Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream

Good Tuesday morning!

The Showcase Pic is of our Special Guest for this month... LANA SMOTHERS and family. She is the mother of Kelsey and Craig and wife of Mike. Aren't they a lovely family? For Part One of her interview, look below.

The Gallery Pics, as promised, are tubing, tubing, tubing. Sorry. That was the only picture-worthy event the Faulkner Five participated in this past weekend.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! This post is INCREDIBLY long... even for me. However, everything is in nice and neat little sections, so pick and choose. Do NOT be overwhelmed. I consider it my job to inform, not terrify, the readers of A Simple Life, so breathe and relax!

"How To" Birthday Party Class

I'm going to have a "How To" Birthday Party Class in my home Tuesday, June 8 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for mothers of young boys (ages 3 to 6). I will be teaching how to throw an INEXPENSIVE Purposeful Christ-Centered Birthday Party for your son. The party themes for this class will be a Pirate Birthday Party and a Super Hero Birthday Party.

I will also be having a class Tuesday, June 15 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for mothers of young girls (ages 3 to 6). The party themes for this class will be a Luau Birthday Party and a Princess Birthday Party.

Each class will cost $10. The $10 will cover the following:

A handout for two specific parties for boys/girls in this age category (3 to 6). Each handout will include a schedule, an arrival activity (a craft), three or more games, cake ideas, invitation ideas, a FUN devotion and an ending activity.

I will have two baked and iced cakes for each class, and I will show you how to quickly and simply decorate these cakes.

I will have supplies, and we will decorate an invitation for each party. (Your birthday child will be able to do this with you for his/her party.)

We (the MOTHERS) will actually play each game, make each craft and listen to each devotion.

I will have a fun door prize for one lucky attendee, as well as two bonus birthday party gift ideas you can use for ANY party your child attends. (Affordable, memorable and unique!)

Each birthday party lasts only 90 minutes (instead of two hours), and will be fun, organized and enjoyable (for the kids AND the parents).

The cost to throw these parties in your home is minimal (no more than $25 to $30... and it can be even less if you plan in advance).

If you are interested or you have a friend who is interested, please contact me to reserve a spot via the Comment Section, Facebook or e-mail. There are only 15 spots available per class.

Tuesday, June 8 (BOYS)
6:30 - 8:00
Pirate Birthday Party
Super Hero Birthday Party

Tuesday, June 15 (GIRLS)
6:30 - 8:00
Luau Birthday Party
Princess Birthday Party

For more information on future classes, click on May 23 under my Archives on the right.

SPECIAL GUEST - LANA SMOTHERS - PART ONE - Lana graciously agreed to be my Special Guest for the month. Lana has more energy than any one individual I have ever met. Not only is she able to get it done... she gets it done with excellence. Faithful, organized, creative, family-oriented... the list goes on and on. I am thankful to call her my friend. Let's get to know Lana better, shall we?

1. Name three places in the U.S. you've never been, but have always wanted to go... and why? (This must be the easiest question I ask. Everyone picks this one, but I'm always surprised at some of the answers.)

Hawaii... because everybody says that (and I don't want to be the only one not going), and I LOVE the beach, so why not?

New England States... because I've heard it was beautiful, and I LOVE lobster, and that is the place to go for good lobster!

California... but only if I can drive a convertible down the Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy the view!

2. If your life was made into a movie, would it be considered (mainly) a comedy, drama, action/adventure or a romantic chick flick?

Drama.

3. Not counting the days you were saved, married, or the birth of your children, what are two of the most significant, life-altering days you can remember, and why?

My parents divorce after 28 years of marriage, and all the events leading up to their divorce (which occurred during my dating years)! Talk about changing your views on "happily ever after." But all in all, I learned that love isn't just a feeling, and a strong marriage is work and a choice. Once you make that choice, you have to work at it everyday!

