Ladybug Party

Good Monday morning!

I'll give you a little warning. This is a LONG post, but it is divided into sections, so skip what you must, read what you want and don't let the length get you down. I've tried to put a little something in for everyone!

The Showcase Pic this morning is of two of my favorite guys from last week's camping trip... Mikie and Sparkle. I know it's not my "most current" work, but I like it!

The Gallery Pics are from our last day camping. Well, we weren't actually camping as much as we were enjoying the track at Talladega. I'll tell you all about it below!

A Camping Story - Wind"y" Creek - Part 4

Sadly, it was time to pack up and head home. We were tired. We were cold. And I had a mountain of laundry to take care of when we hit the door of our home, sweet home. But wait! There was just one more thing we had to do.

Michael (not to be confused with Mikie) had heard that 21 race car drivers (FAMOUS race car drivers) were going to be testing their cars from 8:30 to 5:30 Tuesday at Talladega.

It was open to the public. The public was going to be sitting in the good seats. The public was going to be able to use the REAL bathrooms and NOT the portable potties. There was going to be a Question and Answer session at lunch with two of the drivers... Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton. Oh, and the best part (other than the real bathrooms)... IT WAS FREE.

We arrived not knowing if it would be "300 people crowded" or "6,000 people crowded." We didn't know where to sit to get the best pictures of the famous race car drivers. But guess what? There were hardly any people there at all (definitely in the 300-people range). And guess what else? Five minutes after we sat down in our nice seats the two famous race car drivers walked down the aisle BESIDE US and stood almost DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US! It was perfect! (Except for some kid in an orange hoody who decided to get a closer look by standing in front of me and the drivers. Don't worry. I was not unkind... but Mikie had to handle most of the picture taking since he had a better view.)

The Question and Answer session was WAY over my head, but I laughed when the other people laughed, and I groaned when the other people groaned, and I applauded (LOUDLY) when they talked about the new spoilers. (Don't ask me... I have NO idea.)

All in all, it was an exciting experience. While Roxie and I (along with Ally and Bryant) probably didn't get into the racing as much as the other people in our group, it was a first for the Faulkner Five. And that means we had THREE "firsts" this camping trip.

1. First time camping with the Tuggles.

2. First time partaking of a Crab Boil.

3. First time watching a fake race at Talladega (and meeting Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton).

WOW! That's a successful camping trip!

We ended our day with lunch at a local McDonald's before heading home. The Tuggles went back to Wind"y" Creek for one more night, and we headed home to my laundry room. We were tired and smoky, but definitely happy.

And I guess this is the part of the story where I finally type the words...

THE END!

Weekend Review

Friday night found me and Mikie free and clear to enjoy a date. We arranged with our Tuggle friends to double since they were childless for the evening, also. We did the "movie and a dinner" thing, and had a great time. (It's amazing how much fun you can have in climate controlled buildings, which means my body temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. Just the way I like it!)

Austin worked, Josh went to the movie with a friend and Roxie went to Tuscaloosa to watch the gymnastics meet with her buddy.

Saturday, Mikie, Josh and Roxie headed to Oxford for a visit with Mike's parents. Austin had to work that afternoon, so he wasn't able to go, but he and I hung around the house together. He worked on homework and I worked on the house. (More laundry, you know.)

Saturday night we had our Hoover friends over for dinner and a marshmallow roast. That was fun. Oh, and I tried a new Southern Living recipe which was very, very good (and very, very easy). I'll be sharing it with you tomorrow, so you need to come back just for the recipe.

I took my first nap in ten days on Sunday afternoon. And Roxie woke me up from my first nap in ten day to go shopping for a couple of hours. I forgave her (sort of), and we headed out looking for the elusive denim capri. (FOUND THEM!)

And then it was time for Amazing Race AND finishing homework AND packing AND laying out books, etc. for school and work the next day. Heavy, heavy sigh. Spring Break is one of the shortest weeks in the year, don't you think?

I'd love to hear what any of you did this past week. Did you go somewhere new or exciting? Did you discover a new restaurant, campground or activity some of us would be interested in trying? If so, leave it in the Comment Section or on my e-mail, and I'll be sure to share it in the next day or so.

Easter "Oldie"

I have yet another Easter "oldie" for your Easter files. You do have Easter files, don't you? Yeah. Me neither. That's one of the purposes of A Simple Life... you don't have to keep files!

New Creation Celebration

Try this party which was "created" for your immediate family. Fun, easy, inexpensive AND it teaches a Biblical truth. You can't beat that.

Bible Concept: When we love Jesus, we become joyous new creations.

