RANDOMNESS #1 - I have a little story to share this last day of August.
As you may or may not know, I work with several children during the week as a part-time nanny-type person.
And at almost every house I work, there is a two year-old.
Can I say, I love two year-olds. They are fascinating, fun, silly little people, and if you haven't spent any time with a two year-old lately, I highly recommend you do so at your earliest convenience.
When I keep kids, we are outside a lot.
Even on the unbearable hot days. Of course, on those type days, we are usually doing something with water to help keep us cool, but outside we stay because I am a big believer in "fresh air helps kids take really long, restful naps."
And that tends to make the maternal units very happy after I leave!
I was at a house recently, and I was playing outside with all of the kiddos, and after about an hour, we were ready to wrap up our water games and head inside for some cooler activities.
I scooped the two year-old up into my arms, and she giggled and patted my face with her very sweet little two year-old hands.
"What's wrong with your face, Miss Benda?"
My kiddos tend to call me "Miss Benda," and I answer to that very well.
"I don't know, Babe. What's wrong?"
She just continued to look at my face worriedly and continued patting it.
Since my body temperature was at least 130 degrees from the outside play, I tried, "Is it red? If it's red, it's okay because I'm just a little hot."
"Let's look in a mirror," she suggested.
Okay. That was fine with me. We headed to the bathroom to check out my red face so I could begin to ease her mind, but when we stepped into the bathroom I just stood there.
There wasn't anything wrong with my face.
It wasn't red.
It wasn't puffy.
It wasn't different at all.
In fact, it looked like my face has looked every day since I turned 55.
And that's when I realized that to the two year-old crowd when they see a person in their 50s, they automatically assume something is wrong with their face...
Because of wear and tear and age and all.
It was a slightly humbling experience, but I decided to forgive the two year-old person and love her anyway.
Because that is apparently what she has decided to do with me.
Love me anyway, despite the bad shape my 55 year-old face is apparently in at the moment.
Growing old is hard work, my friends. Very hard work indeed.
RANDOMNESS #2 - So I told you Mike took off for my actual birthday last Friday, and he told me to plan my special day.
I tossed around the ideas of A Day in Atlanta or A Day in Chattanooga, but I couldn't get on board with those ideas.
I really wanted to do the following:
1. I wanted to go to one Estate Sale.
2. Next I wanted to go to The Southern Living Idea Home in Mt. Laurel and leisurely walk through that beautiful thing.
Pretty beautiful, huh?
It's a fun place to visit.
3. It was lunch time by the end of the self-guided tour of the home, so I picked a new-to-us restaurant in Mt. Laurel called Area 41 Pizza Company. It was pretty delicious and they had a fairly large Italian menu. It wasn't JUST pizza!
They had good brownies, too.
And a happy Mikie.
4. And last, but not least, we picked Judith up and took her to the Harmony Safari Park in Huntsville, and a good time was had by all.
Mostly Judith, but Mikie and I had a wonderful time, too.
NOTE #1 - It cost $15 per person to tour The Southern Living Idea Home.
NOTE #2 - Mt. Laurel has a Farmer's Market and Craft Show every Saturday through October. It's a beautiful community, and while Mike and I love Pepper Place, we're going to branch out a little this Fall and visit this Market, too.
NOTE #3 - Harmony Safari Park is not a huge drive-thru Safari, but it is just big enough, and you can circle around and drive through as many times as you want. They also have a giraffe and a camel, a Reptile House, a Kangaroo Trail and a Turtle Trail. We weren't able to see those particular exhibits because of a massive thunderstorm which came up suddenly, and they had to close the Park.
The cost is $9 per person (two and under are FREE), and $2 for a cup of food OR $5 for a bucket of food. (We highly recommend the bucket!)
It's a good way to spend an afternoon with some kiddos, and we plan on going again.
RANDOMNESS #2 - We celebrated my 55th birthday at Grandmother's house after church this past Sunday.
Because of work schedules and living out-of-town, Josh, Courtney and Judith met Sawyer for the very first time at my birthday party.
Judith was polite, but not nearly as impressed as she should have been.
Aunt Roxie and Judith.
My niece, Katie, always makes my birthday cake. It gets better and better with each passing year.
Need I say, I LOVED MY COW CAKE!
Thankfully, only five candles were on the cake. Fifty-five would have been overkill...
And hot...
And eventually very smoky.
Zac and Mallie.
Sawyer was only a month old, but can I say, he was the perfect birthday party guest.
Quiet, sweet-tempered...
And just the tiniest bit sleepy.
Judith's "happy place" is almost always outside. She loved swinging with Pop.
I have had an empty "SISTERS" frame for many years now, and while Bev and I have tried on occasion to get a good picture of the two of us together, it hasn't really worked out.
Until Sunday.
Love this picture.
I think Judith might have been trying to talk Grandmother into taking her outside to the swing.
Yeah. I'm pretty sure that is what's happening.
Josh and Courtney.
Since Austin was the designated photographer of this particular family occasion, I took a pic of him really quick-like before he left for the day.
And that, my friends, was the end to the celebration of my 55th year on this here Earth!
French Onion Chicken Bubble Up
You will need the following:
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounce refrigerated French Onion Dip
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-12 ounce can refrigerated Grands Jr. biscuits
1/4 cup French fried onions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Combine chicken, soup, dip and cheese.
4. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Toss with chicken mixture.
5. Pour chicken mixture into prepared pan. Top with French fried onions.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly, and biscuits are golden brown.
I made this last night, and Mike and I both enjoyed it. It's on the "list" of stuff to make again and again!
Have a wonderful Wednesday. I will be back soon with some FALL STUFF! Just so you know, we will start celebrating Fall September 1...
Even if it is 96 degrees...
With a heat index of 102 degrees...
And 1,000,000 percent humidity.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting (and Ready to Wear My Autumnal Clothing) Belinda
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