4. What was your worst dating experience?

Dating the "dude" who wore the other horrible mouse costume at Showbiz Pizza Place. I wouldn't say it was the worse dating experience ever. We were just better friends than dates. It's a good thing because he and his wife have been happily married for almost 22 years and have 12 children now! God knew I couldn't birth that many! I still keep in touch with him and his wife. They've ended up being fun friends.

5. How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall in the mix?

One sister, but I am the oldest (only by 28 months)! And the laugh to all of it is she chose to start her family later in life. So while I am about to see my oldest child graduate next year from high school, her only child will be turning 3! Ha! So who really cares who is older. She is definitely more tired!

6. In as few words as possible, what is the most important lesson you want your children to know before leaving your home?

I want them to know that people will fail you. We are only human. BUT your Heavenly Father will NEVER LET YOU DOWN!

On a side note... I would like for them to also realize good communication skills are vitally important to their future (jobs and relationships)! No matter how good they are at texting, they should still to be able to carry out a complete conversation without using a hand-held device! (Amen, Sister!)

7. What is one surprising thing people do NOT know about you?

I can't whistle! No matter how hard I try, I have never been able to whistle.

8. For each of your children, list at least one of your traits or characteristics they have.

Kelsey definitely gets her naturally curly hair from me. However, if Mike were a hippie, you would see his curls, too. But since he's not and keeps his hair short, it is my claim they come from me! As for Craig, he looks too much like Mike for me to claim any of his traits, but characteristics... Well, Kelsey told me he and I are "social butterflies" and are more comfortable in social situations than she and her dad. Out of the mouths of babes!

9. If you could have one physical attribute changed, what would it be?

Loose the double chin. Fat or thin, it is always there!

10. Dog lover or cat lover?

Dog. We have 3 at the present time! BUT we have had so many in the past I have declared once they are gone... NO MORE! As a matter of fact, we owned 4 dogs (2 inside and 2 outside), but one passed away October a year ago, and while everyone was somewhat sad, I will admit I thought to myself, "One down, three to go." Okay. So maybe I shouldn't have admitted it, but...

There you have it! Part One. And there are at least two more parts left. Visit again tomorrow to learn more about Lana and the intricate workings of her mind!

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - HUMIDITY AND THE RAVEN CONCERT (PART TWO)

In case you're just tuning in, I left off yesterday having a good ol' time at Alabama Adventure. I had already changed clothes twice, and as you can see below, I was heading for the Big Gold Van to change once again because of "massive wetness" thanks to our friend, Humidity!

Two hours later, I repeated the "changing" process which was "iffy" because at 4:00 p.m., we still had four to five more hours left in the park since the concert didn't start until 7:00. I made a rookie mistake. I should have packed FOUR outfits, FOUR bras and FOUR pair of underwear. I knew better. I had grown up in the South. Now, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I was going to become the mildew"y" person by concert time. Something a true Southern Belle fights to the death NOT to become!

Because it was an outdoor concert (of course), we had brought blankets and camp chairs to set up in the grassy area. By the time I re-entered the park after changing, the line for the Raven concert was already forming... THREE HOURS EARLY! The four moms decided to take turns standing in line with the blanket and four camp chairs for 30-minute intervals. It was a very good idea, and we had four very pleasant moms in our group... not a whiner in the bunch. This plan worked very well until 5:30... my shift. At 5:30, the line began to move... 90 minutes before the concert was to begin. I had four camp chairs, a blanket and for some unknown reason, a duffel. I later found out the duffel belonged to the people behind me in line, but they let me carry it for a while before they told me it belonged to them. (I don't think they were truly Southerners. A real Southerner would carry their own duffel! Except for maybe me.)

I used my handy-dandy cell phone to call in the troops, but once everyone arrived (85 minutes before the concert was to start), it was decided two of the moms would stand in food lines and the remaining mom would take the girls to another ride before the concert began. Since every task had a comparable amount of line standing, I offered to stay put and everyone scattered.

