Blogging Backwards---(photo heavy post!)i

Since I missed several months of blogging, I'm blogging backwards right now--that is, going back a few weeks (or maybe even months) to catch up on some fun events and photos.  

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Ron and I planned to go camping with his oldest kids and their families.  We made reservations at the Tyler State Park and were all looking forward to a great time out in nature.  But, there was a good news/bad news thing to it--the bad news:  When we double-checked out reservations so that we could send them to the kids, we discovered that there were none in our names.  None at all.  Several phone calls the next day confirmed that indeed the online reservations had been lost and there were no more available campsites---anywhere nearby!   Carmelle found an alternative for us that would be a shorter trip for Terry and Jaylynn, in particular--staying in a hotel in Waco, and enjoying Lake Waco during the daytime.
The good news:  the weather took a nasty turn, so our decision to stay in a hotel was most appreciated Friday night for sure!  

In addition, as the storm clouds gathered the next day, they seemed to magically separate and go around the beach where we were and it kept the temperatures rather pleasant.  



In fact, the overcast skies and strong winds kept things pretty chilly the first day, but we had fun exploring the area and playing in the sand.






Doesn't this piece of driftwood look like an alligator?!?!  Yeah, I thought so, too, when I went wandering down  to the swampy area.

But, Ron did find this---a REAL alligator footprint---fairly fresh, too)







We grilled hot dogs and sausage.


and had S'Mores for dessert.



The kids had found a baby bird in the parking lot of the hotel, so of course, we had some babysitting to do.
 
That is, until Terry convinced them that that cute little guy could be carrying some diseases. (they took him back and left him at the hotel)

After lunch, we played in the sand.




Late in the day the sun came out and we had fun watching the kids fish (Ron and I didn't have a license for that day).  Guess who caught the first fish?!?!



It wasn't long before Michael had caught one, too, however.


Michael is pretty independent---wanting to bait his own hook.

Hmmmmmm . . .


Pa-Paw enjoyed every minute of being outdoors and with the kids.

When the wind died down a bit, Chad and Terry took the kayaks out---with little passengers aboard.


Of course, anytime I'm outdoors, there is a bit of bird-watching going on and this time was no exception.

A Quick Breakfast

As you have learned, having someone to cook for has significantly increased my desire to cook!  When the girls were teenagers, they were going so many different directions that it seemed we often lived in the car.  Seldom did I actually cook.  Then, with an empty nest, it just rarely seemed worth the effort to cook a meal.  But, lately, it's been a lot more fun.

A few weeks ago, a couple of coworkers and I had a "Pinterest Challenge" week which featured different recipes we had pinned.  These Breakfast Omelet Muffins were a hit with everyone at the office and again at home.

Source: quirkycookery.com via Linda on Pinterest

I had a few left over and just kept them in the freezer so that Ron could pull out a couple to pop into the microwave.  His request---add some jalapenos.

After spending our gift cards at Bed Bath & Beyond this morning, I came home with a brand new cutting board, oven mitts and a muffin pan that were just begging to be used.   (got a few other things, too---hooray)

Deciding on a variation of the previous Omelet muffins, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees, then, I cut out small circles (using one of my vintage Swanky Swigs) of whole wheat bread and placed them in the bottom of the muffin pan.

I put the scraps into a plastic bag to store in the freezer for our next trip to the duck pond with the grandkids.

Next, I lined each muffin tin with a piece of bacon.  A strip of bacon seemed too long, so I cut them in half--unfortunately, that was too short.  Yes, I should have just measured, but I didn't, so I had to cut another piece to finish them up.  Take my word for it--just use one piece per muffin cup.

Next, I dropped some bell peppers, red and green, in along with some diced jalapenos. (these will definitely be for Ron, not me).  You can add cheese or whatever you like, but this is what I used.

I scrambled some eggs, along with a little bit of milk and poured them into each muffin cup.  For this 12-muffin tin, it took 8 eggs.


I wasn't sure how long to cook them, so I just set the timer and kept checking it until they were done.  It took 20 minutes until the eggs were cooked, but if you wanted things a little crispier, you could cook them a little longer.

As soon as they are cool enough, pop them out and into a plastic bag for the freezer.

Breakfast is done for a while!  I think these would be perfect to take camping, I hope to get the chance to try that out this fall.

Wedding Weekend--Day One

This past weekend, Ron and I were able to join Valine and her family and friends to celebrate the marriage of her oldest, Maegan.  As with every big celebration, there were a few minor "hiccups", but they were so small in comparison with the wonderful way everything turned out.

I drove down to BR Thursday, and was after checking into my hotel, was able to join Valine and Meredith at the beauty parlor as they were getting "beautified" for the rehearsal.

It was fun to visit and share the excitement!

Back at the house, there were boxes and baskets to be loaded as we headed to White Oak Plantation for the rehearsal.

We even had time to monogram the tubs that were to be used to hold water.


I was glad to be able to be there and hear the logistics since I was the "contact" person for the official festivities.





The ladies found that walking on bricks in high heels was something of an art---one that needed to be practiced!

While it was quickly clear that the flower girl was going to steal the show---she was having the time of her life tossing imaginary petals from side to side.






After a run-through of the ceremony,







we all headed to Portabello's for a really nice dinner.

The food was great and it was a good time to visit, share stories and offer toasts to Maegan & Adam and the beginning of their life together.