Fall Mall Scavenger Hunt

Good Wednesday morning!

Before we get started on today's Seasonal Tradition, The Fall Mall Scavenger Hunt, I would like to share a couple of old embarrassing moments with you. Stay with me... it will all make sense in the end.

During my days as a legal secretary, I remember running to the courthouse with a file for my boss one fine spring day. I stopped by AmSouth (see how old I am) and on a small ledge I went through the file to make sure I had everything. I looked up into a large tinted window in front of me and noticed a large circle billowing around my head, not unlike a peacock strutting with his feathers fanned out. I couldn't figure out what was causing the circle... until I heard some unnecessary comments from a few passersby. The wind had blown my very full skirt all the way up and over my head. Needless to say, I'm one of the few people who really appreciates my mother telling me to always wear clean underwear.

Then there was the time the janitor at my church waxed the organ bench and failed to tell me, so when I reached over to pull myself to the center of the bench in my new green silk dress on a Sunday morning, I ended up head first across the altar railing.

Oh, and the time I bought control-top pantyhose from a "seconds" catalog someone had at work, and as soon as I got in the car to go home that day I began to take them off because I couldn't stand it a moment longer. Halfway home with my pantyhose worked down to my knees, my horn got stuck for some inexplicable reason and I had to ride 22 more minutes to my house unable to get the hose up OR down with my horn calling attention to my plight. "Please don't let a policeman pull me over. Please don't let a policeman pull me over," I said to myself over and over, knowing that if one did, I would be unable to get out of the car since my legs were numb from the knees down, and it would be just too hard to explain.

Or the time I was playing for a wedding. My music minister was singing for the wedding and my pastor was performing the ceremony. The bride came up before the wedding began and handed us all a gift. The music minister opened his package and received $50. The pastor opened his gift and received $50. As you can imagine, I tore into my gift like it was Christmas and sitting on the organ bench in front of the church with my music minister and pastor looking on I pulled out three pair of teeny-tiny Victoria's Secret bikini undies: black, white and blush. Thankfully, my pastor softened the situation by assuring me the only reason he and the music minister didn't receive underwear for services rendered was because the bride must have been unsure as to whether they wore briefs or boxers.

I've said all of the above knowing that everyone has his/her own embarrassing stories to tell. They are universal. I just want to encourage all parents out there (parents of tots to teens) to play and be with their children. Hold hands and skip through the grocery store parking lot with your four year old; roll down a steep hill with your six year old boy or girl; go down a slide, swing in a swing or twirl on a merry-go-round in a park. Go on a Fall Mall Scavenger Hunt with your teenage girl and her friends and don't be embarrassed by their silly behavior, their excitement, their unabashed joy. Don't be embarrassed to be a parent and play with your kids... no matter what the age.

I lived next to a wonderful woman who was raising her granddaughter. Her granddaughter was energy and exuberance and sweetness all wrapped in a beautiful red-headed package. My Roxie adored her and one Christmas we asked the grandmother and granddaughter to join us for a Christmas tea at a local tea room. As they walked across the yard to leave for the tea room, I noticed there was something different about my neighbor. She was (and is) a beautiful grandmother and she was dressed to perfection, but there was something going on up in the hair department. As she got closer, I saw that she had about a dozen little butterfly clips all in her hair... bangs pulled back... literally butterflies EVERYWHERE! I didn't know what to say, but she quickly put me at ease. "My granddaughter did my hair especially for our tea today. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, yes it is," I responded weakly. And then watching four year-old Roxie smile and nod, I looked at the hair-do through her eyes. It was beautiful. And my admiration for this sassy grandmother rose to another level. We went to the fancy tea room dressed to the nines, and yes, people noticed her "more than a little different" hair-do, but she held her head up and she was elegance personified.

"Did you like her hair?" Roxie asked me later that evening.

"Yes, I did!" I responded with gusto... and in my mind I thought, "I hope one day I'm just like that grandmother." Someone who always remembers what it's like to be a child, and someone capable of seeing things through the eyes of a child. It's a good lesson for a mom or a dad.

