4th of July AND Judith's W Adventure

Good Saturday evening!

In an attempt to be succinct, I am catching up on pics from July, and I'm not adding anything else to this post...

Which leaves me wide open in August for anything and everything else!

And more pics.

Always more pics!

RANDOMNESS #1 - 4th of July - As you can tell, we rented an inflatable again this year.

This particular inflatable did not have it's picture taken when the palm trees were standing tall...

So you'll have to take my word for it.

It was awesome!

RT and Saw-Man!

After Eden's initial trip down the slide with her Mom, she decided to stay in the pool the rest of the day...

And she cheered for and hugged all the crazies who risked life and limb in the name of "4th of July FUN."

Toppy, Sawyer and Carly.

Beebo and Baby Lawson. He is a beautiful addition to the family, isn't he?

There was a nice semi-shady spot BEHIND the inflatable, and the 20-somethings headed there for some cornhole time.

Brad and Zac Martin.

I haven't told anyone yet, but next year I think there will be an official Cornhole Tournament with an epic First Place Prize!

Maggie (Zac Martin's sweet fiance), Katie, Roxie and Courtney.

Hanging out in the baby pool with a cousin is a fine way to spend the 4th!

Blog Linkage - Okay. I thought I could just do pics alone with no content, but I was wrong. Oh, so wrong!

If you ever plan on getting in a car with kids for a roadtrip, go to www.kellehampton.com and read her post entitled, "Road Trip Hacks for Family."

Lots and lots of good ideas and resources for getting from "here to there" and surviving the question, "Are we there yet?"

RANDOMNESS #2 - Judith's W Adventure - That's right.

I said W.

Here are just a couple of WAYS WE celebrated that WONDERFUL letter!

First WE headed to WAR Eagle country to spend a WEEKEND WITH Roxie.

WE WENT on a WINDING WALK to a nearby...

WATERFALL!

WE WERE WANDERING WOMEN!

WE stopped at WHOLE Foods on the WAY home the next day...

And WE bought some WATERMELON!

And, yes.

It WAS WAY too pricey...

But WONDERFULLY sweet to eat!

Here's hoping you have a great Sunday!

July went by in a big, busy blur...

And I'm thinking August will probably do the same.

Talk to you soon.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. Judith and RT planned a Surprise Water Balloon Fight for Pop, and I'll have more of those pics next post!

They hid in the back of Pop's old pickup and ambushed him!

From the Heart, My Favorite Thing RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, Molasses Cookies, Judith's Dance Recital AND 9th Annual Lake Trip (Guntersville)

Good Friday morning!

From the Heart - I'm currently watching Bellevue Women's Spring Bible Study (This Present Kingdom) on YouTube. I wanted to share this quote from Donna Gaines' Week 2 Lesson with you:

"To really grasp what you are studying, share it with a child, a grandchild, a friend, a sister, a brother, a mother, a neighbor. Once you articulate it and make it a part of your life, it really becomes yours."

So simple and so true!

My Favorite Thing RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE - I am currently watching the third season of Making It with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman which airs on Thursday nights (NBC). I'm not sure what time. My TV magically records it because of some buttons Mikie pushed on one of our 32 remotes.

But I digress.

It's a funny, clean, entertaining bit of television, and while I also watched Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 has kicked it up a notch.

I find it VERY ENJOYABLE!

Soft Molasses Ginger Cookies

You will need the following ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, molasses and 1/2 cup of sugar with a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

4. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl until combined.

5. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (at least 1 hour or up to overnight).

7. Remove dough from refrigerator. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), scoop cookie dough into rounds, and roll each into a smooth ball. Place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar on a plate and roll balls in sugar to coat.

8. Arrange 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until cookies and edges are slightly darker in color, 10 to 12 minutes.

9. Let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for another 30 minutes.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - I baked each batch for 15 minutes, and the cookies came out just like we like 'em.

ANOTHER NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - These are as good or better than the Archway Molasses Cookies in the store.

At least I think so.

So, yes.

In answer to your next question, you could just buy a package of Archway Molasses Cookies at your local grocery store...

But where's the fun in that?

RANDOMNESS #1 - Judith's Dance Recital - Because of the Pandemic, instead of starting dance at the beginning of school last year, Judith started taking lessons in January, 2021. We had such a fun time at her recital. It felt like a very normal-un-COVID-type thing to do, and with only five months of dance instruction, she did an excellent job...

And that is my totally unbiased opinion!

A picture under the marquee at The Princess Theatre in Decatur.

Kimmy and Eden...

Just a couple of her biggest fans.

Judith loved the tradition of getting flowers after the performance...

And ice cream.

She liked going to a local ice cream parlor with everyone, too.

Since I didn't receive any flowers, I would have to say the ice cream parlor was my favorite tradition on this particular evening.

RANDOMNESS #2 - 9th Annual Lake Trip (Guntersville) - We had some firsts on this trip. I'll point them out in the pics below.

Judith recently learned how to make Cinnamon Toast, so she was in charge of breakfast one morning.

RT caught his first fish...

And shortly after we took this pic, he caught nine more!

It isn't a first, but I decided I really, really like synchronized tubing.

ME rode the boat last year, but this year she remained AWAKE!

That was most definitely a first!

We celebrated Mikie's 60th birthday at the lake this year.

Such a big, big number!

RT tubed for the first time.

Last year he got on, and I took a pic...

But then he decided to wait one more year before officially attempting the "riding of the tube."

Little Man loved it!

Eden started wearing a fedora recently, and it quickly became one of my new favorite pieces of lake attire.

I hope you all have a most wonderful weekend. I will try to do the same!

Talk to you soon.

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. The 4th of July Celebration AND Judith's "W" Adventure will be featured in the next post.

I'm posting more often each month, but I'm still consistently late on some of the "big" posts. I'm just proud it's going to show up in July!