Weekend Wrap-Up, Way Back When..., A Different Zoo Every Year

Good Tuesday morning!

RANDOMNESS #1 - I celebrated my Mother's Day at Dixie Fish Company Sunday at lunch, and I enjoyed it very much.


Mikie and me!


Melia, Austin and me!


Roxie and me!


Josh and me!


Everything was fine and dandy (especially the sweet corn muffins and citrus butter they kept bringing to the table), except for one little thing.

They put pinto beans in their Fried Chicken Salad.

And not just one or two pinto beans...

But like the whole can.

And it's okay if you like pinto beans, but if you are not a lover of The Bean, then it is not a fun surprise.

So just be forewarned...

Dixie Fish Company is very good, but order your salad without pinto beans if you feel at all ambivalent toward that ingredient.

Other things we ate and enjoyed (which were beanless)...

Pecan Crusted Catfish
Fried Chicken Po Boy
Shrimp Platter
Krispy Kreme Creme Brulee
Warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Dark Chocolate Shavings

Can I just say, "Oh... my... goodness!"

As you can see, the "fantastic" totally outweighed the "bean-filled salad."

Totally.

RANDOMNESS #2 - Okay. I have always wanted to try the Microwave Soap Cloud experiment. This past weekend, I decided, "Why not? Why not try something new and exciting and different?"

I so need to get out more.

Well, I finally did it.


I used Irish Springs soap.

You are supposed to use Ivory.


I called Roxie into the kitchen to help. I didn't want to perform a "kid-friendly" experiment without an actual kid present.

Her hair wasn't fixed, so she asked I just take the hand shot.

I obliged.


Okay. That looks pretty cool.


Guess what?

You don't need to "cook" the soap the entire 2 minutes because it gets incredibly HOT and not the least bit fun to hold. (And if you do "cook" it the entire 2 minutes, let it cool, People. Let it cool!)


If you look ever-so-carefully, you can see a tiny white discoloration on the tip of my finger.

I have chosen to call it a blister.

Roxie has chosen to call me a "Giant Weenie."

I forgive her.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Okay. Can someone SLOW DOWN TIME just a little. Guatemala is staring me in the face. Glaring at me actually.

Today is a packing day.

Tomorrow is a weighing day. (Luggage... not me.)

And Thursday is a leaving day. Heavy, heavy sadness for me.

But not The Chick.

She continues to be uber-excited... which is how it should be!

Pictures on Friday, Folks!

RANDOMNESS #4 - As planned, I started posting a pic a day on Instagram June 1, 2014 and will continue to post until June 1, 2015.

Day 1 and Day 2 went very well. I'm hoping Day 3 will be no different.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram at "enchanting b." The pictures are always different from the blog pics.

Not any better, but definitely different!

Way Back When...

I re-post things from time to time, so that isn't anything new.

However, A Simple Life is over five years-old now. Since I'm in a different season of life as a mother of young adults, I still want to share ideas that worked for me and mine "Way Back When," as well as let you know how things are going on this end of motherhood.

"Way Back When..." will be a regular section now. It will simply be a place to re-post OLD (but perhaps relevant) ideas from days past.

This idea was first posted in June of 2009.

A Different Zoo Every Year

If there is something special your family enjoys, make plans to see a different one around the same time each year or two. I put the word "Zoo" in the title, but it could be anything.

I read about a father and two sons who loved baseball. They went to different famous baseball stadiums together and had their pictures taken at each one.

Some people may love small town festivals. This would be an easy one because in our area alone, there are probably a dozen. You wouldn't have to go very far, and they all have different themes. (We've attended festivals in Cullman, Decatur, Dothan, Gardendale, Demopolis, etc., and we weren't even trying to see a different one each year.)

Josh has a goal of attending a football game at a different SEC stadium each year with his dad and brother. So far he's been to three different ones the last three years. He may miss one here and there, but it's something he plans and looks forward to each year around the same time.

NOTE - At this time, June of 2014, he and Mikie have not missed a year and have been to EIGHT SEC stadiums. It adds up fast!

My sister, Bev, and her family are trying out new campgrounds right now. They'll be going to their second "new" campground this summer in just a few days, and she has plans for them to try several others.

The kids and I love zoos. (Mikie just "likes" them.) We've been to The Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, The Atlanta Zoo, The Birmingham Zoo, and I would count the Wild Animal Safari Park near Callaway Gardens as a zoo, too. (We are close to the Montgomery Zoo, and we could have gone to the zoos in Memphis and Nashville if I had planned our itinerary a little differently.) If you wanted to add Aquariums to the mix, we've been to Sea World, Atlanta, Gatlinburg and Chattanooga. (Mike and I went to one in Baltimore on our honeymoon, too.)

Most of the things I mentioned above have "just happened." They haven't been planned or specifically chosen each and every year.

But planning would work well for this "once-a-year" tradition.

I talked to a friend this week who has been to several restaurants their family has seen on Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives. We have "accidentally" been to three or four of these restaurants ourselves.

Talk to your family and "pick" a yearly destination. It doesn't have to be a major trip, and it doesn't have to cost major money. Here's a list of some ideas. Feel free to add some of your own (and share with us if you like).

Zoos
Aquariums
Small Town Festivals
County Fairs
College Football Games (Away)
Minor League or Major League Baseball Games (Away)
Water Parks
Farms
State Capitols
Campgrounds
Botanical Gardens

Have a stupendous Tuesday. I'll be back Friday with tons of Summer stuff, Weekend Happenings, Way Back When... and a little more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda