Framily Time

September was a wild ride! For a while I thought I might not blog about it because I am still fairly exhausted, but here goes:

We tailgated at the first home game. It was fun to get out for a change of pace. I usually prefer to stay home while my town transforms into a sea of crimson and cream but a friend of mine was in town and we had to go to her winning tailgate.

Post Lake Party Cleaning Tips

This past Saturday our social calendar was overstuffed. My parents had their annual lake party which meant that we made the requisite 10 gallons of sangria with the requisite wine that my friend makes. By the way, the lake is the main source of our drinking water, and it is currently "turning over".  Our tap water tastes "musty" like I imagine the water in Herschel's 3rd well tastes right about now. Even the triple-filtered tap water at Starbuck's is off.

I couldn't help but notice that the water in the lake doesn't smell bad like our tap water does after treatment. I wonder just what they are using to filter the water. Hmmmmm...  I stuck to sangria and bottled water.

Sangria starter - apples, limes, lemons, oranges and blueberries soaking in brandy and red wine...

We Did It! (Lake Party 2011)

We survived another day of the Oklahoma Heat Wave 2011...oh, and we survived the 12th Annual Lake Party. The heat was so bad that I even had to go up to my folks' house to cool down for a bit (after about 7 hours outside) and pound down some water. It was 96 degrees when we were setting up for the party and well over 100 when the party got started.

David found a Pygmy Rattlesnake early on during the party. (YIPES!) He is a smart boy and knew not to get too close.

Pygmy Rattlesnake in the "Y" of the Tree

Closer Look

Some friends brought kayaks and they were very popular with the kiddos.

Even with all the crazy flash flooding we've had lately, Lake Thunderbird was still low.

Contrast the lake with the lake in January 2010. (We could have used a little of that ICE!)

Emi and me ON the lake

Several of us camped out and after the sun went down the temperature was perfect (finally).

The cleanup Sunday was a challenge with the heat and the extreme wind (What's up, Oklahoma?) but we powered through with the help of some friends.

Saturday Morning

I've been up for an hour watering the yard and plants, feeding the cats/dogs/chickens and mastering the Fine Art of Putting Things Away at my place and I am amazed that all 3 of my kids are still asleep. I am not too surprised that Emi is still in bed because she is like a teenager (in an almost 9 year old's body) and needs all the sleep she can get. But David, he's my early riser. He springs out of bed, maybe with a scowl on his face but ALWAYS ready to GO! And Aubri, she's happy to see you in the mornings. All "Mommy, I love you!". She's been my favorite photography subject as of late. Such a sweetie!

We kept them up late last night at the lake setting up for the lake party. But they will be up soon...

For now I can relish in my cup o' joe, catch up on a few blogs and get ready for the day!

I hope you have a blessed weekend, friends!

Sangria, Sangria

Each year for the lake party we make some really good sangria for the non-beer drinkers (the beer drinkers are welcome to the sangria too). A friend of mine makes the wine himself (yum) and donates 2 cases to the party. We typically can make 20 gallons of sangria with that much wine. I wanted to share the recipe with you in case you might like to make some for a party.

Time to make the sangria!

A Very Good Thing

LAKE PARTY SANGRIA (makes 5 gallons!!)

6 bottles Red Wine
3 cups Brandy
1 Large Can Frozen OJ concentrate
3 Lemons, sliced
6 Limes, sliced
4 Oranges, sliced
6 Applies, sliced
Strawberries, sliced
Pineapple, Blueberries (frozen works too)
4 liters Lemon/Lime soda

Mix the wine, brandy and OJ concentrate together, then add all of the fruit and let marinate overnight (or as long as you can stand it). Add the soda and serve. I like to add frozen fruit in with the cold soda to chill the mixture for the party. We usually start out with two 5 gallon coolers available and add vino, brandy, OJ and soda to the marinated fruit when we deplete that...Enjoy!

Sunset at the Lake

Sangria, Sangria (Lake Party 2010)

So we had our annual lake party yesterday a few months later than normal and it was a very nice time...was nice to see old friends and make new ones and let the kids play outside until they were worn out...

I didn't take a lot of pictures this year because I was busier than normal watching out for the Little Ones...they had a blast with grandparents nearby to take them for rides on the Red Rider (red flyer?) on a whim and also lots of goodies to eat and drink and the lake and woods to explore...good times!

 

Lake Party 2009

Well, we survived another lake party. Despite the tornadoes that blew through town Friday night we were able to set up and break down in record time, with maximum enjoyment. And, for the first time in the 10 years that we've been hosting this party, I tent camped. Note to self: next year splurge for the air mattress.

Lake Party 2008

So we survived our 9th Annual (Life is Good) Lake Party yesterday. It was a lot of fun and bigger than ever this year... Our friends and family helped spread good vibes with the help of some home made sangria. In the picture below I am using a strange device that my dad received as a gift to open the wine. You stick the needle into the cork and then pump this thing until the cork pops off.

Click to see more pics.

7th Annual Lake Party

Yesterday we had our 7th annual lake party and it was so hot!

6th Annual Lake Party

We had our 6th annual lake party this past weekend and I am dead tired today..... here are some pics. We had a really good relaxing time with the regulars, but we had some newbies show up to experience the relaxing outdoors on the water. We were treated to homemade sangria courtesy of my friend Mike who was smart this year and doled it out little by little. We had good food, good drink and good friends. As well as being worn out still 3 days later, I have about 50 chigger bites on my legs and feet. You'd think by now I'd know better...

Storm rolling in...

During the clean up after the lake party, the sky turned dark and a cool wind blew down from the north. It was weird because the storms were moving E-N-E of us, but the wind gusts were straight from the North. We were sure that we were in for some severe weather, but we didn't have any tornadoes...

Tessa took this cool pic of the kids fishing...