Drive, Chip & Putt

Some family members from home alerted  us to the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship when the ad started airing on tv during this season's Master's Tournament. I promptly registered Chandler and a little later, we received notice that he had made the 'lottery-style' cut for the first qualifying round. 

We've been a little pre-occupied with baseball, but Chandler took the opportunity to practice at the driving range whenever he could find a chance to do so. 

Though he has been swinging a club since he could hold one, and though he believes golf to be his birthright (I mean, he's from Augusta, how could it NOT be so, right ? Right. ) Aside from friendly rounds of "PuttPutt", this was Chandler's first competitive anything to do with golf. 

Chandler's First ScoreBoard  

Chandler warms up before his group is called to the tee box. 

Chandler waits for his turn at the first event: Driving

 Is there anything more fun than entertaining a toddler in a 'mandatory quiet zone' ? I don't think there could be. Perhaps dental work without Novocain, but it's an awfully close call.

Who can resist conical cups? Not us. Even with the benefit of a sippy cup on hand, we insist on experiencing the joy of cold splashes of water whenever a conical cup is available. 

Coach Dad consulting Chandler as his 'time' draws near. 

An exceedingly nervous Chandler tees up. 

A true picture of "tension" as the men on either side of the ball try to will it to obey their gestures: 

Chandler wasn't feeling too swell about things as we left... I can only share this photo because it was such a quick, sneaky shot it preserves most of his dignity in its off-centerdness...but I wanted to share it because it is the next best thing available  to having watched in person as his dad wrapped an arm around him, beaming with pride anyway... "Attaboy- you're my son and I'm proud of you!" <paraphrased, of course>  

Sunshine and Bananas

The BigKids were forced to exit the pool when the rain grew heavy and annoying and cold. We took our little sunshine with us.

On the way back to The Dry, we spotted bananas growing over the community fountain. I have since charged Clay to fetch them for me. We recently watched The Princess Bride again and my head is still full of Buttercup and Farm Boy I suppose- Clay said "I'll get right on it" to which I reminded him he is supposed to say "As you wish." I am happy to report he quickly amended his reply. However, I am still waiting on the bananas. 

Palatable Pita Pockets

Another entry in the "Not Pretty But Palatable" files: 

Pita Pockets

I followed the recipe linked in the title loosely. I used White Whole Wheat along with regular All Purpose flour. I believe it added a chewy quality that I appreciate in bread. I made two batches of dough, and due to life circumstances, I left them covered on the counter overnight - as opposed to for a few hours. This turn of events gave a sour dough like quality- also appreciated in breads we consume.

Pita dough discs waiting to be flung into the oven.

Two factors made my pita less than desirable: My hastiness to finish the project and my fear of very high temperatures. 

Had I rolled the discs more uniformly and had I not flung the discs haphazardly onto the HOT baking sheet in the oven, leaving them to cook more or less in the shape that they landed, they'd have no doubt been easier to use for sandwiches.

I chose to roll some discs smaller with the kids in mind, but they were too small in the end. 

I think if I had given them more time for a second rising after rolling into discs,  an even better puff may have occurred in the oven- this goes back to the hastiness problem I carry with me through life. 

475 is HOT. Use a water bottle to spray in steam.

Pockets too small for sandwiches were pulled into pieces and enjoyed warm from the oven by all... in a sort of very informal 'communion' held spontaneously in the kitchen...and without wine. 

Though they exited their trials by fire misshapen and rather flat, they did have pocket potential. We have used them for ham and cheese, breakfast egg sandwiches and cheese pockets thus far.

Riley helped me with rolling out the pita discs.

Summer Reading Log 2

GOOD POEMS ~ various authors, arranged by Garrison Keillor

Lots of good picks here (fitting title) but I had no doubt there would be. I had gotten ahold of Good Poems for Hard Times  first- a long while back. I hope to enjoy Good Poems, American Places in the near future. I copied so many of the poems into my quote journal that my hand began to ache. I eventually had to write the remaining titles of those I wished to keep so that I could look them up, print them out and just paste them in instead...too, too many. Someday, I will have all of these volumes on my shelf...somewhere. Currently, we move too much. Stacks and stacks of books are glorious, but heavy to move about the countryside, plus I hate what happens to books in storage. 

Iscariot by Tosca Lee

Lee's writing- and subject matter- reminds me of dark chocolate. And I love dark chocolate. I love when a book glimpses a familiar subject from an unfamiliar vantage. Iscariot was that kind of book. Painting a vivid backdrop for the story of Christ's crucifixion, Lee illuminated a Judas that looked much too much like myself. 

