Monday, July 30, 2018

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, Pinterest Stuff (Butter Bottom Buttermilk Biscuits AND Decorating a Birthday Door), Southern Living Stuff (No-Bake Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie), Enjoying the Rain AND Sawyer Turns Two

Good Monday afternoon!

I am beginning this post with THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I want you to listen to this Monday. Please go to Gardendale First Baptist Church's Facebook page. You can type GFBC Facebook on Google Search and it will take you to the correct site. Scroll down past photos and past videos until you see the first post (posted yesterday at 10:44 a.m.) You can listen to the worship music and announcements if you like, but you can also move ahead to the sermon which is entitled, "Responding to Anxiety."

Whether you suffer from anxiety, depression and/or suicidal thoughts...

Or if you don't personally suffer from such an illness, but know someone who does, please listen to this sermon.

It is thought-provoking and true and well worth the time it will take you or someone you care about to hear the words Pastor Kevin shared yesterday morning.

I truly hope and pray you will take the time.

Also, when you finish listening to the sermon, feel free to come back to this post to read about much less-important matters.

Thank you!

Pinterest Stuff

Butter Bottom Buttermilk Biscuits

You will need the following:

1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl (or you can use the baking dish you'll be baking these in if it's microwave-safe), melt stick of butter.

3. Put melted butter into an 8" x 8" baking dish.

4 In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

5. Pour in the buttermilk. Stir until a loose dough forms. Batter will be a bit sticky.

6. Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter). Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough, and that is perfectly okay.

7. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.

8. Oven times do vary since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - These are delicious. However, I made two changes to the recipe. I used Swans Down Cake Flour instead of just plain ol' all-purpose flour...

And I didn't add the sugar.

I will be making these often, I think.

Decorate a Birthday Door

This is super easy, and could easily become a fun-to-look-forward-to birthday tradition for the people in your home.

When the birthday person has gone to bed, tape a door-size piece of white butcher paper quietly to the outside of the door.

Using colorful markers and paints, write the following message on the paper...

"Today we have loved you for 7 Years, 84 Months, 364 Weeks, 2,555 Days... and counting!"

Tape a few colorful balloons here and there on the door, and your birthday person will have an excellent start to their day!

Southern Living Stuff

No-Bake Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

You will need the following:

3 cups chocolate crisp rice cereal (such as Cocoa Krispies)
1/2 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Hot fudge topping
Coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts

1. Stir together cereal, finely chopped peanuts and butter in a medium bowl. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9" glass pie plate. Freeze until solid, 15 to 30 minutes.

2. Microwave peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl on HIGH until melted and smooth, about 30 seconds. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Place ice cream in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer; beat on medium-low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Drizzle peanut butter into ice cream, beating on low just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

4. Spread ice cream mixture into frozen pie shell. Cover and freeze until firm, 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.

5. Before serving, remove pie from freezer and leave out at room temperature 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat cream and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Spread whipped cream evenly over pie. Drizzle with fudge topping, and sprinkle with coarsely chopped peanuts.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This is a very good recipe, too. The only change I made in this one was to replace regular creamy peanut butter with creamy HONEY roasted peanut butter. The next time I make it, I may substitute the salted dry-roasted peanuts with salted HONEY-roasted peanuts.

RANDOMNESS #1 - Enjoying the Rain - Melia, Austin, RT, Judith and I were going to hit the Splash Pad last Monday until Melia remembered the Splash Pad is closed on Mondays.

UGHHH!

Massive disappointment.

We decided to go to the Kiddie Park in Fultondale, eat a Chick-Fil-A picnic and play on the playground equipment. The kiddos would be happy either way.

But low and behold, a non-thunderous rain storm began shortly after we arrived, and you know what you're supposed to do during a non-thunderous rain storm, don't you?

Slide and swing and climb and run...

In that particular order...

And that was exactly what we all did.


Judith and RT coming down the slide at the same time.

Did you know a wet plastic slide at the Fultondale Kiddie Park is VERY fast?

Well, it is.

Judith was old enough to know how to work her feet and control her speed.

Little Man needed some help from Nana, and although it looks as if I am pulling his arm out of socket, I am NOT. I am helping.

That's what I do.

I assist!


Melia and RT.


A pic of RT looking like a cute little drowned rat.


A pic of Judith and RT looking like two cute little drowned rats.

RANDOMNESS #2 - Sawyer Turns Two - Sawyer, son of Bradley and Stephanie (my nephew and niece), had a Toy Story Party for his second birthday. It was excellent...

And I'm not just talking cupcakes!


