Farmer Party

Good Monday morning!

The Showcase Pic this week is, of course, the kids and Mike Father's Day evening. We decided to make Dreamland a Father's Day tradition (especially since we haven't been since Father's Day last year). And, as everyone knows, after three years it isn't just a coincidence... it's a TRADITION!!

The Gallery Pics are a mix of Saturday at the lake with Mike's family and some more Father's Day pics. Nothing spectacular... just the Faulkner Five.

NOTE TO JONI: Thank you so much for trying to figure out ways to help me with my numbers. Yes. If you turn off your computer and log back on to "A Simple Life," it will indeed increase my numbers... but it counts as a "0" as far as pages read, etc. You absolutely do not have to do that... but I appreciate the offer. You're an excellent "blog friend" (and you're a good "real person friend," too).

NOTE TO LEANNA: Yeah, baby! I'm watching Jon & Kate tonight. It doesn't sound good, does it? I hope we're all wrong and they've figured out a way to work things out... but we'll see. I'll probably just do my TV Review tomorrow, and get it over with. You can let me know what you thought of the show in the Comment Section if you get a chance.

NOTE TO LANA: I'm putting my present up today, so the picture will be in the Gallery tomorrow. I like to try to have a new picture every day, and that one will do nicely, I think. Thank you for the gift. I will enjoy it for years to come.

Saturday Happenings - Saturday was incredibly hot in Alabama. There's no other words to use. Well, actually there are, but the two I chose sum it up pretty well. I'm just going to share a few moments/events that stand out in my Alabama sun-fried mind...

1. My great-nephew, Matthew, was so sweet and smart and funny and pleasant... even taking into account the heat and not getting his full nap. He's walking, talking, reading (yes... reading). He knows all his "parts" (nose, ears, mouth, etc.), and he has excellent manners (please, etc.). All of the above, and he's not even 18 months yet. I'm telling you... the boy is a genius. But more than anything else, he's just plain cute.

2. Tubing was a huge hit since it was so hot. We had several "funny" happenings on the tubes, but a couple stand out. We were pulling Jared, our nephew (who is a different Jared from Jared, our nephew and father of great-nephew, Matthew... anyone confused?). Mike was driving and, as always, I was sitting backward in the boat watching for the hand signals associated with tubing. Thumbs-up means "faster" (unless it's Roxie), thumbs-down means "slower" and the hand slicing across your throat means "stop." (The hand slicing across your throat while screaming simply means "stop now.")

Because it was Jared, Mikie was a little merciless... which I've noticed men tend to be while pulling other men on the tube. There was a group/gathering/herd of ducks on the water. I knew the minute Mike Faulkner saw the ducks exactly what he had in mind. The boat turned and he maneuvered it back and forth until not only was he heading for the group/gathering/herd of ducks, but Jared was also bouncing and getting enough air to not notice he was heading in that direction. Mike squealed with delight (code for LAUGHED LIKE A MANIAC) when Jared hit the water (on the tube) in the middle of the ducks. While I give Jared complete credit for not hitting a duck, I will have to say the ducks were pretty amazing. They weren't even fazed when a tube carrying a man landed in their midst. They didn't even flap or quack. Those were pretty calm ducks.

3. The second "funny" had to do with Josh. We were letting the line get tight, and we rode by a trot line. For people who do not know what a trot line is (like me until yesterday), it is a brightly colored floatation device. Attached to the floatation device is a long fishing line with hooks. People put them out in the morning and come back at the end of the day and collect their trot lines. Hopefully, they will have fish on the end.

As we drove slowly past this particular trot line, Mike saw it go under the water. That meant there was a fish on the end. He started laughing and yelled back to Josh to pick up the floatation device. Josh started pulling the line up... and the line started fighting back. His eyes were huge as he continued to pull and then lift up a pretty large catfish. "Get a picture, Mom. This is the biggest fish I've ever caught," he yelled. I obliged, but used my big paparazzi camera so there is no fish picture to share today. And there isn't a picture of Josh's face when we told him to put it back. It was a sad, sad face. Of course, Mikie thought this was hilarious, too. (Mike laughed a lot on Saturday.)

Father's Day was a nice day. The sermon Sunday morning was excellent. It talked about the four things a father should be: present, protective, personal and permanent. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Kevin showed a clip from the movie The Rookie with Dennis Quaid. It's a true story about a man who always dreamed of playing major league baseball and finally got the chance in his 30s. (Great movie, by the way.) The scene shown at church was Dennis Quaid's character and his father. Although they had never had a good relationship, it was a scene full of forgiveness and finally, finally neither one saying the wrong thing. Anyway, it was enough to make me change my mind about Faulkner Family Movie Night Sunday night, and we rented The Rookie instead of what I had originally planned.

As I said above, we ate at Dreamland before heading home for the movie. It was a good day. (And by the way... Mike is all four of the "Ps" mentioned above and more.)

Farmer Party

The theme for this party is found in Genesis 8:22. God promises there will always be a seed time and harvest.