            Nine Horses by Billy Collins

Keillor introduced me to Collins. My sister deepened my appreciation for him when she brought a few of his books to the beach last winter. His appearance on children's show "Martha Speaks" won him even more of my approval (for all that's worth!) And just knowing that someday history books will be forced to record a time when our poet laureate was a guy named Billy, well... that's exactly why I like him. He's a poet for those of us who don't "do" poetry.

In the Nine Horses Collection I discovered my current favorite: Litany. When I mentioned to my brother that he really should be reading Collins and went to find a snippet for him, I happened across two videos of Litany being recited- one by the poet himself, the other by a three year old. They are both worth glimpsing.

 The video of the three year old makes me consider adding  poetry to our catechism & memory efforts with Rye. I can hear her now: "I believe in God the Father, Almighty, maker of the bread and the knife, the crystal goblet and the wine... (She does so love listing ALL the things that God made-no two lists alike) 

And... well, I thought I was the only one going around re-writing folks' stuff (if it weren't too prideful I'd quote that oft used adage about 'Great minds flocking together.. ' Still, I take permissions to continue 'the art of borrowing' ....because Billy does it. 

And for posterity, the Martha Speaks segment: 

Leftovers Pizza

I had some 'leftover' ingredients. We turned them into lunch. 

Sauce: Half a tomato, cut & mushed up

Mixed with a little wine, tomato paste, balsamic and seasonings

Crust: Last remains of Greek yogurt & self rising flour

Pressed into an oiled pan with using a layer of plastic wrap (big help on the sticky dough finger problem) Then, buttered & seasoned with crushed garlic & pantry stocked italian flavors.

Hunked up Mozzerella ball and Basil from our patio "garden"

Baked at 375  til bubbly

Remaining garlic tossed in olive oil & salt, roasted alongside pizza in tin foil packet

Whatever roasted garlic was not eaten whole (love that stuff!) we mushed and mixed with sour cream for our dressing of a bag of orphaned Florida Red potatoes that lay abandoned in the bottom of the pantry.  ( Italian Bakers~ Mozzerella & Italian seasonings)

It weren't fancy, but it was tasty. 

Another Unlikely Pair

Earlier, I shared pictures I found online of an unlikely friendship. Here is another strange pairing found a little closer to home:

 That's my patio grape plant holding the leaf of my patio corn.  I am happy to see them supporting one another in such constructive ways  ;)

Unlikely Friends

I have been creating some visual art type things for a project. For one part, I needed a picture of 'unlikely friends' At least, that was one of the search terms I used. It was late when I came across these photos... and that is what I blamed the initial fit of giggles that overcame me on... this very late hour I found myself awake and playing with graphics.

 I have no such excuse however,  for every other time I am overcome by mirth by these candids- which is every time I happen to see them. 

That monkey's smile... 

the way he's so sincerely sharing his banana...  

Frozen Banana Whip

The first time we tried this, we only had a blender handy and the results did not resemble all the pins you see of this recipe on Pinterest and such places.

Since that time, I finally replaced my old food processor. So we gave the recipe another go.

Ingredients:

Bananas~ sliced into 'medallions'

>>For ease of use, we lined plates with the banana slices and covered them with wax paper. This allowed for stacking the plates due to limited space in the freezer. <<

Once bananas are frozen, pulse in a food processor until creamy. We neglected to make this recipe the day we intended, so the bananas were frozen pretty solid. It took a little extra scraping down the sides of the processor for everything to mesh together.

Serve immediately. Delaying too long will not lead to melting as with ice cream, but it will lead to more of a mashed banana treat than a frozen one.

Personally, I am a fan of banana ice cream. When I used to work at an ice cream scooping place, my favorite thing was to crush Reese Cups into a scoop of banana. As children, we used to get frozen, chocolate covered bananas a lot. So, we topped our 'sundae' with a mix of those flavors- peanut butter and chocolate.

Riley insisted on sprinkles of course.

If you are a banana split fan, this whip may be equally as tasty with strawberry or pineapple topping- or both!

Summer Reading Log 1

I finished reading the following from our first Summer Reading book grab at the  local library:  

Whale Season ~ N.M. Kelby

This was a fun, quirky Florida read. I had never read Kelby before. I imagine I will look up her other titles. Though this story is set at Christmas time, it feels like Summer. A lot like living here. 

There was a moment in the story where the proprietor of a strip club realizes that the disdain she feels for the men that 'should be home with their families on Christmas Eve' is misplaced... that these men are working on Christmas Eve for the sake of their families... regardless of the questionable nature of their chosen lunch spot. 

Sometimes, I am like that... it takes me a long time to see what has been right in front of me all along... to see something familiar in a new, perhaps kinder perspective. 

Or at least to choose to try to. 

Elsewhere:A Memoir ~ Richard Russo

This book explained a lot. It brought Russo into sharper focus. Nothing revealed here felt like news... more like a clearing up of the facts, already established through his fiction. As he put so well in the book

 "A writer needs to believe he's writing fiction- not thinly veiled biography" 

Even when all signs point to the latter. 

Another thing Russo did well- at least for me- was to bring a fairly unpalatable woman- not to a place where her iron will was excused or made any more appealing, rather to a spotlight where I asked myself " Am I really all that different from her myself?" 

The jury is still out on that one, folks :) 

Father&#39;s Day

PaPa and Grandkids @ Waycross 2013

This is one of those days that leave me tongue tied.

Not for a lack of good things to say. Rather for trying to find a new way to say what is good and true and known and noteworthy about the man that is my father.

And then to repeat that quest for the man whose Adventures in Fatherhood I get to watch in 'real time' as he plays dad & hero to my crew of 4.

Words just fail me, that is all.

Lots of people, in assorted tributes today,  have pointed out  what makes a man a good man- qualities that carry over into their fatherhood, making them, by default, good dads.

Then there are folks who talk about what was missing- either because Time robbed them or because certain qualities or values escaped their fathers (like sobriety.) These people too, are affirming that a good man makes for a good father. Also that those of us blessed to have our father still living here amongst us are truly blessed.

I think that what makes a list about any given father special are those things that only a child or wife would be able to list... the things that others may not know about or spend enough time to see...

So, though the day is drawing to a close and though I've already bumbled through calling my dad and trying to say what words can't capture...and even though we had a nice lunch with Clay and made a batch of cookies to mark this special day-  I thought I'd try to share something specific about each man on my respective lists.

The place we had lunch with Clay today has a small stocked pond in back. I took Rye out to see the fish after we ate. There was a large fish swimming all by his lonesome... I say his because he was OBVIOUSLY The Incredible Mr. Limpett. 

Looked just like him...

Which brings me to my dad.

No, my dad doesn't look like Limpett.

My dad introduced me to The Incredible Mr. Limpett movie when I was a young girl, amongst many other treasures that were before my time and on a higher shelf than my realm of knowledge afforded.

He kindly brough the good stuff down within reach.

I almost told Riley that the fish was Mr. Limpett... I had to remember she's only 2 and has yet to see the movie. But, I know that someday, she will know who Mr. Limpett is. And I will try to convince her that we have seen him with our very own eyes.

By then, she will have seen a host of other movies or television programs that were passed on to me by my dad, too. Old ones. Good ones.

She will also know what Southern Gospel music is. We will leave the debate about what qualifies music as 'good" for another day... it is getting late :) I know there are some who may read this that do not share an appreciation  for The McKamey's
 (even though he probably finds himself humming a tune or two from time to time... not that he'd ever admit it....am I right Nick?)

Riley will know her papa, so she will know his music :) Just as the older kids already associate the two together.

First Random Share:
>>On a recent drive in the car we passed the father of one of Chandler's team mates. "He reminds me of Papa" Chandler said..."he's always playing Southern Gospel in his car, at the field"<<

When I saw Mr. Limpett today in the pond, I thought back to the excitement my dad had over sharing certain things in life with us. He has shared things with us from which he has already wrung much joy, the act of sharing bringing him even more joy.

This couldn't be more true of a good and godly heritage. A heritage that has tremendous value and is a treasure I hold close to my heart. I could talk about that long into the twilight.

But I won't.

Today- what I guess I am focused on, is that my dad wanted us to share in the things that he enjoys. He enjoys sharing good things with us. He 'gives us good gifts' (to speak with a King James accent).

I will forever link my dad with Walt Disney... indeed, they have a certain shared ingenuity.
Sure.
But I also remember the zeal with which dad led us through the gates to Epcot.
(yes, I could go for a metaphor about Heaven here... for he has given us the map to those gates with ten times the zeal... and perhaps on another day I will wax poetic about that too...) today, however, it is important to me that he enjoys a world that we are free to dream and invent in.

