Happy Friday! This will be the shortest WFS post known to man, because I have had and continue to have SO much to do. But I just had to share something.
This morning, I woke up, started the coffee, let the dog out, fed the ducks, collected eggs, fed the dog and the cat, cleaned up a mess the cat had made, looked at an oil bill, and then went into the kitchen to take my meds. And here is what I saw:
and I laughed so hard the dog came over to see what was up. DEAL W/ UR OWN BEANS, said the child who cleaned the kitchen last night. And you know what, they were my beans, and I hadn’t dealt with them! I was rushing around and looking for some quick protein for lunch, so I had half a can of beans, and I forgot to recycle the can. It happens that I overheard this child complaining about this last night, and they also has some pretty hard feelings about the way I bought fruit, even though fruit attracts fruit flies.
And that is how it came to pass that a teenager who lives in my house had the inconceivable experience of having to clean up someone else’s mess. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT WOULD BE LIKE, CAN YOU????
They don’t realize it now, but I’ve given them a great gift: The chance to feel self-righteous. That really is what makes the world go ’round. I get annoyed that my husband doesn’t turn off lights, and he gets annoyed that I don’t put towels in the laundry. I snap at my kids for leaving ice pop wrappers all over the place, and they roll their eyes at me for not dealing with my own beans. We’re like the island where the entire economy is based on taking in each other’s laundry, except everyone is mad about it. And then the cat throws lentils all over the place, because he’s just trying to do his job.
The good news is, there’s plenty of summer left! I just asked the kids what they were doing on Sunday, thinking we could do a day trip to the ocean if they were free, and they answered with such hostile suspicion that I decided . . . well obviously we’re going to the ocean. I love the ocean. Maybe they’ll have beans there.
Anyway, how are you? We had a big, superfun party here last Friday, which is why I didn’t do a WFS that day. In the morning, I went to Millie’s memorial service, and her sister, who is also a tiny, wiry, white-haired, bright-eyed taker of no crap, got up and told a story about the time Millie went to meet her boyfriend’s family and went to cut a pickle, and it flew off the plate and landed right in the grandfather’s lap. I brought a little bouquet with the peonies I had stored in the fridge as buds during peony season, and that was that. Requiescat in pace, my friend.
Then the party! Lots of family and friends came, Damien grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, smoked chicken thighs,
Jump to Recipe
and brats, and we had millions of chips and millions of sodas, Benny made square brownies that looked round
and I made 18 cups of Shine, Perishing Republic Jell-o
I also made 15 pounds of this potato salad from Sip and Feast and ate most of it myself. You have to brine it overnight before adding the mayo, and it was a pain in the tuchus, but I gotta say, that was not a bland potato salad, and the texture was great. Would make again. I did add hard-boiled eggs and chopped celery, because I like that.
We had vegetable platters with dip, and tons of watermelon, and people brought fruit salad, a more German-style potato salad, and a lovely tabouli salad. And we had ice cream, and I bought uhhh 10.5 pounds of candy. And we rented the cotton candy machine again! I got sticky all the way up to my armpits, but it was so much fun. Couldn’t find temporary tattoos OR face paint, so I got edible paint meant for cakes, and it certainly does cling to the skin, it certainly does! My sister brought sparkler and fireworks and we had glowsticks and pool time, the little guys enjoyed the sandbox, and maybe best of all, people brought musical instruments.
And it didn’t rain! It almost always rains on our July parties, but this day was sunny and breezy, just perfect. A lovely day, including THREE babies. Here’s a bunch of pics on Facebook if you’d like to see.
We dearly missed family that couldn’t make it, but like I said, there’s plenty of summer left.
Then the Sunday we had leftovers, and then Monday, Damien cooked some food I bought that we didn’t cook; and then Tuesday, we had Aldi pizza. On Wednesday, I shredded up the leftover chicken and made quesadillas, and on Thursday, I went shopping and got ingredients for Italian sandwiches. Which I did not take a picture of, but I did take a picture of the lovely basil I gathered from the garden.
I have been assiduously pinching off any hint of a blossom, and it’s paying off! Or maybe it’s just a good year for basil. Either way, usually my basil gets all leggy, but this year I have four lovely basil bushes.
What else is new? I got a haircut. One of the ducks (Faye) died. We saw Superman and the kids liked it but I thought it was meh. The 10.5 pounds of candy are mostly gone, except for a few Tootsie Rolls and seven or eight mini boxes of Dots.
Today we are having spaghetti and Damien has promised to take the kids to the pond. I have so so so much work to do (I’d been telling myself I had one big project due in July and one in August, which is true; but it turns out one is due July 28 and one is due August 1.
I shall now go and deal w/my own beans. Adieu.
Smoked chicken thighs with sugar rub
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- .5 cups white sugar
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 20 chicken thighs
Instructions
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Mix dry ingredients together. Rub all over chicken and let marinate until the sugar melts a bit.
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Light the fire, and let it burn down to coals. Shove the coals over to one side and lay the chicken on the grill. Lower the lid and let the chicken smoke for an hour or two until they are fully cooked.
Love your comment on Millie’s sister: “another…taker of no crap.” My condolences again for the loss of your lovely neighbor Millie.
Love that people chose to bring musical instruments to your party and you all got to enjoy homemade music! I wish there were more family parties in my life and that they all included homemade music.
Happy summering!
I LOVE the music! We’re at a point in life where our daughter’s Irish dance friends are starting to get married. Tin whistles, fiddles, bodrhans, and mandolins abound! These girls grew up together in an Irish bar and saw each other through triumphs, setbacks, first loves, awful teachers, and tough classes. For years, they breathed Irish dance and by default, their families breathed it with them. (And like one dad says, “It kept ’em from hangin’ out at the mall, smokin’ cigarettes). And so, my husband and I and other dance moms and dads have been invited to their weddings, which are by and large Irish dancing extravaganzas. At the last one, the bride came down the aisle to the tune of Marie’s Wedding played so softly on the tin whistle. It’s a song our girls danced to many times over the years. There wasn’t a dancer or mom with a dry eye. Time is indeed marching on.
My cheesemaking continues and is definitely improving. Thank you again for that inspiration.
Good luck with the deadlines! Sorry about the duck. Do you bury it? Or just leave it for the hawks?
That looks like a great party. Well done. We had our priest over for dinner, which is always fun because he’s young and sort of like a big kid. He showed my children the proper way to roast marshmallows so they don’t incinerate–they do not have the patience for this–identified some constellations for us, and taught the boys that neat trick of how to stay standing when someone kicks you in the back of the knees in hopes that you’re legs will buckle and you’ll fall. Truly a man of many talents.
Belated Happy Fourth of July, and good luck with those deadlines! Ah, the list of things other people do that I don’t like would fill a whatever…while I’m sure they could find nothing to complain about when it comes to me! Yeah, kids will tell you what your problem spots are, that’s for sure! It’s because they love you and want what’s best for you!