Judith, Woody and Sawyer.

(It's really Brad dressed up as Woody. I just wanted to clarify.)




Judith wears her icing well, don't you think?


Stephanie, dressed as Bo Peep, helped with the opening of the gifts as well as holding our family's newest little addition, Carly Beth.




Sawyer was a very good sport and shared his brand new tricycle with the other kiddos.

He's a very sweet little guy, but it also helped that he was only two AND there were many other gifts to distract him.


Sawyer loves him a good cupcake.

Yes, him most certainly does.




Carly Beth slept through the entire party, so I'm pretty sure she won the BEST PARTY GUEST award.

I would have definitely come in second, because...

Well, just because.

I hope you have a very good week. As usual, July flew by and August (and all that entails) will be arriving on Wednesday.

Hard to believe, isn't it?

Take care, and I will talk to you very soon.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Friday, July 20, 2018

Sixth Annual Lake Vacation AND Restaurant Review (Brixx Pizza)

Good Friday evening!

Restaurant Review - Mike and I recently went to Brixx Pizza (located behind The Galleria), and it was delicious. They have a good-sized menu, but we stuck with the basic 10" pizza. I had the Hawaiian pizza with the olive oil base, and I'm going to step out on a limb here...

I think it is my new favorite Hawaiian pizza.

I am not kidding.

It was just that good.

Mike had a meat/mushroom combo with the tomato base, and he was equally satisfied.

We had the S'mores pizza for dessert, and like every other dessert with the word "s'mores" included in it, I declared it to be divine!

As with most of my Restaurant Reviews, I am aware everyone within a 100-mile radius has probably already been there and done that, but just on the off chance you haven't tried it yet, Brixx is worth the drive from Gardendale!

RANDOMNESS - Sixth Annual Lake Vacation - This is the second year in a row we have gone to Lake Martin in Equality, Alabama. It was also the second year in a row to stay at this particular house. If the nine of us sat down and weighed all the pros and cons, I think we might come to the conclusion we had a pretty good time!

At least, that is what I choose to believe.


Judith likes to kiss AND talk at the same time...

Which is such an endearing quality in a three year-old, don't ya think?


Aunt Ro trying to explain to a little girl what "quiet time" means...

In a very animated fashion.








Roxie's roommate and sweet friend, Nat, came to the Lake with us this year. They haven't seen each other at all this summer, so catch-up time on the dock was necessary.


Baby pools at the Lake?




Baby pools ALWAYS.


All the guys caught nice-sized fish...

This size or even a little bit bigger.




Judith tubed for the first time EVER. This year was on the slow side, but next year we'll crank it up just a little.

And when I say "just a little," that's exactly what I mean!

No hair blowing the first couple of summers. It's a good rule.








A boat ride, no matter how bumpy, puts the grand-tots to sleep in a matter of seconds.

Judith is asleep in this pic because we had already been out on the water when we received a call to pick RT and family up at the dock.


There are more "sleep" pics toward the bottom of the post. You'll see what I mean!


Midst all of the water play, Judith and I took a little time to be creative with Play-Doh.

I think Play-Doh is one of her love languages. She plays with it until I put it away, and then she tries to play with it a little more.

Forty uninterrupted minutes of play for a three year-old ain't bad!


The best invention since...

I don't know.

Since EVER!

It has to be the water balloons you can blow up AND tie in a matter of seconds on the end of the hose.

Less than two minutes to blow up 100 water balloons!

I want to meet the person who figured this out and kiss him right on the mouth.


Toddlers like water balloons just to throw out of the pool.

They don't try to hit you in your face.

They don't strategize how hard they have to throw to make you cry.

They just love standing in a baby pool full of water balloons and tossing them out of the pool onto the ground in front of them.

It is so non-violent of them.


When the toddlers got tired of the baby pools, Melia and Austin set up the little splash pad.


You automatically get another 30 to 40 minutes of water play when you set up the little splash pad.




Automatically.








I am happy to report everyone in our family knows where their belly is located.


And now we're back in the boat!

Don't let the pic fool you. There are exactly six hands right outside the shot ready to scoop him up if he starts moving...

But he isn't going anywhere.

Little Man has the need for speed.






ONE...


TWO...


THREE!


See what I mean?






I'm calling this "Girls of Summer."


Three guesses what I'm calling this one.

Okay. Lake Vacation Number Six is in the books. I hope you and yours have a very relaxing weekend. That's my plan, too.

Talk to you soon.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. This particular house is really pretty, but the attention to detail is amazing. Here are just a few pics of a very FEW of the many, many special "things."















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