All Schools Day

I really want to make that a possessive "school's" but according to the official All Schools Day website, there is no possession.

So, when I went to Kansas a couple of weeks ago I didn't know I was heading into the 100th Anniversary of All Schools Day! You may be wondering what All Schools Day is since it's not a holiday in most towns. In McPherson County it happens the first or second Friday of May every year. School is out, the parade is in the morning, lunch is brats and pop for $1 [I don't know if this still exists], madathon craziness in the afternoon, and carnival in the evening! The whole week is filled with community activities and fun. It's really a great tradition.

In the more recent years a theme is chosen and the floats are creative interpretations of said theme. For the 100th anniversary the theme was: Celebrating 100 Years.

The float from Washington Elementary where my mom teaches. (-:

What kind of dog is this? I wanted to snatch it up.

This was the Nephew and Niece's first All Schools Day, but technically they don't get All Schools Day since they don't live in McPherson County.

Their mom and dad didn't want them to miss out. Suckers. 

Those kids own me.

And everyone else in the family too. (-:

Can we discuss how ripped my forearms look? I hope this isn't real life...


love these people.
xo

they're just cute

My niece and nephew are pretty much the cutest. Try to argue with me. YOU LOSE.

Those eyelashes? They kill me. I was born with stubby, short, non-existant eyelashes. Niece, you've been blessed with longer ones.

You're killing me, Smalls. My uterus is having a moment.

Oh, and this?

Yeah. Go see your dad because I can't not giggle when I see that face.

Since I'm sharing photos, I thought I'd also share this gem of a website: You are Not a Photographer.
This is a personal favorite.
You're welcome.

banana cream pie

I made this pie for my grandparents:

It's banana cream.

I hate banana cream pie...or so I thought. THEN my mom made this banana cream pie and I swooned.

LITERAL SWOONAGE. I mean I love food, so me swooning is not that far off base. I'd swoon for pie before I'd swoon for a man. That's my life.

I made these pies for a baby shower:

apple, banana cream, cherry

There's the future mama right there.

One of the girls--who shall remain nameless and not the one pictured above--claimed that this banana cream pie may have given her a Personal Lady Moment, except she used the o-word. I'm the one who called it a Personal Lady Moment, it's because I'm demure.

Is a Personal Lady Moment more intense than swooning?


Banana Pudding
Blend:
-1 large package Vanilla Instant Pudding
-2 C Milk
-1/2 C Sour Cream
-1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Then mix in:
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1 small carton Whipped Topping

You'll also need:
-Sliced Bananas
-1/2 carton Whipped Topping (optional)
-1 tsp Vanilla (optional)
-2 Tbsp Sour Cream (optional)

The next part depends on how you feel about Banana Pudding. If you're a firm believer that VANILLA WAFERS MUST BE INVOLVED then line up your 'nilla wafer and a slice of banana on the bottom of a 9x13. If you're a non-banana pudding purist you can slice some bananas in the bottom of a pie crust and top it with the pudding. This is enough for two pies.

Most days I'm sit firmly in the whipped cream can only be made from beating the crap out of some heavy whipping cream, but today I went with the fake stuff from the frozen section. I like whipped topping blended with vanilla and sour cream as the topping to pretty-up that pie.

If you want to make teeny-tiny mini pies, you need a mini-muffin tin.

Grab your refrigerated dough (because who is going to make hand-made dough for these?) and roll it until it's slightly thinner. Then cut circles and press into the muffin tin. Using a fork, poke the crust a few times and then bake according to the package directions. Keep an eye on these little gems, they'll take less time than an entire crust.

Once they've cooled, you're going to dice a banana (unless the bottom of your mini-muffin tin is large enough to have a whole slice) and then top with pudding mixture. I added a star of the whipped topping mixture because it's pretty.

Your friends (especially the ladies) will thank you.

they're in love

We've been friends since August 2001. That's when we met. I was walking up the stairs and turned toward my grandparents, "I'm in room 336*. All the way on the third floor."

"What did you say? 336?" I looked at the sweaty girl above me on the stairs. Somebody sure was nosy. "Uh. Yes." 

"Oh, me too. I'm Sarah." 

Then I walked into our room and we started bringing all of my stuff up and getting settled in. She left for a few minutes and I looked at my grandparents. "That sign says something about being a vegetarian. DO YOU THINK SHE COULD BE A VEGETARIAN?!"

She was the first vegetarian my age I'd met. Sarah was also my first roommate, but the vegetarian part was obviously more crucial to me. And, now I'm the weirdo vegetarian. My how things shift. (-: 

Now, she's marrying Peter.

They're going to be roommates and I'll be on the curb. Kidding, we haven't lived together since May 2005, but those were some good years. 

Aren't they beautiful?

I was excited to take rainy, spring pictures. Sarah and Peter were such good sports the whole time. Sarah's only request was vintage filters and a few black and whites. Peter's only request was a Pinterest moratorium.

Sorry, Peter you can keep dreaming.

*I cannot remember our actual room number. 332? 334? It was even and on the third floor. That's all I've got.