School Countdown

Harrison is SOOO excited about starting his new school on August 26th.  With summer slipping through our fingers, we have come up with a list of things to do prior to his big day.

First and foremost, we had to create a countdown calendar. 

 

Then a list of things we wanted to do together - they are:

 

Buy a lunchbox

Swim (please Mother Nature - stop with the rain)

Go to a movie

Back to School Bash with our neighbors

Hickory Crawdad's Baseball Game

 

Looks like we have our plans for the next week and a half!!!  And fortunately, we still have Labor Day and our beach trip to look forward to.

 

 

xoxo,

TSS

School Prep

I cannot believe there are only two more weeks of summer here in Western NC!!!  My boys are currently in a year-round Montessori school; however, Thing 1 has aged out and we've had quite the time figuring out what to do with him.  After much hemming and hawing, we've decided to enroll him in Transitional Kindergarten (TK). 

TK was created at a local Church 17 years ago by a lady who felt the need for a specialized program for children with late spring/summer birthdays.  It has since grown like wildfire and is very popular in these parts.  Technically, Thing 1 qualifies for Kindergarten this year since he turned 5 on June 29th.  However, it never felt right going through the motions of enrolling him.  The majority of his friends turned 5 late last year or during the early winter.  We hated to hold him back simply because everyone else in town did - but at the same time, didn't want him starting Kindergarten with children who are 6-9 months older than him.   

TK is essentially a half-day Kindergarten program and I am very happy with our choice.  He will get out at 12:45pm (versus his current 5pm pick up from Montessori) and follow the local school system's schedule (i.e. -spring break and summer break).  He will also have a formal lunch period where he can either purchase lunch from school or have a lunch packed from home.  Well, this has created a big excitement with Thing 1 as we have a date this week to go pick out his first lunch box. With his excitement of a lunch box came my curiosity of packing healthy lunches.  And with that, my new favorite cookbook author, Rebecca Lang, came to my rescue via her blog last week.

Katie Sullivan Moreford has put together a cute cookbook created to satisfy both Mommy and child.  I believe most of the recipes will be a bit advanced for Thing 1 but it gives great ideas and also wonderful pointers on using leftovers.

Read Rebecca's blog here:  http://rebeccalangcooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/best-lunch-box-ever.html

xoxo,
TSS

Camp Memories

I was reminded of a wonderful summer memory the other day when a friend posted that she was dropping her twin girls off for summer camp at Green Cove.  As a Green Cove alum, my heart swelled with pride and excitement for her girls.  Oh!  They have no idea what wonders are in store for them over the next few weeks.

Did you ever go to summer camp?  I went to Camp Toccoa, a Girls Scout camp, in Toccoa, Georiga for two years.  I was a Blue Bird during grade school and our troop loved our summers at Toccoa.  The first summer I went for one week and the second summer I went for two weeks.

The following two summers were spent at Green Cove for seven weeks each.  It was thrilling!

 People always raise their eyebrows when I say I spent seven weeks at summer camp.  Y’all it was the best thing!!!  It gave me an opportunity as a young girl to make decisions for myself and learn life skills that I never would have learned had I stayed at home.  Days at Green Cove were very structured.  You could do whatever you wanted but you had to do SOMETHING.  They had swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, sailing, tennis, hiking, arts and crafts – the list goes on and on. 

My grandfather (Daddy’s Daddy) served in WWII with a man by the name of Frank Bell (aka Chief).  After the war, Chief returned to his home near Hendersonville, NC, and opened a camp for boys.  Soon after, his wife, Calla, opened a camp for girls across the lake.  Mondamin was for boys and Green Cove was for girls.  My grandfather immediately enrolled the Clark boys – my father and his two younger brothers.  And of course, Daddy sent my older brother.  When I came along, Daddy was insistent that I go to Green Cove.  This is actually pretty amazing since my Mother wanted to send me to another camp where all her friends sent their children.  But Daddy insisted on Green Cove and off I went.  Daddy didn’t get his way very often (errr – ever) so you can be sure he was pretty darned determined to carry on this Clark family tradition.