We were very smart women. We calculated we had at least 40 minutes before I would actually make it to the front of the line. Everyone had their own tickets. We were ready to rock and roll.

We only thought we were very smart women. Almost immediately upon the departure of the kids and other moms, the line started moving at warp speed. By this time, there are too many mildew"y" smelling people around me to even begin to wonder who smelled the worse. Plus, I couldn't put the chairs and blanket down to do a "test sniff" to make certain it wasn't me. And I'll just be honest. I didn't care any more. That's right. I had lost the will to smell nice.

I called the other chicks as I entered the gate, and told them where I was going to set up our little "Raven Camp," and as food was purchased and the girls finished riding their ride, they trickled in about 15 minutes before the concert was to begin. Of course, there was no shade, but on the positive side, there wasn't another body too close to mine, and I sat "wetly" in my camp seat waiting for the concert.

That was when I noticed the black thunderclouds in the distance. If there is a plus to living in one of the highest humidity-producing states in the USA, it would have to be the possibility of a really good thunderstorm in the late afternoon (caused, I'm sure, by the heavy humidity). Hey! I'm a Southerner... not a meteorologist!

The best thing about a Southern thunderstorm is the wonderful breeze that comes before the pelting rain, crashing thunder and cloud-to-ground lightning. Yes, sir! I was pretty excited! A breeze was coming, and if by chance I was struck by lightning... Well, let's just say by that time, I was spiritually, emotionally and physically ready to "meet my Maker."

I have a rather anticlimactic ending, I'm afraid. The breeze did come, but not before the concert began. Strangers did close in on our little group as the concert crowd grew WAY too large. I discovered the only thing worse than being soaked through and through (and through) with sweat, was to be soaked through and through (and through) with sweat while sitting in a camp chair with two little girls I did not know squealing at the top of their lungs in my left ear.

I decided Raven was an excellent performer, and watching our little chicks sing, clap and dance along with her made me happy.

And I promised myself I would remember all the good times we had that day (which were many), and forget about Humidity. But, as you can see, Humidity has a way of "sticking" with you in the South.

Before I end this excruciatingly long story, I will say the breeze was lovely, and had I not been SO hot and wet all day long, I know I would not have enjoyed it (or even noticed it) quite so much. The rain began as we started walking to our car, and it didn't storm until we were on our way home. The girls were tired, red-faced and happy, and as we were slowly leaving the park more than one of them asked, "Can we do this again?"

"NO!" my mind screamed... but all the moms (including me) said, "Of course." And believe it or not, the next year... we did!

Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream

This is the simplest form of homemade ice cream. While it won't "knock your socks off," it is perfect for hot summer days. As everyone knows, vanilla ice cream wasn't created to eat alone. It is here so we can use every topping known to man!

This recipe makes 4 quarts, and you will need the following:

2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups whipping cream

1. Pour milk and sugar into ice cream freezer. Stir until sugar dissolves.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Add more milk until you reach the Fill Line.

4. Follow your freezer directions.

I assume it goes without saying to have a couple of bags of ice and two boxes of rock salt on hand at all times (3 bags of ice stay in our freezer... 3 or 4 boxes of rock salt stay in our pantry). You never know when you'll get the hankering for homemade ice cream!

If for some unfathomable reason you do not own an ice cream freezer, go to Wal-Mart and buy one TODAY. It's the best kind of summer dessert!

I'll have more inventive ice cream recipes every Tuesday during the month of June.

Have a fun, productive Tuesday. Wednesday on A Simple Life will be FULL of Wisdom, Part Two of Lana's in-depth interview, a fun-in-the-sun Seasonal Tradition, and the story of Humidity and Our First Camping Trip Ever.

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

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Drive-In Party

Good Monday morning!

The Showcase Pic is a picture of Mikie and Roxie in all of their pre-tubing glory! Do you love Mike's lake shirt? I totally agree. But he would be incredibly easy to spot if he fell out of the boat, so I let him wear it.