Suggested Size - 5 to 10 kids
Type - Boy or girl
Age - 2 to 5 years-old

This party is best held outdoors. Your backyard or a local park would be great locations. If it rains, never fear.... this party will work just as well indoors.

Do you have any overalls? Wear them and aks all guests to wear them (or bluejeans) if possible.

SCHEDULE - 90 minutes

15 Minutes - Arrive, Play Horseshoes, Yardstick Horses
20 Minutes - Hayrides, Milk the Cow
10 Minutes - Chow Down
20 Minutes - Devotion, Harvest Game
10 Minutes - Open Presents
10 Minutes - Free Play

HORSESHOES

Make horseshoes out of colored poster boards, taping pennies to the two ends and middle of each horsehoe to give it weight. You can let the kids try to throw the horseshoes into a laundry basket from a marked line. The poster board horseshoes works great with the 2 and 3 year-old crowd. (You can also use a child's plastic horseshoe set.)

YARDSTICK HORSES

Make the horses using poster board and yarn for the head and mane. Let the kids play on these until you are ready for the organized games. It may be hard to get the kids off the horses because they are such fun. Tell them the horses must go back in the barn for a while, and put the horses out of sight until you are ready to use them again at the end of the party.

HAYRIDES

Put some hay in a small red wagon or wheelbarrow and let some of the other adults give the children hayrides around the yard. FUN! This will be their favorite.

MILK THE COW

Use a rubber glove and make a pin prick in each finger tip. Pour a small amount of milk into the glove. Twist the top of the glove and hold it tight while you let the children take turns squirting the milk out of the fingers of the glove into a pail. (I used this activity, but I used an old sawhorse as the "cow." Just tie the glove under the sawhorse and have a milking stool and a pail so the kids feel like they are really milking a cow.)

CHOW DOWN

You will serve farm snacks and a pig cake. Lay some quilts or red checkered tablecloths on the ground to have a picnic. You can also serve farm snacks in a produce basket lined with red napkins or bandannas.

SUGGESTIONS FOR SNACKS

Apples, peaches or berries
Carrot sticks
Homemade biscuits
Cheese and/or ham slices
Bacon
Pig Cake

PIG CAKE

This is a super easy cake. Make a yellow cake using 1-8" round. (You don't want this to be a tall cake.) Use light pink icing.

For the snout, cut the top off a cupcake (do not discard) and put the cupcake upside down in the middle of the top of the cake. Ice it pink, also. Use brown M & Ms for the nostrils and eyes.

For the ears, cut the top of the cupcake in half. Ice both pieces pink and put them on the cake plate touching the edge of the cake for ears.

With the remaining batter, you can make cupcakes or a plain iced 8" round. Easy and very pig-like.

DEVOTION

Ask the kids if they know some of the jobs farmers have. They may mention milking cows, planting seeds, picking apples and corn or baling hay. Ask them if they know who really makes all the wonderful crops grow. Make a poster with pictures cut from magazines of different fruits and vegetables. Print the words from Genesis 8:22 on the poster.

The Bible says God has made a wonderful cycle. The farmer plants the seeds in the spring, and by fall, the crops have grown. We call the crops that grow the "harvest." God is the one we depend on for the crops to grow. Do you suppose the farmers thank God when they have a good harvest. Shouldn't we thank Him, too?

Pray with the children to thank God for the harvest and the crops.

HARVEST TIME

Around the yard, you should place enough construction paper apples for each child to gather (at least five per child). Attach a small candy to each apple to make the game more exciting (or use real apples). When you give the signal, the kids will hunt for apples in the yard. Their limit is five. Tell them after they have found five, they have to come sit down. Let them eat at least one of their candies while they wait on the others.

OPENING PRESENTS

Have the birthday boy or girl sit in a chair beside a wheelbarrow holding the presents. Have the other children sitting on a bandanna with their name on it (taped to the floor) arranged in a semi-circle. Call out each child's name to give their gift by saying, "Farmer Kristen. Get your gift out of the wheelbarrow to give to the birthday boy!"

FREE PLAY

1. Riding yardstick horse
2. More hayrides

PICTURE SUGGESTION

Have a bale of hay sitting next to a tree somewhere in the yard. Take each child's picture sitting on the bale of hay (wearing a straw hat, holding a piece of straw in their teeth, etc.)

SUGGESTIONS ON FAVORS

1. Favor containers - Produce baskets
2. Yardstick horses
3. Straw hats and bandannas
4. Plastic farm animals
5. Packet of vegetable seeds
6. White plastic cup with cow spots painted on it
7. Red Apple
8. Candy from Harvest Game

Taken from Parties With a Purpose. (I've tried to find it, but I think this book is out of print.) I used this party for Josh's 2 year-old birthday. It was a big hit with him, Austin and his cousins. Easy, fun and inexpensive... PERFECT COMBO!

Have a fabulous Monday. Try to stay cool. Personally, I'm planning on sitting on an air conditioning vent all day! Tomorrow I have a simple, yet yummy, recipe to try.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.