Hawaiian BBQ Sloppy Joes and Homemade ice cream

Though we are only two little people, we are a family. John and I are going to start having FHE together every Monday, as directed by our prophet.

Family home evening is a special time set aside each week that brings family members together and strengthens their love for each other, helps them draw closer to Heavenly Father, and encourages them to live righteously.

We are trying to get through the Book of Mormon together in the first year of our marriage but tonight we studied how to better become one as husband and wife. (Although we think we do a pretty awesome job at that.)

Then we had what we will call Hawaiian Sloppy Joes with Grilled Pineapple and Bacon.

Holy Crap. Good.

2 pounds of ground beef

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

8 slices bacon

1 can Pineapple Rounds

1 package swiss cheese

Hawaiian Sweet Sandwich Rolls

1. Mix BBQ sauce in to beef. (we also added some breadcrumbs to help it stick together a bit more, but if you want more of a sloppy joe consistency, forget the bread crumbs)

2. Cook bacon til crisp

3. Toast rolls with cheese on them so that the cheese melts

4.Grill pineapple in leftover bacon drippings

5. Assemble sandwich

6. Eat your heart out

(My dear husband after a long day of work and school, he just wants to eat and I am torturing him with photos.)

For our FHE activity we made homemade ice cream! Recipe down yonder...

John added heath and chocolate chunks to his and I added Almond Extract and slivers of real almonds! EEEEEEEE! Rock-salt only $1.69 at Kroger.

It was a blast! I suggest shaking the ice cream in a towel, so you don't get frostbite.

Checking out the final product after 10 minutes of shaking.

We are rock-stars. Rocksalt stars.

One year older and wiser too

For Daddy's birthday this year he wanted to go to the Decatur BBQ and Blues Festival.

No presents. No cake.

No party hats.

Just BBQ and music.

(Daddy in picture numero uno)

Happy 57th Daddy dearest!!!

So, we all met up in Decatur and brought folding chairs (or in mine and John's case folding stools) and planted ourselves under a tree to listen to some tunes. My lovely, favorite sister (my only sister) and her husband Joe came, and Mommee and Daddy. There was plenty of heat to go around. We were all piles of sweat.

My mother never meets a stranger. The lady sitting next to her under the tree was in a wheelchair and controlled her chair with puffs of air through a straw. She got polio when her son was vaccinated at a young age. My mother sat and held an umbrella over this woman's head for about an hour. I am most certain that my mother is the most compassionate person ever. Ever.

Hubs and I took approximately 17 strolls around the tiny park, because somehow it felt cooler walking around in the sun than it did sitting in the shade of our tree. We bought some handmade popsicles that were some of the best I have ever had. The coolness of that treat on the sweltering day was divine. I had the strawberry lemonade and hubs had chocolate seasalt. King of Pops made the most unusual flavors but they were brilliant.

John was quite brave to wear white to a place where he knew there would be plenty of opportunities for me to drop food on him. It almost never fails, if he is wearing clothes I will drop food on him. He has come to expect it though and no longer really minds.

The music was beautiful, the heat was exhausting, but the company was the best.