Today I find myself living 2 hours north of this wonderful camp and I’ve longed to go back for a visit.  Check it out here: http://greencove.com

The video is long but doesn’t it make you want to go!!!!  They offer a family camp and I plan to enroll us as soon as Thing 2 learns how to swim.  And while extended camp is only 5 weeks now, I can’t wait for my boys to carry on the tradition and be the 3^rd generation to attend this amazing camp.

xoxo,

TSS

Superhero Lunch

As I posted yesterday, I hosted a fun Lilly Pulitzer inspired lunch for a friend to celebrate her birthday.  While we were excited, our 5 year old boys could have cared less about a frilly lunch.  No worries - this was nothing a quick trip to Target couldn't fix.  I bought a $5 Spiderman DVD, some Justice League paper plates, napkins and cups; then scooted over to Office Max to laminate some quick and easy placemats for my two favorite superhero's.  Their lunch was nothing fancy - turkey and cheese sandwiches with pretzels and grapes.   I rooted through old Halloween costumes and pulled out Spiderman and Batman masks and viola!!!! my superhero luncheon was complete.  All this action packed fun cost less than $10 - looks like Mommy was the superhero of this party...........KAPOW!

 

Superhero Lunch Table

 

 

Quick and Easy Superhero placemat

xoxo,
TSS

Lilly Luncheon

A sweet friend of mine celebrated her birthday a couple of weeks ago so I decided to have her over for a Lilly Pulitzer inspired luncheon.  It seemed perfect as she adores all thing Southern - monograms, seersucker, Lilly Pulitzer and bow ties......is it any wonder we've become such great pals???  And since I am the lone Miss Priss in a house full of boys, I was more than thrilled at the opportunity to have a frilly, girlie luncheon.

She also visits my hometown, Atlanta, a lot and I've been telling her that she needs to take her daughter to lunch at Swan Coach House.  The Swan Coach House has been the focal point of every major event in my life - mother/daughter teas, Daddy and Daughter trips after my second visit to see The Pink Pig during Christmas, the place where I received the keys to my car on my 16th birthday, my farewell lunch before leaving for college, where I had my first mimosa for my 21st birthday and, of course, the site of my bridesmaids luncheon.  I still take my mother there every time I am home in Atlanta.  So since I couldn't take my friend to Swan Coach House, I brought Swan Coach House to North Carolina.  Here's my version of the classic, "Swan".

The Classic Swan - Chicken Salad in timbales with frozen fruit salad and cheese straws

My version:  Chicken Salad on lettuce with grapes and cheese straws

 

There was also no way I was going to try to replicate the classic Swan mousse for dessert.  So - in the, "This looked better on Pinterest" category, we have my attempt of high heeled cupcakes.  At least they tasted yummy..............

Learn more about my favorite ladies luncheon spot here:
http://www.swancoachhouse.com/

Happy Birthday, Sweet Friend!

xoxo,
TSS

Put Some South In Your Mouth!

I always say that all good things hail from Georgia.  In this instance, my good thing the Vidalia Onion.  Don't call them yellow onions.  Don't call them sweet onions.  Those are fighting words for a Georgia native.  They are VIDALIA onions - supreme of all onions - and while they are often imitated, there is only ONE place you can grow and get REAL Vidalia onions.  And that place is Vidalia, Georgia.  And these sweet suckers were the star of my sideboard last night.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am cooking my way through Rebecca Lang's Around the Southern Table cookbook.  Granddaddy and Gigi gave me this wonderful cookbook for my birthday so I thought it fitting to prepare a meal out of it for his visit.  Stuffed Vidalia onions with pork sausage and cheese  accompanied by cornbread and balsamic tomato salad.  YUM!  Happy, happy belly.

 

You can learn more about Vidalia, Georgia and their famous cash crop here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidalia_onion

xoxo,
TSS

Company's Comin'

I love the excitement of house guests!  Granddaddy arrives tonight, I am having a sweet friend over for lunch tomorrow and another fun celebration Friday night.  Nothing beats a house full of people I love, good food and laughter.  We're gearing up for a great weekend and here is how I am prepping my sideboard.

 

Learn more here:

http://www.rebeccalangcooks.com/books.html

and

 

 

 

Learn more here:

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/cookbooks.aspx

My kitchen is filled with cookbooks - mostly of the southern variety.  But I adore Ina Garten.....aka, the Barefoot Contessa.  I am currently cooking my way through both of these newly acquired cookbooks.  Hubby is a very good taste tester.  Check back soon for results!

xoxo,
TSS