Category: family

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Balloon Love

Oh, yes–we’ve done this up-by-the-crack-of-dawn, 4th of July, balloon festival thing since the caveman days. I can prove it too–check HERE and HERE…and…oh, that’s enough. Just trust me.

But THIS time the “crack of dawn” meant 5:45am instead of our usual 6:30am wake-up call.

We were determined to get there BEFORE all the balloons were in the air.

Please be amazed at all these adorable smiling faces–so very, very early in the morning!

Of course our beloved fruit pizza breakfast could have something to do with it! We are, I’m afraid–hopeless traditionalists and once something is in our celebration routine–it ain’t never coming out. :}

We had a bit more of a wait for the balloons to fill because the skies were so cloudy that the officials were nervous about lightning and wind.

We were forced to content ourselves with whatever means were available to us.

Such good sports on this silly, chilly morning.

At last, at last–a few brave souls began torching up their balloons…

all around us.

Oooooh–ooooOOh. Haven’t seen THIS guy before. Spoooky!

We spotted some of our dear friends in the crowd too–what a lovely surprise!

Who knew that there were so many crazy early-bird people in the world?

There’s just something about a field of gigantic balloons that make you feel very small and peaceful…even in a crowd.

That is, of course, until the wind kicks up and they all start deflating…

and blowing over on everyone! It was actually kinda funny–everyone running and yelling as the big things were flapping down on us. Sorry–no pictures. Too busy running!

In a matter of minutes the entire park was emptied of any sign of balloons. Gone. Just like that.

I have a feeling that this event, for us anyway, doesn’t have as much to do with the balloons as you might think. Seriously–you know our motto…

Any. Excuse. To. Play.

Heh.

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View From a Porch Swing

Right before my eyes…

Some of my very favorite bare feet.

Our lovey mountains…covered with new snow…in June… Wow.

A tired boy with a grumpy old cat on his lap. Look fast because this scene won’t happen twice. :}

Two robins–can you spot them?–sitting on the fence posts, planning their strawberry swiping strategy–right in front of me!

Sweet baby kisses for mommy.

The most comfy socks ever invented.

A couple of kids with a couple of juice pops.

The view from here is  pretty darn good.

What can you see from where you are?

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Barbeque…Cupcakes

Sooo…tell me…

who doesn’t love a barbeque? All that yummy, smokey, flame broiled goodness. And now the dessert can be hot off the grill too! Check out the adorable mini sized candy cookout. I saw them in an old issue of FamilyFun magazine and HAD to try them myself.  Maybe you can figure out what they’re made of and don’t need my help at all..

but just in case…

Take cupcakes lightly frosted with chocolate icing to start off with.

For the candy fixins’ I used:

Fruit slice gumdrops

Licorice Pastels/Hot Tamales

Cow Tails/caramel

Black Frosting

Tooth Picks

Black Food Color Marker

Orange or gold sugar crystals.

There was no way I wanted to figure out how on earth to make black frosting–so I went to the bakery at the grocery store and bought about 1/2 cup for 40 whole cents.  I let Lyndi-the-frosting-girl put the “grill” stripes on with an icing bag and tip–because she’s good at it. A ziplock bag with a teeny corner cut out would work fine too.

Sprinkle sugar crystal “embers” between the grill lines.

Draw sear marks on the red licorice “hot dogs” and stick them on the grill.

Slice the gumdrops into steaks and chicken strips.

Add sear marks and slap those babies on as well.

Cut the Cowtails, green, yellow and red gumdrops into slices and slide them onto a toothpick for the shishkabobs. Now look what you done! You’ve conjured yourself a Cookout to be reckoned with.  Just think, all that goodness and no charcoal, no lighter fluid and no smoke in your eyes. Big plus.

Dad will owe you one…

:}

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Lawn Mower…Cupcakes

Won’t these sweet little lawn mower cupcakes be a hit for this Father’s Day?  It’s quite likely that you can tell by just looking at the picture how easily they go together…but I’ll tell you anyway.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Coconut

Hershey’s Nugget Chocolates

Black Licorice Laces

Green food coloring

Cupcakes

Instructions:

Make whatever flavor cupcakes your favorite dad loves and set them aside to cool. While you’re waiting…

Pour coconut in a bowl that has a snap-on lid. Drip about 10 drops of green food coloring around the edges of the bowl and replace lid. Shake the coconut around in the bowl until it has all turned green.

Lightly frost your cupcakes–I used chocolate, but you can do what you’d like. Next dip the cupcake tops into the coconut.

Unwrap chocolate and stick it to the “grass” with icing. Use four brown M&M’s for the wheels, a red M&M for the motor and a strip of licorice looped in half and poked into the cupcake for the handle–and you’re ready to go…or should I say ready to…mow? Hahaha!

Serve them to your man…and THAT’s how simple that is.

If you love these–stick around because I have MORE Father’s Day cuties from FamilyFun magazine coming up tomorrow. Wahooo!

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