Friday, March 28, 2014

Weekend Happenings, Pinterest Stuff (Summer To-Do List), $6 Birmingham Mate Date

Good Friday morning!

RANDOMNESS #1 - The 2014 Prom is now only a faint, sweet memory, but aren't you glad I have more pictures?

Yeah.

I thought so.


As per a request, here are a few of the hair pics.




An obligatory limo pic on the way to the prom...


And a limo pic after the prom.


The Birmingham Color Tunnel.

This is a fairly new and exciting photo op spot in Birmingham. People are lovin' it!

The man who had the idea, "Let's put a bunch of different colored lights in the old tunnel under the old bridge in the middle of Birmingham... and they will come," is brilliant.

Brilliant, I say!


Roxie and Hunter's little sister, Heather, enjoyed some hammock time the day after the Prom.

Cute, cute chicks.

RANDOMNESS #2 - We celebrated Brad's 22nd birthday this past Sunday... at his new home.

It was his idea.

Really.

It was.


The Martins celebrate birthdays with a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake.

The Faulkners thoroughly enjoy their tradition.


When you are in your 20s, the importance of many, many small lit candles all over the top of your cake dripping wax is not quite as necessary as when you were child.

One large scented candle sitting neatly beside the cake will do the trick!


Melia, Austin, Brad and Mikie.


Zac, Brad, Roxie and Grandmother.


Katie, Brad, Bev and Tommy.

I'm going to have to remind someone in the family to wear a "POP OF COLOR" for our next picture-taking occasion!


Brad and Stephanie.


The new house.

Brad is living here until The Big Day, and Stephanie is doing all of the decorating and MOST of the cleaning.

Someone has the better deal here!


Since they bought a house, have two new jobs, are busy planning a wedding, honeymoon and new life together, it seemed only fitting they should have a puppy, too.

Meet Annie.

I think 22 is going to be a very good year for Brad.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Mike and I took a few hours yesterday afternoon to drive to Guntersville to check out our first choice for vacation lake rentals.

The lake house of choice was missing one essential, necessary, deal-breaking feature.

At this time in our lives, our family of young adults/older teenagers REQUIRES a pier for swimmin', fishin' and sunnin'.

We have the boat, but while some of us are out ON the water, the rest of us like to be IN the water while we await our turn.

So the search continues.

We took our time driving home, and visited a covered bridge we found along the way...





And we talked to some horses and cows on our journeys, too.




Calves were everywhere.


All in all, it was a very nice ride.

Now, it's back to the drawing board looking for the ever-elusive vacation destination!

Pinterest Stuff

Summer To-Do-List

I found this family's list of 100 things to do this Summer, and there were a few things that were a little different and they caught my eye.

1. Make AND drink freshly squeezed lemonade.

2. Make homemade salsa.

3. Play croquet.

4. Make homemade bubble wands and homemade bubble juice.

5. Take a walk in the rain.

6. Send a camera across country. (This is my favorite!)

7. Make homemade pretzels.

8. Have popcorn for dinner.

9. Pick peaches and make peach cobbler.

Of course, add VBS, vacations, movie nights, game nights, etc., etc., to your list...

But PREPARE the list.

You may not finish everything, but with a list in front of you, you'll do so much more!

$6 Birmingham Mate Date

Since the "50 Things To Do in Birmingham" list came out, I have wanted to try the following two activities.

So, last Saturday, Mike and I did just that!



My favorite... a GIANT chocolate bunny.


Three creaky floors of "stuff."




Outdoor Christmas candles.


Millions of old records.

And I don't use the word "millions" lightly.

All in all, it is a very interesting place to visit, and if you are a serious collector of action figures, comic books, records, old prints of places in Alabama, etc., it is just the place for you.

I would not take a young child (under 10) into this store. It would just be too much of a temptation, and you might end up buying something old AND broken.

After spending an hour or so at What's on 2nd, Mike and I headed to another place on the "50 Things To Do in Birmingham" list.

Believe it or not, we have never been to Doodles in Cahaba Heights.


Doodles is a walk-up Italian Gelato/Shaved Ice kind of place. There are two wrought iron tables with seating on the patio and two or three picnic tables in a field in front of the stand.

I saw two or three people with picnic blankets, and if you go on an overcast and/or cool day, I think this would be perfect.

In other words, NO SHADE in the field.

Mike tried the Caramel Pecan Gelato and I had the Cherry Ice. There are many flavors to choose from, and on this particular date, these two small treats cost $6.

Thus, the title of this segment, "$6 Birmingham Mate Date."

Weekend Happenings

Okay. In a nutshell, here we go...

1. Roxie will be going to certification class all weekend long to be a lifeguard this Summer. I've never had a lifeguard in the family before, so this is something new... and wage-earning!

2. Josh will be working Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, but he'll come home Sunday for a nice Sunday dinner and some family time.

Since Wallace is in the midst of Spring Break, he has been home since Tuesday night, and it has been lovely.

3. Austin will be moving back to the house for a few months. His producing gig in Jacksonville has ended, and he has had several interview opportunities arise in the Birmingham area. He's going to work at the Chick here and continue to look for a job in radio.

We're trusting in God's timing and his perfect plan.

4. Mike and I will be up to something tomorrow. We are just not sure what it will be!

5. I'll be taking Stephanie and Brad's engagement pictures Sunday afternoon after church, and you know I'm excited about being able to do something like that.

