Banana Pops

One morning I was reading through my go-to blogs and ran across a post for banana pops.  It sounded like a great idea and since we had all of the ingredients on hand I decided to get the boys in the kitchen later that afternoon to give it a try.

First we cut up our bananas

The boys picked out their topping of choice

We used wooden skewers as our sticks.  They were not as sturdy as I would have liked but they worked just fine.

After we pulled the bananas out of the freezer we dipped them in melted chocolate and rolled them in our sprinkles.  From there we put them back in the freezer for a few minutes until Chad got home and the boys wanted to show off and share their treats.  Unfortunately the boys were too quick for the photographer and grabbed them all before I could take a picture of the finished plate of banana pops! 

The whole family agreed these were a favorite and we will definitely be making them again!

Where did July go?

Well, I was sitting here and realized I have not posted anything on here since the 4th of July.  Where did the rest of the month go?

For starters....The weekend after the 4th of July I went down to Austin with Kara, Brenda, Jennifer, and Misti for the annual PTA seminar.  We loaded up the Burbs and made our way to Austin Friday afternoon.   We made our first pit stop in Italy, Tx for beef jerky and coconut M&M's, Misti even found a coconut Twix that she had to try.  We made it to Austin in great time and checked in to our hotel (I even ran in to Julianne and Rob in the lobby...talk about timing).  This was my third year to attend the seminar and at this point I felt like an old pro.  Friday night we went to my fave go-to spot and dined on the roof top of the Iron Cactus!  Evidently we got there earlier than years past because we were seated immediately and it was still happy hour.  With all the appetizers 50% off we indulged in tuna ceviche, lobster tacos, queso, tableside guac and stuffed jalapenos.  Everything was scrumptious!  After we discovered the coconut margarita that night (equally as scrumptious) we officially cemented the coconut theme to the weekend.  After dinner we decided to walk up and down 6th Street before making our way into this bar.  Here are a few shots from later that night.  Love my CC's!

Since then the boys have had sleepovers galore and plenty of pool parties.  Sunday night both boys were invited over to the Kennemers to spend the night which gave Chad and I the perfect opportunity to have a much appreciated impromptu date night.  I can't tell you the last time both of the boys were out of the house for a night.  We took full advantage and jumped on the Harley to meet Joel and Kara for a bite in Frisco before we road around town.  This was the first time I have been on the bike all summer and it felt good to ride again.  The seat on the new Harley is entirely too small so I will be getting a sissy bar before we make any more rides together!! Being a Sunday night and not sure what would be open at 10:30pm we loaded up the dogs and I suggested we go try In and Out Burger.  To my surprise Chad agreed and we pulled up just in time!  The guy taking our order was very happy to hear this was our first visit.  All I knew was animal style so that is exactly how I ordered my burger.  Chad ordered a regular double double and after tasting mine said he really could not taste a difference. All in all, it was pretty good. We both loved the fries.   Not sure what all the hype is about but at least we have now been there and done that.

We have had a great summer with friends.  We all took the kids to AMC Stonebriar to see Cars 2 and took up an entire row there were so many of us.  After the movie we let the kids play a few games while we talked and figured out our game plan for lunch.  To my surprise Christian put two dollars in one of the games and won and Ipod nanno.  We went to the splash park in Allen one day after running some errands on that end of town.  As we were walking out (because I could not bare the heat any longer), the boys caught a glimpse of the ice cream truck that was driving in and immediately they pulled the "mom, can we PLEASE buy an ice cream because we have never gotten ice cream off the ice cream truck before" card and with a roll of my eyes I agreed.  I decided I better eat one too just in case and with good sense picked the chocolate and fudge bomb pop....something I had actually seen before.  I can't say the same for the kids choices but at least they can check that off the things you must do as a child list.

Last but not least we organized a trip to Hawaiian Falls as we had purchased discount tickets at the beginning of the summer.  A bunch of us met at our house and we caravanned to the water park where we all chipped in and purchased a cabana to have as home base.  We brought in our coolers packed with lunch and drinks and spent the entire day at the park.  The kids all had a blast.  Christian and Wyatt talked Kara and I into riding the Torpedo with them.  This ride is two slides side by side and when we got to the top the boys decided us moms had to go first so they could be sure we would not chicken out.  Kara and I made our way on to the slide where you literally step into a chamber that gets closed and locked behind you.  You stand there with your legs crossed and arms at your chest to hear the  3-2-1 countdown at which point the floor falls out and you take the plunge.  It was scarily fun and the boys were pretty impressed with our bravery which made it well worth it.  Misti and I followed Carson and Holt around the park all day as we watched them run up and around the kiddie area and sliding down their slides.  We would take turns keeping an eye on both of them so we could ride some of the slides with Christian, Brock and Cade.  Occassionally we would make it back to the wave pool to see Lisa, Kara, Brenda and Jenn K relaxing in the chairs.  Maybe next year!

