A couple of weeks ago, Wells graduated from kindergarten. It was precious. The ceremony was so sweet, and the kids did a fantastic job.
Notice that Graham is not in any of the photos. Totally my fault. Graduation began at 8:15 and lasted over an hour. I didn’t give him breakfast before we left home. The bad parenting book I am reading suggested it. About ten minutes in, he asked for a snack. About thirty minutes in, he started saying (in a rather loud voice) that he was starving. Toward the end he was begging strangers for cheetos and fake fainting. As soon as it was over, he hightailed it to the cake table.
After Graham finished his appetizer, we went to eat at Another Broken Egg. A couple of kids in Wells’ class had graduation parties, so I told him that this was his graduation brunch. He bought it.
Later that day, there was a party for his class at his friend’s house. The kids had a blast, but I was a nervous wreck. The entire time I pictured some kid tripping on the extension cord and all the air deflating from the slide. I realize I should probably be medicated.
First day of K3…
Last day of K5…
And in totally unrelated news, my niece Kailey was one of two students from our state chosen to receive the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Kailey collects caps for children receiving chemo treatment, and delivers them to hospitals in Mississippi and Alabama. She went to DC for the awards ceremony and got to meet Eli Manning (what a lucky ducky). I am so proud of you, Kailey. You are an inspiration to all who know you.
At the beginning of this month, SK had to speak at a conference in Naples, FL. He was sweet enough to let us crash his trip. Wells and Graham both called it Maples, thus the title of this (better late than never) post. It was G’s first time on a plane, and he loved it.
When we got there, SK had to go to a welcome reception, so the boys and I headed to Publix. We don’t snack much at home, but I have to stock up when we are on vacation. When we got to the checkout, I realized my wallet was in my carry on… at the hotel. Wells and Graham didn’t have any cash (typical), so I begged them not to put my snacks back and returned to the hotel for my wallet. Lovely.
I also let them watch Sponge Bob when we are on vacation.
We went to the pool every morning…
And to the beach every afternoon…
The weather was fantastic, and the boys had a ball. One night SK was free, so we went to dinner in Old Town Naples and then to the Naples Pier to watch the sunset…
We also went for ice cream. While we were there, a leggy, Swedish super model type walked in with her boyfriend. Graham stopped eating his ice cream and stared at her while she was ordering at the counter. I asked him what he was looking at, and he said, “her pants.” I asked him why, and he said, “because I wish she was NEKKID.” What the what? Where does this kid come up with stuff? Seriously, y’all… we need prayers.
The last night we were there, we went to the conference “family fun night.” Except, we were the only family there. No. Other. Kids. Luckily, ours laid low. Not.
Last month the book club read Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman. (Anyone know how to get those slashy french things above the Es?) I don’t think the “French parenting wisdom” described in the book is anything more than common sense, but I enjoyed the book, nonetheless.
It was my turn to host, so I was more worried about the food than the book anyway. I love to cook and try new recipes, but preparing food for a large group stresses me a little. Ok, more than a little. It is impossible (for me) to cook and bake while watching two kids, clean the kitchen and be dressed when guests arrive. I can maybe do two of the four. No one wants to be greeted by a pj wearing, flour covered crazy lady. I decided to keep things simple and opted for recipes that could be (mostly) made the day before.
For the appetizer, we had a cheese platter. Cheese is such an easy and yummy appetizer. I decided on brie, blue cheese, muenster and a white stilton with blueberries. I added some grapes and crackers, and it was delish. (Just don’t forget to set the cheese out an hour or so before you eat it… it is much better at room temperature).
For cocktails, I mixed up a pitcher of French 75s. Get it? FRENCH 75s? I wanted to stay on theme with the book. Unfortunately, the only other thing I came up with was french fries.
French 75
1 bottle of Prosecco
6 ounces of gin (I like Hendrick’s)
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
5 raw suger cubes
Mix it all in a pitcher and serve immediately.
I made the following salads and soup and would recommend all the recipes.
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
1 head lettuce, broken into small pieces
1 head of Romaine
1 bunch of green onions
1 cup broken walnuts (I toasted mine)
1/2 large can chow mein noodles
several fruits of your choice (strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, etc. I used strawberries, blueberries and avocado.)
Sweet and Sour Dressing
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar (I used honey… maybe 1/2 cup)
2 tbs. soy sauce
salt and pepper
Mix the dressing ingredients well using a blender or mixer. Or, if you are like me and don’t want to pull out all that equipment, dump everything in a big mason jar and shake the mess out of it. Toss the veggies together and just before serving, add the dressing, walnuts and chow mein noodles. You don’t want to mix it up too early because it will get soggy. Nobody wants soggy salad. Thanks for sharing this recipe with me, Mawmaw!
For dessert, I tried to copy a delicious strawberry cake I had the week before at Parlor Market. It was served in tiny mason jars and was so delicious. I used this Martha Stewart Recipe, and then poured the batter into greased four ounce mason jars (only half full). I baked them in a pyrex dish with about an inch of water in the bottom. Since I made them the day before, I put the jar lids on and kept them in the fridge overnight. I iced them using this recipe the next day.