Now, with that in mind, here's a fun tradition you can do each year with your teenager and her friends because it can change so easily and it will never be boring!

Fall Mall Scavenger Hunt

Age 13 - Older

All you'll need for this one is a mall (indoor or outdoor), another mom for chaperon purposes, six to ten girls, one digital camera and one phone for each group, and a $5 bill for each group.

Divide the girls into two even teams with one adult as the "check-in" chaperon. (If you decide to have more than ten girls -- 12+ -- divide into three teams and add one more mom.)

When you arrive at the mall, give each group the following list:

1. Find an XL red sweater or shirt and have one girl in the group try it on. TAKE A PICTURE.

2. Find the word "Fall" or "Thanksgiving" somewhere in a sign hanging anywhere in the mall. TAKE A PICTURE.

3. Find a window display that has something you can wear that has the color YELLOW (purse, shoes, dress, coat, etc.). TAKE A PICTURE.

4. Pick one person to ride the carousel. Use part of the $5 to pay. TAKE A PICTURE.

5. Everyone ride up an escalator and immediately go down an escalator. TAKE TWO PICTURES.

6. Go to the food court and with part of the $5, buy a cookie. Everyone must have a bite. TAKE A PICTURE OF THE COOKIE.

7. Call and find out where your chaperon mom is and meet up with her NOW. TAKE A PICTURE.

8. Go to The Disney Store and find a stuffed Pooh, Minnie or Mickey Mouse animal. TAKE A PICTURE.

9. Find the glass elevator. Go to the ground floor and ride to the second floor. TAKE A PICTURE OF THE FOOD COURT AS YOU RIDE UP.

10. Go to the book store and find a copy of the Chronicles of Narnia. TAKE A PICTURE.

11. Go to K. B. Toys and find a Barbie. TAKE A PICTURE.

12. Once more, call and find out where your chaperon mom is and meet up with her now. TAKE A PICTURE.

13. Ask your chaperon mom if she has an envelope for you. TAKE A PICTURE OF THE ENVELOPE.

14. Open the ENVELOPE. The note in the envelope should read as follows:

You have done well. Now go to Chick-Fil-A and get your dinner. Find a table to sit down and eat. The first team who has all their food and is seated TOGETHER at a table will be declared the winners.

To make sure the teams are not running side by side during the whole competition, you will need to type the same list two times, but mix up what they are supposed to do. Numbers 12, 13 and 14 will be the only numbers that stay in that order. Numbers 1 through 11 will be mixed up on the second list.
If the girls are younger teens (13 or 14) and you're uncomfortable with them being alone in a group without a mom present, a mom can go with them. However, when the clue says to call a Chaperon Mom, they have to call the mom who is with the other group.

It is a lot of fun. And after dinner (which they pay for with their own money), you can walk around the mall, or just get back in the vans and head home. It's up to you.

Of course, this Scavenger Hunt was made specifically for the Galleria Mall in our area. If you have a different mall, you will need to personalize it.

It is also good for families with younger children. You can adapt it with a Mom Group and a Dad Group looking for things smaller kids could spot. Then it would just become a great Family Date instead of a party. (Another option: Do it with another family -- family against family.) There are a lot of possibilities. Just use your imagination.

I hope you have a good time.

Check in tomorrow for a great, inexpensive at-home date for you and one of your kids.

Have a great day!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Good Tuesday morning!

First things first... I'm going to give you the recipe for Crock Pot Italian Chicken so you can all rush out and get the ingredients and have it for supper tonight!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup broth
Cook on low for three hours.

8 oz. cream cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
4 oz. mushrooms
Mix and pour over chicken.

Cook one more hour on low.

Serve with rice (you can actually put the chicken and "gravy" over a bed of rice), salad and crunchy Italian bread. It got 5 stars on the Faulkner Family Rating System (5 being the best you can have)!

