Here Comes the Sun

Despite the Groundhog's mistaken predictions, things are FINALLY starting to heat up around here.  Here are our picks for summer's must have monograms....

Monogrammed Fishing Shirts

 

Monogrammed Spikers

 these nifty sand spikes keep your drinks, keys, phone and more out of the beach sand

 

ANYTHING in straw!

We love this clutch for tucking away the necessities without the bulk of a bag.

 

 

Don't forget the sunscreen!

 

Weekends On the Water

Every year, around mid June, you will begin to hear conversations that start with, "Have you seen any?" and "Have you heard where they are?".  And so you know, that the much anticipated scallop season is just around the corner.  For 30 days out of every year, we scout and plan, and search for where the scallops have migrated to this year.

July 1st marked opening day, so we took to the boat and headed out in search of these little beauties...

They can usually be found in grassy areas of shallow water. The kids love to throw on their masks, snorkel and fins and dive down to look for the buried treasure. The first scallop caught is met with great cheers and we often get competitive to see who can find the most. In fact, this past week, one was swiped right out from under me when I went back to the surface to take a breath!

We spent five hours of family fun this weekend diving, floating, laughing and exploring the water!  And to top it all off, we now get to eat the treasure inside!

What did your family do for fun this weekend?

Weekends on the Water

Well, unfortunately we had a mandatory evacuation to heed this week due to Tropical Storm Debby.  Usually us coastal natives laugh in the face of a tropical storm.  It's really just a lot of rain and a little bit of wind.  We wanted to stay, but when the Fire and Police Departments come knocking on your door and tell you there's a mandatory evacuation underway; (and when your children whom you are trying to teach to always follow the rules are standing right there) you leave.

Down, but not out, I promised my Father In Law's famous gumbo recipe.  So, even though we came home, we brought the crabs with us ......

and decided to throw a good old fashioned Hurricane Party (from a safe location, of course)

Here's what you'll need for the Gumbo:

1 dozen hard shelled crabs (or just a pound of crab meat will work)
1 lb of okra (frozen, canned and drained or fresh will do)
1 large onion, minced
1 stalk of celery, minced
1 bell pepper, minced
2 fresh tomatoes or 1/2 can of diced tomatoes (14oz)
1 heaping Tbsp of shortening
1 1/2 heaping Tbsp of flour
1 lb Andouille Sausage
Cajun seasoning to taste (we love Old Bay)

Make a roux with shortening and flour, stir until dark brown.  Add onions, bell pepper, and celery.  Saute' until vegetables are soft or show wilt.  Add okra and tomatoes, saute' a few more minutes.  Then, gradually add 2 quarts of boiling water.

At this point, if you have fresh crabs, scald them, remove shells and clean them.  Then, add them to the gumbo mixture.  If you have crab meat from the store, pick through it and remove any hard pieces and add to the gumbo mixture.

Add your sausage, and boil all together slowly for one hour, seasoning occasionally with cajun seasoning to taste.  Serve over rice.

I love to serve it up with a fresh loaf of french bread that I've buttered up, spread with a roasted garlic clove and toasted to perfection.

What a great meal on a windy, rainy, gloomy day!

Linking up to:

Not JUST a Housewife

Stringtown Home

A Stroll Thru Life

The Trendy Treehouse

The Thrifty Home

Savvy Southern Style

Weekends on the Water

The sun is setting on our beach vacation.

Only one more week of shore time fun.   Next week I'll be posting my father in law's famous gumbo recipe that we've enjoyed at the end of every beach vacation for the past six years.  I'm not sure that I'm ready to go back.  Do you think I could just take one of these boats?

And we could just sail away?

Weekends On the Water (The Rainy Edition)

Have you ever heard the phrase "A rainy day at the beach is better than a sunny day anywhere else"?  I totally believe it.  Although the sand and surf tempt from the view of my back porch; I don't mind being forced to sip coffee and listen to the rain pour down on the roof. 

This weekend was one of those.  We were able to get out and enjoy the outdoors in small spurts, but for the most part we just sat on the back porch and enjoyed each other's company. Em finally learned how to braid her own hair, and  the kids invented a new language where they take ordinary words and put a beachy spin on them.  Some of their clever sayings were, "We're making fishtory" and "No trout about it." 

Two sweet boys taking an afternoon stroll between the thunderstorms....

The kids wading in the water during a brief break in the rain. (Notice the side braid)....

What do you like to do when the weather has you couped up?

Weekends On the Water

  School officially ended yesterday and within hours we were loaded up and headed for the coast!  We'll be here a lot for the month of June just chillin' and enjoying the outdoors.  No TV and limited internet access make for some great family time!

Since we arrived around dinner time; we unloaded, ate a quick bite and went for an evening ride along the beach on the golf cart. 

There's something about the sunsets when you're at the beach.  They're just more beautiful than any other place on earth.  We couldn't resist stopping for awhile to wade in the water and skip stones until the sun was gone. 

Once we returned, we took the kids for a night mission to set crab traps at the dock.  The kids love setting crab traps.  It's like Christmas every morning when they wake up and run down to the dock to see what has wandered in overnight.

 We even made a new friend.   

This handsome fellow showed up for some free dinner while we were cleaning our catch of the day.

I love little weekend trips where you get to experience life outside of  the everyday.  Unfortunately, life's commitments require us back in town for at least 3 days each week this summer.

We had so much fun that we were barely home long enough to unpack before we were all packing to leave again!! I can't wait to see what fun we have in this next "Weekend on the Water"