
That would just about be the perfect LONG weekend for The Faulkner Five.
Have a great LONG weekend yourself. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy time with family and friends.
I'll be back Monday morning with a fascinating narrative on what actually happened during our Labor Day Weekend... and I'm pretty sure it will not correspond exactly to the above list.
I'm saying that because of LOTS of past experience.
Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. One more pic of Roxie. She had her official Junior photo taken at school this week, and she looked marvelous! But I'm her mother... What do I know?
No comments:
Post a Comment