First off, I have some new recipes for you to try!
7-Up Cake
You will need the following:
1 lemon cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) Jello Instant Lemon Pudding
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups 7-Up or any lemon lime drink
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1. Combine all ingredients and mix well with mixer.
2. Spray 2 (8-inch) cake pans and divide batter.
3. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes testing for doneness as ovens vary.
4. Let cool and frost with your favorite frosting or the pineapple filling recipe below.
You will need the following for the Pineapple Filling:
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coconut
1. Mix pineapple, butter, sugar, eggs and flour together.
2. Cook on medium heat until thickens. (I bring this to a low boil, turn down and cook about five minutes, stirring often).
3. Remove and add coconut.
4. Let cool and spread between cooled cake layers and on top of cake.
5. This cake should be refrigerated.
This was a very moist, light, delicious cake. Reminded me of Summer!
Wendy's Frosty (Not)
You will need the following:
3/4 cup almond milk
15 ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/3 banana
Blend.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This is a very good smoothie, but in my opinion, it tastes nothing like the Wendy's Frosty. I also added the 1 teaspoon honey to the recipe just to make it a little sweet. It is filling, and I can definitely drink it for lunch or have it as an afternoon snack if we're going to have a late dinner.
Easy Ritz Cracker Chicken
You will need the following:
1 or 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 sleeves of Ritz Crackers, crushed
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a microwavable dish and set aside.
3. Crush Ritz Crackers,and place crushed crackers on a dinner plate.
4. Dip the chicken tenderloins in butter, then coat with Ritz Crackers. Place on a lined baking sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This is a very simple recipe, but when you add fruit salad and a couple of vegetables, you have a really good, quick meal for the middle of the week. (And if you double the recipe, you will have leftovers for the weekend!)
Pinterest Stuff
Jesus Gets Excited When You Pray (Object Lesson)
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This was taken word-for-word from Pinterest.
What I really love about this was the fact you can take something relatively easy to find (fizzy tablets), and turn it into something really cool!
Kids LOVE fizz. Even I, as an adult, feel child-like exuberance when I see fizz. There is something just so awesome about effervescence.
I took this fizz idea and made it my own. Sometimes to come up with a cool idea, we just need a little help from above... and others!
My lesson was to teach children about prayer. I don't think you can stress enough the importance of building a strong relationship with our Lord. Prayer does this along with reading His Word.
Jesus Gets Excited When You Pray
I used 1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT). I wanted to stress that Jesus hears all prayers, not just prayers that come from adults.
Also, I wanted the children to understand what praying actually means. I looked up and printed out the definition, and using some age-appropriate words, described what it means to pray.
After we took turns reading and discussing prayer, I showed the kids what happens when we pray.
I used two glasses and filled them with regular tap water, and for extra "fizz," sparkling water.
I went to our local City Market and bought Alka Seltzer generic tablets. We got 30 tablets for roughly $2. I wanted to make sure we had enough for two per child.
I allowed the children to pick what color we would make the water.
I had them gather around and I said, "Tell me how this makes you feel." I dropped a tablet into the water, and it immediately began to fizz.
The excitement on their faces was evident and also, they said it was pretty cool.
I asked them if it was exciting to watch the fizz, and they all said, "Yes!"
I told them every time we pray to Jesus, that's how He feels. He feels excited because we're building a relationship with Him. We're talking to Him. We're including Him in our lives. Jesus loves us so much, and He wants to be a part of our lives.
I handed each kid two tablets (there are two in each pack). I told them each one of us could pray together for someone or about something in our lives. I also gave them the choice if they didn't feel comfortable praying out loud, we would just pray in agreement silently with them.
To watch the kids pray with excitement was just amazing! I know some of it had to do with the fizzy tablets, but I also got to watch them gain understanding that praying is a good thing. Praying can be fun!
I also told the kids after a few prayers we needed to be quiet and listen. They could hear the fizzing noise in action. I told them sometimes that's exactly how God works. He answers our prayers, but sometimes we have to be quiet and listen.
At the end of the devotion, I allowed the kids to save up their fizzes, and they all dropped the remaining ones in together to see if they could make the water overflow. Just a little fun.
