Buddies

Brennan and Justin (both age 7) at Freedom Park. They are good friends and have a great time playing together after school a couple of times a week.

And isn't Miss Leslee's new phone awesome? She took this photo with it!

Walk-a-Thon

Thomas's school held their Walk-a-Thon yesterday and I volunteered for a couple of hours. Luckily, the rain wasn't an issue. The 3rd graders walked/ran 1.5 miles around the track and then played a number of games including The Limbo. Here's Thomas participating. Good thing I had my phone - I always forget the camera at these events!

My job was to mist the kids with a spray bottle as they went past me. They loved that, of course. The event culminated in water bottles and popcicles for everyone. They really had a blast and I could tell the teachers thought running some of this spring fever energy off was a great way for the students to spend an afternoon!

Dinner Party

Arturo with his dessert of choice - Worms in Dirt. It was a HUGE hit with the kids.

We had a fun dinner party Saturday night. It's been awhile since we entertained a big group. What was so amazing is how the 8 kids (ages 4-13) got along sooooo well and they'd never met before! Seriously, the 8 of us adults enjoyed a very nice dinner at the dining table while the kids played outside for way more than an hour without incident. It was a lot of fun.

I work with the dads - Arturo, Miles, and Matt. They're a really fun group and their wives are delightful. And their kids - so great.

Ramsey and Riley

Arturo and Thomas

Brendan and Brennan

The menu: salmon with pesto, filet mignon, black bean salad, mote (Ecuadorian hominy dish), salad, and some very delicious desserts. The kids enjoyed hot dogs, homemade macaroni and cheese, and baked beans.

I love this town because there are so many "transplants" - it's very easy to make friends because so many of us aren't from here. And there's an automatic kinship in being new to town.

The Mint Julep

What a great photo, you say? Well, it's a stock photo - not my own. A number of people sent in requests for me to do a Mint Julep this past Derby weekend. I declined however.

I didn't make the Mint Juleps for a couple of reasons. I have made them before, and I REALLY don't like them.

However, for all those who so politely requested - The Mint Julep.

The history is fuzzy, but we do know the Mint Julep became popular at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC in the mid 1800's. Henry Clay of Kentucky introduced the cocktail at the hotel. This is pretty similar to the Old Fashioned's history.

My friend Lorie and I hosted a Derby brunch when we lived in Mexico. We had some amazing food and served Mint Juleps. Unfortunately - who knew how strong these were?! I was glad we had a lot of iced tea to serve as well!

David didn't have a Swizzle Stick rating on The Mint Julep since we didn't make one this weekend, although I would guess a 4, given the ingredients and lack of sweetener, and the fact that I really don't like them!

The Mint Julep - 3 oz. Bourbon (Early Times is the Derby favorite), 6 sprigs of mint, granulated sugar. Place mint and sugar in a Julep Cup or a Tom Collins cocktail glass. Add shaved ice and muddle the mixture so that the leaves release their flavor. Add the Bourbon and a mixture of crushed and cubed ice. Mix well and garnish with mint.

Enjoy!

3/50 Project

A friend shared this website with me last week and I've taken a look at the project and talked about it with friends.

In this economy, small, locally-owned businesses are struggling to remain independent, offer the same good prices, and stay afloat. I especially appreciate local restaurants, local bookstores, and local farmer's markets, and can do my part to frequent local stores much more than I currently do.

Supporting my community - that Works for Me. For other tips, visit Kristen's site.

Gone Fishin'

Our friends Steve and Cheryl invited us out to go fishing and cookout yesterday. David took the boys and they had a wonderful time. I unfortunately worked all day, but was happy David took his phone to take some photos!