Evening Grill & Swim

A few evenings back, we took our dinner by the pool : 

Riley models dollar store couture... bathing suit, goggles, & water toys- all a buck each.  

 To see her all decked out, you may never guess she prefers sitting on the steps or clinging to my suit straps... 

Fourth of July Recap Fun & Family (Part 3)

Independence Day was a beautiful day for a picnic on the beach: 

Beach  Baby (there, on the sand) 

Boogie Boardin' Dude:

And Dudette: 

Pigskin Passers:

Team Boogie:

 Castle Building (& kicking)

& God Bless Freedom of Press:

Fourth of July ReCap~ The Food (Part 2)

Of course there were the fried things I told you about earlier.

 (way, way, way earlier at this point)

Then there were these other, mostly pre-packaged fried things that we haven't yet discussed. 

Jalapeno Poppers and Cheese Filled Pretzel bites. 

Appetizing...no? (NO) 

Some 'DIY' corn pup nuggets: 

Before:

Post Oven:

And also, Chili Cheese Oven Fries:

Not to mention some salsa & chips that accompanied us to the shore:

Current Favorite Salsa:

(CHIPS & DIP-the original moveable feast)

And then there were the mini Cherry YumYum pies.

The food with the story attached. (You knew there had to be one, right?)

You see, I always think about MeeMaw Brewer around Independence Day.

Cherry YumYum was one of her signature dishes and one of our last family gatherings with her was a July 4th.

Now, while Aundree was indeed a beloved family member, by the time I joined the family she was  almost completely bats (no offense, MeeMaw... it's okay, we loved you still... Rest In Peace, now)

 One of my favorite memories from that July 4th gathering is the memory of cake tossing in the kitchen ,as slightly fictionalized in this old short story contest entry.  I re-read over it before linking in- and my bad writing form aside, I still laughed all the way through, because the only thing that didn't really happen in that story was MeeMaw thinking it was Thanksgiving.

 ... and that is why I make Cherry YumYum on the Fourth of July. 

 
Cherry YumYum pies are terribly easy to make.

(One block of cream cheese, one container of cool whip, Cherry pie topping)

((Also tasty: substitute Nutella or Chocolate Peanut Butter or Lemon Curd or Pretty Much Anything for pie filling))

FryingThings

In my attempt to bring this little family blog up to speed, we are nearing the Fourth of July 

(and it's only August!) 

When we were preparing to celebrate America's Independence from the Queen Mother, we asked ourselves "What is American?" 

And though we came up with some pretty humorous answers, one that we all agreed on was fried foods. So, a box of puff pastry was purchased, the fry pot filled with oil, and we began to look for creative things to wrap- though we also planned on some hand pies; Cherry & Apple.  

Gotta let it thaw

Some of those nuggets are filled with Dark Chocolate JIF- better than a Reece Cup (we tried that too) 

Clay's favorite was the ham & cheddar- next time I will try a portion with ham & cream cheese too. 

That's it... no real rhyme or reason for this post... just working through a photo archive and thought to share out healthy American eats. 

Table Time

Still trying to catch up on the 'family photo album' aspect... just a rare shot with all children in the frame... and a bonus snapshot of Clay walking past... I love Riley's resigned expression in these:

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.