RANDOMNESS #1 - Father's Day turned into Great-Nephew and Great-Niece Day as far as pictures were concerned.
And I'll try to do better next year...
But I cannot promise!
Sweet Mackenzie.
Lauren kissin' Guy. (Guy was the only "Dad" I photographed during Father's Day out of five fathers. That really is not a good way to preserve memories, is it?)
Matthew. He's all grown up, isn't he?
Matthew and Roxie doing the phone thang.
Standing Mackenzie. This little one will be walking very soon. She's got the "pulling up" and "holding your finger" part of the whole process down pat.
Roxie and Lauren taking selfies. You're never to young to learn. (I think Lauren was experimenting with different faces.)
All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend a holiday.
RANDOMNESS #2 - We celebrated Mikie's Birthday/Father's Day the Monday after Father's Day. I copied the Bass Pro Shop Christmas Party idea my friend, Evelyn, gave me in December and tweaked it just a little to go with Father's Day.
First, we picked Mike up at his office and had dinner at Irondale Cafe which was only a few minutes away. Austin, Mike and I have eaten there before, but it was a first for Roxie and Josh.
After a thoroughly enjoyable dinner (which I didn't have to cook), we headed to Bass Pro Shop for some fun.
While I kept Mike occupied in one part of the store, Austin, Josh and Roxie got busy.
I gave them five envelopes with instructions inside each.
Envelope No. 1 - FIND A PLACE IN BASS PRO SHOP WHERE YOU CAN PICK OUT A REALLY NICE BIRTHDAY CARD FOR YOUR DADDY!
Envelope No. 2 - YOUR GOAL IS TO BUY 3 BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR YOUR DAD... BUT FIRST GO TO THE SHOOTING GALLERY UPSTAIRS AND USE FIVE QUARTERS APIECE. ADD YOUR THREE HIGHEST SCORES. TEXT ME AND TELL ME WHO THE WINNER IS BEFORE OPENING YOUR NEXT ENVELOPE.
NOTE - I gave them 15 quarters in this envelope. Austin won the shooting competition, so he won a bag of Beef Jerkey which I purchased before we left the store.
Envelope No. 3 - OKAY. BACK TO DADDY. YOU NEED TO BUY HIM THREE GIFTS. BUY HIM SOMETHING TO WEAR... SOMETHING TO EAT... AND SOMETHING FOR FUN.
Envelope No. 4 - TAKE A SELFIE OF THE THREE OF YOU IN FRONT OF THE FISH TANK.
NOTE - I would have posted this pic, but it wasn't flattering of any of the kids. Roxie would have kept snapping until she had at least a good photo of herself, but The Brothers weren't having it. The Envelope said "TAKE A SELFIE." That meant ONE!
Envelope No. 5 - TAKE YOUR ITEMS (1 CARD AND 3 GIFTS) TO A CHECKOUT COUNTER NEAR YOU. ASK THE SALESPERSON TO PUT THE GIFTS IN THREE INDIVIDUAL BROWN BAGS SO YOUR DAD WON’T BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU BOUGHT HIM. AFTER YOU HAVE MADE THE PURCHASE, TEXT ME AND MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE SWEET SHOP IN BASS PRO SHOP. WE’LL MEET YOU THERE.
We sat down as the sun was setting, and Mike opened his three gifts.
They bought him a pretty yellow fishing shirt. You know... the kind with the vent in the back to help keep you cool.
He also received a fishing lure AND three DOUBLE Moon Pies.
So it wasn't a gigantic Father's Day haul, but three gifts (all things he liked) AND a free dinner...
Let's just say he was pretty happy.
And when it was all said and done, I took some photos.
If you take pictures of your kids (any age), you know the non-staged pics are usually more entertaining.
Mike and the kids (staged).
Mike and the kids... again (staged).
One more staged!
Not staged... and this bubble got much bigger before the finger (Mikie's) finally popped it.
Not staged... and so sweet.
Blog Linkage - Go to www.kellehampton.com and read yesterday's post entitled, "Telling Stories and Creating Time Capsules."
Pioneer Woman's Key Lime Pie
This is a very good little pie. The recipe came from The Pioneer Woman's Holiday Cook Book.
You will need the following:
18 whole graham crackers (the 4-section large pieces)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon (heaping) lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
2 whole egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the crust, crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter. Press into a pie pan and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
3. For the filling, mix lime zest, lime juice and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or more if possible.
5. Serve with whipped cream and more grated lime zest.
It's the perfect Summer pie!
Way Back When...
Water Park Date
I don't know about you, but I was always VERY nervous when I took several kids to a water park (White Water in Atlanta, Splash Beach in Alabama Adventure, etc.). It's hard to keep up with kids in water with that many attractions (Lazy River, Wave Pool, Water Slides, etc.). Plus, it can get pretty expensive taking all the kids at one time.
This would be a GREAT one-on-one date. Affordable and enjoyable. You don't have to worry about where the other kids are every minute. You don't have to worry about keeping everyone together in one area even though some of the kids are big enough to ride the water slides while others need to stay in the wading area. You don't have to worry about riding a slide with one child, while the other children are doing who knows what! You can keep all your attention on your date... and you can have a ball.
If you go to a place like Alabama Adventure, there's plenty to do on a hot summer day at Splash Beach, and you and your child can go home tired, happy and cool. And they LOVE having Mom or Dad all to themselves at a place like this... They don't have to wait their turn to do the activity they want to do.
Save up a little money, and take your date to a nearby water park. Oh, and have a wonderful time!
Weekend Happenings
1. As we speak, Roxie and Hunter are enjoying a very hot day at Oak Mountain. She had a lot of things planned and a picnic lunch packed... and she took the Go-Pro, so maybe I'll share some pics with you Tuesday.
2. On Saturday, Roxie and Josh are working. Austin and Melia have a date planned, and me and ol' Mikie might just jump on the date train, too. (We'll have to see.)
Also, I'll be cooking a few dishes Saturday afternoon for my sister's birthday the next day. (Nothing spectacular. I'm just going for edible this week.)
3. We're going to Grandmother's to celebrate Bev's birthday after church Sunday afternoon, and as of this very minute, everyone is supposed to be present. I'm really looking forward to this event!
Have a fantastic weekend. I'll be back Tuesday with a bunch of Summer ideas... old and new.
Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. I'm going to leave you with pics of some singing in the backseat which took place this past week.
I'm not saying it was really good singing, but it did make me smile!
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