Scripture Basis: 2 Corinthians 5:17

You will need the following:

Bible
Vinegar
Dull pennies
Plastic eggs
Surprise Cupcakes (see recipe below)

Surprise Cupcakes

Prepare a box of cake mix according to the directions on the package, but do not bake the batter. (Make sure there is one cupcake per person attending this party.) Fill ice-cream cones half full of cake batter, then add a gumdrop. Continue to fill the cone to one inch from the top. Bake according to the directions or until golden brown. Cool and decorate with icing, shredded green coconut and tiny jelly beans.

This party is a celebration of the newness of spring, and of our hearts when we love Jesus!

Tell each person they are required to wear something "new" or "different." They can borrow something from another family member, make a new paper hat or wear a shirt backwards.

You may wish to decorate a festive party table by covering it with Easter gift wrap and setting the table with colorful paper goods. For an extra touch, fill an Easter basket with fresh flowers and place it in the center of the table. Fresh flowers colorfully accentuate the party theme of "new life."

Gather family members and warmly welcome them to the New Creation Celebration. Say, "I see you all have on something 'new.' Can you guess what each other's new item is?" Encourage family members to tell their guesses about what "new" item each person is wearing. Have each family member explain what is new and different.

Then ask the following questions:

1. Does wearing something new or different make you a different person? Why or why not?

2. If people can't change themselves by what they wear, how do they change?

3. Who is the only one who can bring us new life so we truly become new creations?

Say, "Jesus is the only one who helps us become truly new creations. How does He do this? Let's see if the Bible has the answer." Choose someone to read aloud 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Ask the following questions:

4. How do you think we become changed by loving Jesus?

5. Why is there great joy in being new creations in Christ?

6. What do you think happens to show we're new creations?

Invite family members to each take a dull penny and tell ways we are like dull pennies before we love Jesus. Then drop the pennies into a bowl of vinegar and soak them for several minutes. Play the game listed below while the pennies soak:

Egg Roll Relay - Hand a plastic egg to each person. On "go," challenge players to roll the eggs to the other end of the room in any way they desire such as with their noses or toes or hands. When they reach the opposite end of the room, players must switch eggs with another person and return to their starting places, again rolling the eggs on the return trip.

Now hand each person a paper towel and scoop out a penny. Have everyone rub and polish his or her penny until it shines brilliantly.

Now ask the following question:

7. How are these shiny pennies like our lives when we love Jesus?

Say, "When we love Jesus, we become changed like new creations... just as the dull pennies became like new. We know we're new by the joy we feel inside and by the way we're able to love and accept others. There is no greater joy than the joy we have in being new creations in Christ!"

Have family members gather at the party table and help themselves to a Surprise Cupcake. Before enjoying the special treats, offer a prayer thanking God for Jesus' love and for the way we become changed when we love Him.

Explain each Surprise Cupcake has a surprise inside to remind everyone about the way we change inside when we love Jesus. When someone discovers the hidden surprise, he or she is to say, "I'm changed inside, and I love Jesus!"

Let family members keep their shiny pennies to remind them how new and bright their lives are as a result of Jesus' love.

Taken from Affordable Family Fun.

Ladybug Party

Here are some fun ideas for a ladybug party this spring.

Upon the guests' arrival, give the kids ladybug attire (an antennae made out of a plastic headband, black pom poms and black pipe cleaners).

Craft - Buy enough small flower pots for each guest. Have your guests stamp their fingerprints on the pots with red paint. Each fingerprint can be a ladybug’s body. The kids can also paint black dots on the ladybugs. At the end of the party, the kids can take the pots home.

Note - Print out interesting ladybug facts and tape a different one on each flower pot before the children decorate so they can learn something about ladybugs.

Note - In clean plastic cups which fit inside the flower pots, you can make pudding topped with crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms. Place a cup in each pot. The children can eat this as a dessert.

Games

1. Play Pin the Spot on the Ladybug!

2. Play Spot the Spot! Cut out hundreds of black spots and write “winner” on the back of a few of them. Tape the spots everywhere... indoors where the guests will enter or all around the party table or outside on your deck or patio.

Toward the end of the party, have the children collect all of the spots. The children who find the spots with “winner” written on the back win a small prize!

These ideas were taken from www.pepperspollywogs.com.

Have a glorious (but cold) Monday. Tomorrow I will have the Southern Living recipe I tried Saturday night. It received five stars from the Faulkner Five. Not bad! I'll also have another Easter "oldie" in recipe form, and I'll be sharing something I recently read with you, too.

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

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda