Herman was the perfect host.
Herman
Herman
Herman
I name all my scarecrows Herman. It just seems to fit.
Made of cast-offs and stuffed with balloons, Herman donned his WallyWorldHalloweenHat and helped set up the tea party in field at Flowers Proper. He waited for his young guests to arrive in an old farmhouse kitchen chair, that had been pulled into the morning sun. (It was chilly this morning.)
With a sublime smile, he greeted his guests and invited them to sit down for light refreshments. Later they would fill their little blue pails with butterfly kissed zinnias.
Towards the end of the garden party, Herman drew the men closer and spoke words of wisdom. Herman was the perfect host.
Soon it was time for his friends to leave. And so, he packed up his garden party gear and headed to the house.
Randomness For September
Some randomness at the close of Summer.
Unicorn Tea Party
Did you see the dark clouds in the back horizon? Life gets hectic and rough. We all need an outlet; a loving pet who’s as much as a family member as human biped or a fantasy tea party in the field. It’s good to be distracted by simple things.
Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
Use the Pretty Dishes
Trite, but true: life is short so, use the pretty dishes. Just an ordinary Saturday breakfast, first one of the waining summer to speak of cooler weather to come, made me want something with apples. Here’s what I did.
Apple Granola Muffins
Ingredients:
1/2 a box of Duncan Hines Classic yellow cake mix
1/2 cup of biscuit mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 cup Cascadia Farms Apple Cereal
2 cored, chopped Gala apples with skins on
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
1/4 cup of corn oil
3/4 cup of apple juice
What to do:
Set oven temperature to 350° and line your muffin cup pan.
Mix in a big bowl all dry ingredients. Fold in chopped apples and walnuts. Make a well in the center, add egg, oil and apple juice. Mix till combined.
Big scoops divided between each lined muffin cup. Bake till tops are nicely browned and bounce back when touched.
We ate from pretty dishes that belonged to my grandmother. Do you use the pretty dishes sitting in a dark cupboard? Bring them out into the light.The world outside is ugly. Your home should be a welcoming haven. Using the pretty dishes is a good start.
Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
Practically Free Fun
This Labor Day Weekend I took my family on a trip to the Alabama Coast. Two of our family activities cost pennies. Well, a tank of gas is more than pennies, but you get the idea.
We skipped the tourist traps for a more family connected activities.
Hunting sand crabs after the sun sets has been a family tradition, when we take a beach trip. Flashlights were passed out along with the assignments of net and bucket handlers. For the preschoolers, this was their first time catching sand crabs along the waters edge.
The second practically free detour was searching for Bamahenge in Elberta, Alabama. Lots of quirky fiberglass statuary near the Barber Marina, including a replica of Stonehenge, 4 big dinosaurs, knights, and Neptune’s Fountain.
Family fun can be different and practically free.
End of Summer Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
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