He has passed that appreciation on to my siblings, myself and my children.

I believe this quality too, - especially as related to Mr. Limpett- is  about my dad's appreciation for a good story, as well as good story telling; an affinity he and I share. I love that about him.

Second Random Share:
>>Around the ballpark, a certain young man and myself have an ongoing debate about whether Antarctica is a real place or not. (I maintain that Antarctica is a giant hoax) Recently, Logan heard me recruiting some 'collaborators' to my story... she said "That is exactly something Papa would do" And my heart smiled a little... I knew she was right.
Each time we talk-this kid and me- the story grows... the conspiracy theory expands.  I help explain to him what is already so clear to those of us who've discovered the truth about Antarctica. He continues to argue what he knows to be true, albeit with a hint of question in his voice...

Someday, he will know that Antarctica exists beyond any shadow of doubt...the world will be a more finite place. Perhaps though,  he will remember a time that someone tried to convince him otherwise...and see the fun in that... the thinking it made him do. Hopefully he will smile and hopefully pass the story telling game along... whether it be to deny Antarctica exists or to convince a pack of children that a whole race of miniature Indians live in their attic (one of my dad's stories... and I was convinced! So sad to discover they weren't real...) <<

To bring this to a close with one word, I suppose I'm thinking about the quality of Whimsy.

Fun-Loving may be another way to put it.

My dad has that. 

So does Clay.

So, when I take the turn to talk about the man with whom I share four children, I will prove true at least part of a cliche'- the one about us gals marrying someone who reminds us of daddy...

 (now hold up you two- I know you think you are as different as night and day, and that's just fine... but there are some similarities on MY list... and I'm the first thing ya'll have in common... so- let me try to explain...)

... the thing on my list about Clay is that he feeds ducks...and fish... and deer...and turtles, too...  with all the joy that Riley or any of the Big Kids do. (probably more actually)

And he enjoys watching our kids have a little simple fun.

I love that about him.

Last Random Share:
>>I told my mom recently about a walk we took as a family. We spotted ducks in the nearby pond. Clay insisted we get bread... (this wasn't his first time to a duck pond... he knew how to have a little fun)
I went in to get 'duck food' and came out with a bag of Cheez-It crackers... because, the only other store nearby was an expensive bakery... the croissants were more than $3 a piece...the cheesecake didn't seem duck friendly... but, No! Clay wanted to break bread with these ducks... he went back in and promptly purchased a bag of croissants to hand out to the children...to him, the fun was worth a small splurge...without a second thought.  <<

Today, as we stood watching Mr. Limpett swim in the restaurant pond, a waiter came up and handed us  a few sandwich rolls. "Would you like to feed some fish?" he asked Riley.

Yes!
Of course!

So we took the bread and began to commune with the fish in a way unique to broken bread - with a sense of awe & wonder that two vastly different worlds can meet- if only for a moment- on a bridge made out of bread. (another metaphor for a rainy day...)

As he went back to work, I overheard the bread bestowing waiter's co-worker remark:

 "Awww, you can tell you're a daddy!"

To which I simply add, EXACTLY.

So, we wished him a happy father's day as he returned to his tasks-at-hand.

And we went back to feeding fish.

When Riley- who throws awfully big chunks of bread(...chunks the size of entire sandwich rolls, in fact...)- ran out of bread to toss on the water, she asked for more.

To which her daddy gladly offered her a share of his portion.  "Here you go, baby."

Passing down the fun he was having- so that he could enjoy watching her have the same fun.

See? Similar... Fun-Loving.

Oh, wait- I think I see a connecting theme here., too.. a bring-it-all-down-to-a-redeeming-moral opportunity... I did not plan it... did not plan any moral at all actually, but alas:

Matthew 7:9“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

According to my clock, there's only a scant 15 minutes left on this special day for fathers.  I am blessed to have been raised by one of the good ones. I am further blessed to be partnered with another truly good one. I am undeserving to belong to the best one- a heavenly Father who gave both of these good 'gifts' to me. 

If your dad has left earth...if you are a single mom... if there are some really hard life lessons your dad could stand to learn... you are not an orphan and you are not alone... even the really good daddies are mere reflections of One far greater... a Father accessible to all... through the Body- that bread of Christ, broken to connect two vastly different worlds.

Yes, I believe that is the right note to end on.