Have a stupendous weekend. I'll be back TUESDAY with a few Brad/Stephanie pics, a Coconut Pound Cake recipe (I've already made it, but I ran out of time to post it today), some new-to-me April Fool's Day pranks to try on your family and one or two Easter ideas for you and yours.

Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Weekend-Wrap Up, Blog Linkage, Pinterest Stuff (Library Dates), Quotable Quotes

Good Tuesday morning!

RANDOMNESS #1 - I did a little Prom Picture Postin' Work this weekend. While it was hard to not go ahead and post a few photos on Facebook, I was strong!

And because I was so strong, you now have an ABUNDANCE of Prom pics to wade through before you get to the few words I have to offer today.

Enjoy!


Roxie and Ally... Pre-hair and make-up.


Roxie... Almost done!


Josh and Roxie.


Austin and Roxie.

Josh and Austin were TOLD to be ready for a picture at 2:30 Friday afternoon...

And they wisely did as they were told.


The really important one... Hunter and Roxie.


Ally, Pasha, Hunter and Roxie.


Roxie and Ally.


Our school has a Senior Prom, and since Roxie is only a Junior, she went as Hunter's guest.

Hunter and friends decided to dress in white tux, and they looked particularly dashing.

The chicks supplied the color and the bling.

Good looking bunch, isn't it?



Mike and Roxie.


Grandmother and Roxie.

Fun fact for you... Grandmother has gone to five out of six grandkids' prom photo shoots. (She has only gone to five out of six because Zac isn't "prom age" yet. That time will be here before we know it!)


Hunter and Roxie.

The back of Hunter and Roxie.

If I haven't told you before, I'll tell you now.

Roxie picks out dresses, tops, etc. depending on how the back of the garment looks.

And, as you can see, this particular dress had a very pretty back.


Could these guys be any cuter?


Here are a few more of Roxie and Hunter.




Roxie and Taylor.

I call this one, "The shoes have got to go!"



Roxie and Cool Hunter.


Cool Chicks!

After pictures, the group went to Brio's for dinner, and then they all had a great time at the 2014 Gardendale High School Senior Prom.

The End!

RANDOMNESS #2 - It is officially Spring Break Week!

Since I am the parent of "adult-age" children, these are the only specific "special" things I've planned for the week:

1. We went to Mugshots for dinner Sunday night and then saw Divergent. (Good dinner and very good movie!)

Josh didn't read the Family Newsletter I gave to everyone the beginning of the month, so he forgot to get off work for our Sunday Evening Spring Break Kick-Off.

I'm still a little miffed at him.

Or maybe the word "furious" is a better fit for how I feel about his absence.

Yes. Definitely "furious."

And, yes. I started a monthly Faulkner Family Newsletter.

And, no. It didn't work too well.

2. Mike is taking off Wednesday and Thursday to take any and all available Faulkners fishing... both days.

3. Wednesday night, we're watching Saving Mr. Banks AND eating TV dinners around the television.

Because that is what families did during that period of time when Walt Disney lived.

Walt Disney ate TV dinners all the time.

I bet.

And then the kids/adults are in charge of the rest of their Spring Break.

Between you and me, I think they've got a handle on it!

Quotable Quotes

"Two things to remember in life. Take care of your thoughts when you are alone, and take care of your words when you are with people." Anonymous

Blog Linkage

1. If you are interested in throwing a Lego Party for one of your kiddos one day, go to www.littlefamilyfun.com and read the last few posts. She does a step-by-step tutorial about everything you will need to make that Lego Party a huge success.

2. It has been awhile, but one of my favorite blogs has had new posts recently. Go to www.bluelilyphotography.com to catch up with this family of four as they travel the world taking beautiful pictures of other families. Fun posts and lovely pics.

3. Go to eighteen25 under My Blog List and click on the post entitled, "[past projects] Easter/Spring." Good, good stuff.

Pinterest Stuff

Library Dates

These ideas were pinned (and re-pinned) under the title of "mini-adventures." That caught my eye immediately.

Then I read the word "library," and I was hooked.

I think one or two of these at a time would make a great date for a book-loving kiddo in your house.

End it was an ice cream treat, and you've got yourself a winner.

1. Look for the biggest book in the library. Take your picture with it.

2. Browse the travel section, find a place you want to visit, make some plans.

3. Go to the cookbook area, choose a recipe, go the store, get the ingredients and cook it that day. (I LOVE this one.)

4. Choose a random CD, listen to it all the way through.

5. Scan the books of quotes. Find a good one and write it outside on the sidewalk with chalk.

6. Bring paper and colored pencils. Draw from the easy I-Can-Draw-Books for an hour. (I thought this would be fun, too.)

7. Take a present to the librarians.

8. Leave a thoughtful review on a post-it note in a book you really loved.

9. Hunt for authors with your same last name.

These ideas come from a blog entitled www.mamascout.com. I have visited it once, and I plan on stopping by again and again.

If you live in the central part of Alabama, I hope you have a fantastic Spring Break week. Here are few things I'll be posting about this coming Friday:

1. I have a $6 Mate-Date for you to try. Mike and I went on this date Saturday afternoon, and it was fun. (Pics will be included.)

2. I have pics of Brad's 22nd Birthday Celebration and his new home.

3. Maybe I'll have some fishing pics by Friday, too.

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

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda
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