Remember, this is a copied recipe, so you'll know it will be good. I got it out of a magazine (I don't even remember which one).

Weekend Wrap-Up

I just wanted you to know that after the Declaration was passed around, the weekend went very well... even though our college football team lost. (I only have so much control. Maybe I should have sent them a copy of the Declaration?!?) The guys had a great time, and Josh got to check off one more SEC stadium on his list.

Some of my favorite moments had to be Saturday night going out to eat with Ms. Dawn and Savanna. Roxie and Savanna dressed up in true 12 year-old "funky" fashion (glitterized and accessorized to the "nth" degree) and we just had a very relaxed "non-hamburgery" type meal in a very nice restaurant. (I had somehow become the recipient of a gift certificate to Cheesecake Factory, and Dawn and I shared it making our meal cost LESS than a more "hamburgery" type establishment. (Nothing wrong with hamburgers... they are a staple in our diet.) If you haven't tried them yet, I highly recommend the fried macaroni and cheese balls. I think they're in the appetizer section of the 100 page menu. I sampled them off of Dawn and Savanna's plates. Very good.

My next favorite thing had to be the photo shoot with Austin, my nephew, Brad, and their girlfriends at the Botanical Gardens. We had the best time, and I got some beautiful fall shots. The boys were so much more willing to pose with the chicks there, so from now on... you guessed it... chicks will be coming to photo shoots.

Just a real quick story about the Botanical Garden photo shoot. The Botanical Gardens is my most favorite place on earth. (I also love Aldridge Gardens.) I just think the gardens are peaceful and beautiful, and I can actually feel myself becoming more calm when I am there. I've taken the kids for pictures once or twice a year since they were very small, and I am thrilled that I still get to make those trips as they get older.

I used to call the maitre d' at the fancy French restaurant inside the Botanical Gardens the end of October every year and ask him if the leaves were changing. He would immediately try to refer me to a "plant person" somewhere else in the gardens, but I would stop him. "No, no, no! You are the person I have to talk to. Please walk across the restaurant to the last window and look out and see if the tree in the corner is totally yellow yet." Heavy sigh from the heavily accented maitre d'.

"The tree has yellow in some places, but not everywhere."

"Okay. Well, I'll just call you again next week," I would cheerfully respond. And then I would hang up quickly before he could tell me not to call back.

The next week, I would make the same call, and now instead of trying to transfer my call, he would walk to the window and say something like, "It is almost ready, but not quite."

"Are there any yellow leaves under the tree that have already fallen?" I was really pushing my luck now.

"Just a few. I would wait one more week." He was really getting into it now.

The day before we planned on coming... perfect fall weather - CHECK; coordinating fall clothes - CHECK; ten rolls of film - CHECK; extra batteries for the camera - CHECK. One more call to my friend. "Hey, remember me? How's the tree looking?"

"I was just checking the tree. It is perfect." I had turned this guy into a Tree Nut, too. I declared him my new "best friend."

As the years passed, I still called him until the restaurant changed, and he was no longer there. Now I have to rely on gut instinct, because the "new guy" isn't a Tree Nut like my French friend and me. I miss him. I think, in a weird sort of way, he understood me. So few people do!

Anyway, after our boyfriend/girlfriend photo shoot, we all went to Starbucks for frappuccinos (I remember when it used to be McDonald's for a Happy Meal), and then headed back to the house to get to church on time. It wasn't over two hours together, but it was certainly enjoyable.

We caught up with Amazing Race and Survivor and headed to bed. So most, if not all, of the weekend turned out amazingly well.

Enjoy your easy meal tonight. And tune in tomorrow for a really, really fun teenage (boy or girl) Seasonal Tradition.

By the way, after taking 38 photographs of Copper in a row, I have a pretty good one. It will be next week's Showcase Pic in the right hand corner. Don't miss it because I doubt if I'll be working that hard to get Copper's photo again! (He is a pretty little beagle though, isn't he?)

Don't forget to VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Have a great day and I'll talk to you tomorrow!