Make sure to monitor the kids, too! If you use the Alka Seltzer tablets, make sure they don't eat them or drink the water you use.
RANDOMNESS #1 - Park Day with RT - One of my favorite parks in our area is just a four-minute drive from my house. It has a walking trail beside a babbling brook, two fenced-in dog parks and life-size plastic jungle animals (hippo, elephants, giraffes, etc.).
When I'm in the mood to go to a park, nine times out of ten, I like to go to this one...
And the kids seem to like it, too.
He has no fear of slides, big or little...
And while this may look like an unhappy, screaming face, in reality it is a very excited face.
I got him at a bad angle.
Pretty impressive, isn't it?
And this is the little giraffe!
He likes to take a couple of matchbox cars wherever he goes, but I left those in the car and brought five of these balls and a soccer ball instead. As soon as we figured out the best way for him to carry them around, everything was good.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - I know you are probably thinking, "Her pictures are just getting blurrier and blurrier."
In my defense, I took the above pics with my phone which is very old.
And as far as the blurry pics I take with my camera, I AM VERY OLD.
RANDOMNESS #2 - A Shower for Eden - Courtney had a Baby Shower for Eden this past Saturday which was very much fun!
Bev made these diaper centerpieces for the tables...
And Melia made and decorated cookies for the guests.
Pretty cool, huh?
Just so you know, we had more than one food table, but I didn't take pictures of Courtney behind the chicken salad table for some reason.
Melia, Courtney, Roxie and Miss Nelly.
Roxie had originally told me she wouldn't be able to come, so I was more than a little thrilled to see her!
Courtney and her Mom, Donna.
Judith was the official "helper" when it came time to open gifts.
Have you ever seen prettier cousins?
I didn't think so.
RANDOMNESS #3 - Camping Story #3 - Where Have All the Campers Gone? - While you are reading this, please keep in mind, we camped at least once a year, and tried to camp two to three times a year.
So obviously some of the trips were very, very good.
Obviously.
A year or two AFTER the Georgia fiasco, we did decide to try another out-of-state camping trip with our camping buddies. Roxie was three or four, so she was along for this one. We went to a campground in the beautiful state of Tennessee known for it's hiking trails, waterfalls and beautiful foliage. The pictures on the brochure were lovely, picturesque even, and we looked forward to spending a fall weekend in the great state of Tennessee.
When we arrived, we were surprised to see the "set-up" of the campground. There was a huge circle and the campers had set up tents and pop-ups under trees as you went around the circle. In the middle of the huge circle, across a grassy field, was the BATHHOUSE. There were no trees in between the tent and the BATHHOUSE, but it was still quite a little hike. However, the campsites were great. Picnic tables intact, fire pits ready to go, level spots to pitch the tents. We were excited.
As the guys got busy with unloading, Roxie, the other mom and I made our way to the BATHHOUSE to check it out. Oh, my! "Rustic" is a kind word to describe the facilities. Very kind.
"Well, maybe there's another bathhouse we can drive to and use," we reasoned. There was... and in comparison, it was a twin. Hmmm!
"Did you bring flip flops?" we both asked. We had, so once again, we decided to trade in the beautiful scenery and great weather for a less than perfect bathhouse. (MUCH less than perfect!)
The first night of our trip was peaceful and relaxing. The weather was great and after our trek to the Bathhouse in the Middle of Nowhere, we bedded down. We had planned on hiking to a waterfall the next day, so we knew we needed our rest.
The following day was gorgeous, and after breakfast we set out on our hike to the famous waterfall. On this hike, we had to go across a swinging bridge (always interesting), through creeks and up the famous Tennessee mountains. When I say up, I mean up the entire way. We hiked forever... and then we hiked some more. Roxie and her male counterpart, Grant (both three or four at the time) were troopers and thankfully, did not ask us to carry them. That would have been very difficult. Several hours later (or maybe just 90 minutes), we came upon the waterfall.
Yes, it was beautiful.
We looked at it for about five minutes.
Then we noticed how many people were with us looking at the waterfall. We hadn't hiked up the mountain with all these people. They weren't hot and sweaty. Some of the women even had on make-up and their hair was done. Some of them had the nerve to be wearing cute shoes, too! Who were these people? Where had they come from? Why were they looking at OUR waterfall?
So I asked, "Did you hike up here?"
"Uh, no. We drove," was the smug reply.
"What do you mean you drove?" I asked.
"There's a main road right over there." I turned around and there it was. A perfectly good paved road.
"Where did you come from?" I inquired.
"Oh, we're staying in a RV down at the campground," Miss Priss answered before she walked back to her BMW!
Before she could get back into her car, I yelled, "How long a drive is it from the campground?"
"About five minutes give or take a minute," she called over her shoulder, and then she was gone.
"I think I hate her," I mumbled to Mikie.
He assured me that 90 minutes up the mountain would translate into 30 minutes going down the mountain. That made sense. And at this point, hot, sticky and more than a little grumpy, what was 30 more minutes.
Down we went, and 60 minutes later (NOT 30), we were back at our campsite. We stayed in our little cluster of tents for the rest of the day hydrating ourselves.
On Sunday, we decided to just hang around our campsites and play which was fine with the six kids. But we started noticing something strange around the noon hour. It was like an exodus of some kind. Everyone was leaving.
"Well, just because Alabama has a three-day weekend doesn't mean Tennessee has a three-day weekend. Everyone has to go back to school and work tomorrow," Mikie reasoned.
That was fine, except by 2:00 p.m. we were IT. I mean NO ONE was left in the huge circular campsite. It was like we had been dropped off by a helicopter in the wilderness.
"Do we have a gun or a knife or a big stick or something in case there's a wild bear attack or a bunch of hillbillies descend upon us," I asked Mike.
"I have my pocket knife, and we have those plastic knives you bring to spread peanut butter," was my husband's reassuring nswer.
"This could be a very long night."
And it was. Just the last walk to the bathhouse alone was unnerving because someone (one of the people leaving... probably Miss Priss) had turned all the bathhouse lights off before heading out, and we walked across a field in pitch blackness looking for the building. And, of course, when we found it, it hadn't changed a bit... still very gross.
We went to bed a little early, and I think the four adults slept with one eye open. (I was, again, unable to pass out and painfully aware of how vulnerable we were in the middle of nowhere with no communication or weaponry of any kind... unless you count throwing screaming children at whatever is attacking you as "weaponry.")
And I do.
I do count throwing screaming children as "weaponry."
I have never been so happy to see the sun in all my life. We ate breakfast and packed up our campsite in record time to head home. Think, think, think of the Good Things from this trip.
Good Thing #1 - Roxie and Grant were WONDERFUL hikers. If they had been even a little less sturdy, it would have been the end of the adults as we took turns carrying them to the top of the mountain.
Good Thing #2 - The waterfall was pretty... not Niagara, but pretty, just the same.
Good Thing #3 - We weren't bitten by any of the spiders in the bathhouse... and there were a lot of spiders in the bathhouse.
Good Thing #4 - We weren't attacked by any bears or hillbillies. I think this is huge.
Good Thing #5 - That's it. Once again, I did the best I could to come up with Good Things #1 through #4.
And for some reason or another, we have never even discussed camping in Tennessee again. I'm not sure, but I think it was the bathhouse. I may forget dates and events, but a bad bathhouse... that's burned on a woman's brain forever!
DISCLAIMER: If you are a hillbilly (or are related to a hillbilly), I meant no offense by the reference above. I'm just saying if a hillbilly had happened to come out of the woods in the dead of night in Tennessee in an abandoned campground, it would have been very, very frightening. (In all fairness, it would be frightening in Alabama and Georgia, too.) Again, no offense.
Are these stories hurting or helping? Are they strengthening your resolve to never camp, or are they getting you excited about this Spring when you can begin camping? I can tell you one thing... good or bad, our family has always come away from these trips closer and with a bond that has lasted over the years. Every camping experience is different, but one thing remains the same... you're in it together and that makes you a stronger "family unit."
Have a grand week, and I'll be back in a few days with Camping Story #4, more pics and maybe some life changing information for you and yours!
Yeah.
Probably just the story and some pics.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Moms Texting Each Other...
Mom #1 - I'm done. I'm selling the kid on e-bay.
Mom #2 - Don't be crazy. You made him! That goes on Etsy!
"Parenting is basically an 18-year episode of Survivor."
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