The Gallery Pics are more of the same. Tons and tons of tubing photos. I even have enough to use in tomorrow's Gallery, too.

SPECIAL GUEST HINTS - She'll be here tomorrow, but I have two more little hints to help you out in the guessing department. (I'll be supplying the clues today. I didn't want you to think she was a "bragger," because she is not. She's extremely humble, but her gifts are many.

5. I grew up with her husband, and had no idea we went to the same church for several years. (We attended different services!)

6. She is a homemaker extraordinaire, and her attention to detail is amazing. As soon as you walk into her home, you feel her warmth.

Okay. One more day to guess. Give it your best shot!

REMINDER! REMINDER! REMINDER! - If you haven't already signed up for the "How To" Birthday Party Classes coming up (and you have children in this age category), what are you waiting for? We're going to have a lot of fun. On June 8, I'll be teaching the Boy Class (Pirate Party and Super Hero Party), and June 15 I'll be teaching the Girl Class (Luau Party and Make-Up Party). For more information, click on May 23 in my Archives on the left-hand side of A Simple Life.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - HUMIDITY AND THE RAVEN CONCERT

You don't have to be a lifetime resident of the State of Alabama to know the true meaning of the word "humidity."

I'll give you the "dictionary" meaning first. "Moisture; dampness; a moderate degree of wetness, which is perceptible to the eye or touch; used especially of the atmosphere, or of anything which has absorbed moisture from the atmosphere, as clothing." This definition was written by a person who lives in one of the northern states, because the above does not come close to accurately describing Alabama "humidity."

I'll give you the Alabama version throughout this first of five "essays" on the subject.

A few years ago, my cousin, Amy, invited me and Roxie to attend the Raven concert at Alabama Adventure (our local version of Six Flags Over Georgia... small, but growing) with her and her daughter, Monica, and a few other friends. Raven was very popular at the time, and we were excited to receive the invite.

The concert was to be held in the evening, but Alabama Adventure has a water park, as well as rides, so we decided to make a day of it.

When we arrived, the gates were opening, and, of course, the girls wanted to hit the water rides. I could already tell it was going to be a scorcher because "a moderate degree of wetness" had already started making an appearance on my upper lip, elbow and knee creases and my hands began to swell. It was 10:00 a.m.

The water rides and the Lazy River helped alleviate some of the evidence of the humidity, but if you walked from one water area to the other, steam was starting to appear... rising from the concrete. Steam is not good. Not good, at all!

Around noon, the girls decided they were hungry, so we changed clothes and headed to the vans for a "picnic with the air conditioning running." I knew it was wasteful to sit in a car and run it for 30 minutes while people ate. But I also knew what we were about to encounter during the next five to six hours... and it wasn't "moisture or dampness." It was full-blown, buckets of sweat, not a dry thread on your body, bad hair HUMIDITY!

Because I am a Southern Belle through and through, I did have the foresight to pack TWO extra pair of shorts, bras, underwear and shirts, as well as deodorant and make-up.

There was nothing I could do about my hair. Humidity does one of three things to a Southern Belle's hair. (1) The hair goes completely flat and limp (as if to say "I surrender"); (2) the hair gets huge... bigger and scarier as the day goes on; or (3) the hair tries to go back into the scalp. In reality, it only looks like it is trying to go back into the scalp because it appears to be disappearing. It is just trying to survive the attack of Humidity by banding together which is described in the South as follows... "My hair is drawing up." I have the hair that "draws up."

As we re-entered the park, within seconds it was evident Humidity was going to win. Trickles of sweat ran down my back, my front and my hair "left me."

Waiting in line next to other people suffering from the effects of Humidity is even worse, because sooner or later you're going to smell someone who has a mildew"y" odor about them... and you cannot be sure if it is them or you. So you have to stand in line and wonder. After the ride, you can pretty much determine it was the other person and you move on, only to doubt yourself again two or three rides later when once again you catch a whiff of that mildew"y" odor. It's a vicious cycle, I tell you.

