Just wanted y'all to know...
We went on our Annual Lake Trip this past week/weekend, so there are many pictures below.
For a Southern Gal who has admittedly only tolerated SUMMER for the past 58 years (and that is just because FALL is right around the longest corner in the history of the world), I have a lot of BIG stuff happening right in the middle of the MOST OPPRESSIVE HUMIDITY SPOT ON THE PLANET...
Also known as Central Alabama.
And that is just a big ol' sentence which means I host our family's 4th of July, AND we go to the lake a week or so after.
AND THAT MEANS...
I haven't had a good hair day since May 8...
And I probably won't have a good hair day until closer to Halloween.
Heavy, heavy sigh.
Lucky for you, I do have a new Favorite Thing, so we're going to stop whining and just keep moving forward!
My Favorite Thing RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE
I love Instagram, and one of my favorite accounts I follow is called "cat_in_france."
Traveling abroad has never been a "thing" for me. I want to see anything and everything in the USA, Canada and Nova Scotia, but if you had asked me a year or so ago about going to Europe, I would have said, "No, thank you. I am just fine."
But then I started following cat_in_france, and my attitude has changed a bit.
This woman lives in a lovely part of France on a farm. She has the most beautiful kitchen, and she cooks fresh vegetables and duck and lamb and other French things ALL the time.
She has a Family Pizza Night every Friday night, but we're not talking Little Caesars or Domino's. Nope. She makes homemade pizza pies for her family and posts pictures of them sitting on her wooden countertop...
Sometimes with the window open.
She and her family collect old copper pots and pans, and then...
Get this.
They restore them to their original beauty and sell them on her on-line store.
Oh...
And did I mention right now they are harvesting lavender that grows on their property?
Yeah.
Harvesting lavender.
So, I guess things haven't changed that much. I still just "want to see anything and everything in the USA, Canada and Nova Scotia," but I think I will need to add one little place to the list.
I want to visit HER farm located in Normandy (the French countryside part) and go to farmer's market every morning and feed her (really pretty) farm animals...
And harvest lavender.
Yes.
Most definitely...
Harvest lavender.
Hillbilly Baked Beans
You will need the following:
1/2 pound ground chuck, browned and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can butter beans, drained
1 (16-ounce) can pork and beans, not drained
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine meat, onion, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and water; mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients and cover.
Cook on HIGH 4 hours or on LOW 6 hours. Serve immediately.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - Because of some family food preferences, I did not use kidney beans OR butter beans. I used three cans of pork and beans (16-ounce, not drained).
Also, the next time I make this recipe, I am going to use 1/4 pound ground chuck and 1/4 pound mild sausage.
Very good beans!
RANDOMNESS - 7th Annual Lake Trip - Yep. Seven years of "laking it." We started out with The Faulkner Five and Melia, and now we have officially added MELIA, Courtney, Judith, RT and Eden.
We've had friends stay over the past few years, too, so with Hunter and Alex, we were 12 strong for part of the trip this year.
Our lake activities were pretty simple...
Fishing
Tubing
Boat Riding/Driving
Baby Pool Area (Three pools, no waiting!)
Firefly Catching
Kite Flying
Movie Watching
Billiards
Killer Uno (I LOVED this game.)
Grilling
Ice Cream Making
Hammocking
Popsicle Showers (The best place to actually eat a popsicle!)
Date Night for the Marrieds
Making S'mores (Judith and I made them inside this year because of the heat index, BUT we're planning on using the firepit next year!)
Courtney and Roxie.
Roxie and her friend, Alex, drove six hours Friday afternoon (arrived at around 7:30 p.m.) and stayed until 5:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. It was less than a 24-hour visit, but we certainly did enjoy having everyone together.
Three months old on her first Lake Trip.
I think she had a good time.
We stayed in a VRBO house in Guntersville.
Seven years ago, our very first trip was in Guntersville.
The next year we stayed in a house on Lake Logan Martin.
The next two years we stayed at a different house on Lake Logan Martin.
And the last two years we have stayed in a home on Lake Martin.
This year's house was our favorite, and hopefully, we'll be able to stay there again next year!
Three month olds don't seem to mind oppressive humidity, do they?
I wish I was three months old.
One of the highlights of the lake trip for Mikie is teaching the grandkids how to drive the boat.
Shortage of confidence is not a problem RT has ever encountered.
Grill Master.
Melia brought a kite, and because of the large back yard, she and the kids actually had it flying five to six feet a couple of times.
We all loved Alex. It was our first time to meet her, but she fit in right away.
And Hunter came to see Roxie...
And spend time with me and the rest of the family...
But mostly just to see Roxie, I think.
I had never thought about teaching the kids how to shuffle a deck before, but obviously Hunter knew something I didn't. Judith was mesmerized.
When Judith was two, Mike gave her a Frozen fishing pole to bring with her to the lake.
A few days before this trip, Mike gave Rhett a Spiderman fishing pole.
He had been practicing casting down the basement steps, so he was really good with that part.
Actually catching the fish will come a little later.
A hammock is just the best thing ever, isn't it?
Yes.
Yes, it is.
This isn't a pic of Judith with one eye "accidentally" closed.
Nope.
This girl has been successfully winking since she was almost two...
And this Nana thinks it is super cute!
Proud Daddy moment. Little Chick is NOT afraid of night crawlers.
In fact, she might like them a little too much.
"Go to the lake," they said.
"You'll have a great time," they said.
No one bothered to mention the from-the-nose-down life jacket required for little guys like me.
Ahhh. Here I am!
That's it for today. I hope you and yours have a great week. I've been hearing on the news the next two days are going to be LOW HUMIDITY.
So low it will ALMOST appear to be pleasant outside.
I'll have to see it to believe it!
Take care, and I'll talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
No comments:
Post a Comment