Happy Father's Day (to all... )

Peanut Butter, Banana, *Bacon &amp; Mayo Bagel

 Chewy, Tangy, Sweet & Savory... you should try it. 

* I used turkey bacon, but any type will do nicely

Make-Shift Griddle (Featuring MacGyver Clips)

One challenge I often face  is serving everyone's meal at the same time; without having the first half served cold.  Especially meals cooked in batches, like burgers or pancakes. Often times, eating a 'batch style meal' works a lot like singing in rounds... as the first group reaches the mid-point of their meal, the second group begins to eat, as the first group reaches takes their last bite,  the third group is beginning and the second group has reached mid-point... everyone finishes on whatever course they find themselves whenever I run out of ingredients... technically, all together.  

By "group" I mean, quite simply, individual.

I have a griddle that makes cooking for many a little easier. Thanks to our most recent move (into a furnished place), it was banished to storage almost a year ago... for (what feels like) forever. 

When life puts your stuff in storage- Make Lemonade!
Yeah, I mixed my metaphors. So, what?

Ice that lemonade and sip it as you improvise. 

Then pat your MacGyver self on the back.  

The point of this post is to tell you that I used a cookie sheet as a make shift griddle for our pancakes one recent morning. I also learned that it is a popular improvisation in other countries.
And now you know, too!

We did not eat- or sing- in rounds. But we all enjoyed warm pancakes around the table together. 

I did hum the MacGyver theme a little... over lemonade and maple syrup. 

(that's a lie, we were out of maple syrup, so we "MacGyvered"that too- using frozen strawberries & sugar ) 

For my particular oven, the Baking-Sheet-As-Griddle method worked best with the burners turned to High. You may need to experiment with a smaller portion of batter until you get the heat right for your own preferences/cooking speed. 

* Bonus MacGyver Clip~ in which Mac goes to the supermarket, cooks up some tear gas in aisle 6 and teams up with Granny to defeat the 'bad guys'

Rainbow Sprinkles

 Rye's art & snack session was set up like this. 

Look closely at those pencil leads, it will be important later. 

Sugar is brainfood...it was a perfectly nutritious snack...stop judgin' me :)

 Sprinkles make ya sweet...

...and Sprinkles are inspiring! 

Yes...just a shirt & training pants... it's what works for us... 

~Sugar Lips~

Okay, time for the story. 

I bought a container of sprinkles in hopes of convincing Riley to broaden her culinary horizons. Currently, she and Buddy the Elf share a similar palate. 

Yes, sprinkles are made of sugar too, but if you shake them over, say, Mashed Potatoes or Chicken Nuggets then sugar becomes a lesser ingredient. Especially when compared with most of her current preferred favorites, like "Big Chocolate Cupcake Cookies" (a.k.a. Reese Cups) and Pink Ice Cream. 

 It isn't an exact science, but it has met with some success. 

So, Riley had a little bowl of sprinkles during her art and snack session and needless to say, when she was finished I had a living room full of rainbow colored sprinkles and some artwork to add to Riley's portfolio.

BUT... I didn't clean the mess up.. I had to run to a baseball game for Chandler.  I left the chaos to be dealt with upon our return. 

The thing is, by the time we returned- it was dark. Riley had fallen asleep in the car. I tucked her in and went quietly to the living room to clean up her 'creative explosion' from earlier. I left the lights off and vacuuming til morning, opting for the quieter method of sweeping sprinkles from the coffee table into my hand. 

Who can resist sprinkles, I ask you?

Not me, that's for sure. 

Absentmindedly, I licked a few clingy sprinkles from my fingers  as I walked the lot of them to the wastebasket.

"These taste like PLASTIC!' I thought to myself.

and 

"That's what I get for buying sprinkles from the Dollar Tree."

I had brushed the remaining sprinkles into the bin and returned for the pencils when it dawned on me:

"OH! I bet I just ate colored pencil leads..."

I opened the little container of sprinkles to taste-test my hypothesis: 

If they tasted like plastic, I knew my menu expansion plan would need to be adjusted- a more expensive brand of sprinkles sought and bought before we could proceed with sprinkling the scrambled eggs in the morning. 

However, if they were sweet, as sprinkles should be, I would know I had just tasted the rainbow... quite literally. 

Well...

If they had been sprinkles, I wouldn't be telling you this story.

 I'd simply say "Don't buy dollar store sprinkles"

As it were, I say "Learn from my folly" 

Colored pencil leads or  rainbow sprinkles? It doesn't matter- toss 'em out!