Around 2:00 p.m., I excused myself for 15 to 20 minutes and ran out of the park to the van. I turned the air conditioning on in the Big Gold Van, drew the shades (yes, it has shades) and reapplied deodorant, make-up and changed clothes... ALL of my clothes. I spoke encouragingly to my hair, but to no avail, and then made my way back into the park. Before I ever reached my group, I was once again completely soaked.

Uh-oh. Who knew I had so much to say about Humidity? Not me. You'll have to come back tomorrow for the rest of this amazingly interesting story!

Weekend Review - As the pictures above indicate, we did indeed get to go tubing after church Sunday. We drove to the river in rain with our friends, the Tuggles, ate a quick snack to hold us until the next storm and we headed to open water. We had a great time. We tubed and swam and tubed some more.

We came in to sit through another storm and eat a late lunch which was amazing. Ribs, chicken poppers, pasta salad, baked beans, coleslaw, banana pudding, lemon icebox pie... the list goes on and on.

The sun came through again, and we headed ten minutes away for skiing lessons for Josh and Roxie and some knee-boarding at a "quieter" place on the lake. We mastered knee-boarding (when I say "we," I mean the kiddos) and turned around to see the blackest black clouds ever known to man... parked over the place we NEEDED to be! We pulled everyone into the boats, and started to drive the boats into the midst of the storm. Thirty seconds into our travels, Michael (Tuggle Dad) spun his boat around and we headed back to the spot we had just left.

Thankfully, people who live on the lake are the MOST hospitable people in the world. Julie (Tuggle Mom) knew the people who lived near the place we had been knee-boarding, and as we approached their lake home, there were two or three men on the dock pulling our boats in and telling us to run up the stairs for shelter. Very, very kind people.

We sat on their screened-in porch with their family of ten or so until the storm passed, and it was safe to head home again. I love a little adventure on an otherwise ordinary day, don't you?

A little more knee-boarding, tubing, swimming and eating and it was time to head back to our nice, soft, DRY beds.

It wasn't our whole weekend, but it was definitely the best part.

Argo Drive-In Party

Whether you have a birthday coming up in the near future, or you just want a fun, easy get-together with friends and family, the Argo Drive-In is the place to go.

You will need to call the Drive-In on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning to find out what will be showing the following weekend (467-3434). Once they are showing a movie OR double feature which interests you, get on the phone and start inviting your "guests."

Usually, the cost is $10 per carload, but every now and then depending on the movie showing, they will charge $5 per adult and $2 per child (12 and under). It's still a bargain... especially when you take into consideration they do NOT mind if you bring your own food.

Pack a cooler of drinks, cook a crock-pot full of hot dogs and head up an hour early. (Earlier if it is the opening weekend for a blockbuster like Iron Man 2.) Once they allow the cars into the Drive-In, set up camp chairs and tailgate for awhile. There are usually empty spaces along the edge of the Drive-In the kids can throw a football or a Frisbee.

Be sure to take plenty of bug spray.

If this is something you've been talking about doing for a while, wait NO LONGER! This is the summer to experience the Drive-In... and have a party doing so.

NOTE - It's a great way to entertain a bunch of kids before a slumber party, especially if it is a double feature. They'll be tired enough to curl up in their sleeping bags as soon as you get them in the house!

Have a glorious Memorial Day Monday! I am sure we will all be remembering our men and women who serve (or have served) in the military and their families with a thankful heart. Such amazing sacrifice.

I will have the first of four wonderful homemade ice cream recipes tomorrow, and will continue to share them throughout the month of June. Our Special Guest arrives bright and early tomorrow morning. I will also finish my "Humidity and the Raven Concert" story. My goodness! Tuesday is going to be a busy day!

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

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Moderately Damp Belinda