4th of July

Our 4th of July weekend has been spent with the 4 main F's...Friends, Family, Food and Fun!  Saturday afternoon we had a wonderful shindig at the casa.  I bought a bunch of briskets and sausage and took them to the Smoke Master Clay to do his thing and as usual they were amazingly good!  There was entirely too much food but everything was so yummy!  We rented a bounce house at the last minute and just had a relaxing afternoon laughing, eating and watching the kids play.  Shea and Jay did a great job organizing the kick ball game and water balloon fight that ended up soaking our youngest (2 wks old) sweetie pie Hudson.   Kennemer (aka Kick Buttowski) and Joel then came up with a plan to get Chad soaked but it would need my assistance.  I went outside and implored Chad to come over to the fence because Jim was in a fight with our neighbor.  It was very believable because Chad and Josh jumped up out of their chairs, rounded the side of the house and Chad was pelted!!! :)

 Celina was hosting a fireworks show at Old Celina Park that night so when the time came we all loaded up in the Kennemer's truck and drove down the road to our own private viewing!  From the moment the show started after each firework would burst in the air the kids would all proclaim that to be the grand finale.  They said it over and over!  When we got back to the house it was time for some adult time on the back porch which continued until 3:00am!  Good Times as always!  LOVE LOVE LOVE OUR FRIENDS!

Needless to say we took it easy Sunday afternoon!  We debated whether or not we would take the kids to  Kaboom Town in Addison but later decided to nix that and join the Dunns and friends for our own firework show extrordinaire!  We went up to Coach Elliotts firework stand on the way and got some BIG ones to take over!  I am not sure what it is that turns every man into a little kid again when they walk up to a firework stand!  We went for quality not quantity!  Between all of the dads firework purchases, they put on one granddaddy of a show!  

We are headed to Joel and Kara's in a bit for one last Fourth of July Hoorah!  Can't wait!

May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own country!  ~Daniel Webster

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL w/NKOTB

This is the story of four suburban moms that experienced the thrill of a lifetime.  A fun filled night on the town that will NEVER EVER be forgotten.  June 26^th…a day that will live in infamy.  Now close your eyes and imagine if you had the opportunity to be UP CLOSE & PERSONAL with your all-time favorite celebrity.  Who would it be? An NFL Hall of Famer, Academy Award winning actor, lead singer of Guns and Roses?  For me and three of my friends it would be to meet the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK.  Yes, I admit I am still in love with a boy band from Boston.  What do you have to say about that?

Let's rewind to the years say 1987-1991, give or take a few.  I can pretty well assure you on any given day during those childhood years I could be found singing my heart out to my New Kids on the Block cassette tapes, in the living room mastering the dance moves to my New Kids Live VHS tape or better yet drooling over pictures in Bop magazine and tearing those of Jordan out to add to the shrine on the back of my bedroom door (the only place my mom would let me pin things up in my room)!  I was a fanatic in every sense of the word and these bad boys were IT for me.

 I will never forget the moment my dad told me he got us backstage passes to the New Kids concert when they came to Dallas one year. OH MY GOSH! How he did it I will never know, but seriously, all that matters is he did!  It was a dream come true.  I insisted on going to the mall on the way to buy a black hat just like Jordan to wear to the meet and greet (shameful looking back on it, but at the time it sounded like a great idea).  For all of you haters, here I am in all my glory with my heartthrob JORDAN KNIGHT!!!  You probably can't tell but yes those are NKOTB earrings dangling from my ears! I know you wish you had them.

That was then……

Fast forward to…

2008 and the news that NKOTB had reunited.  As soon as we got word of the Dallas concert date Julianne and I were on the phone giddy about going.  On the night of Julianne, Mallory, Shea and I made our way to the AAC for what was literally the best concert ever.  The place was packed with 30 plus-year-old adoring fans.  For two solid hours we sang every word to every song, swaying back and forth while cheering and screaming in between.  It was fun to take Shea, who was 15 at the time, and had no idea who NKOTB was.  By the end of the night she was a big fan too! 

January 2011

I got a call from Julianne asking if I wanted to go to the NKOTBSB concert that was coming in June.  My answer….YES!  Would I want to spring for a package that assured us floor seats and some sort of commemorative gift…ABSOLUTELY YES!  Little did I know she then had to convince her husband to make the call to American Express to actually purchase these tickets!  THANK YOU ROB!!!

Sunday, June 26^th

The day was finally here.  I picked up Julianne around 2:00 pm to ride down to the W where Rob again came through in a major way by booking us a room to stay the night. J  We pulled up to the valet who opened our doors and greeted us by asking if we were checking in for the Def Leppard concert tonight. It did not even faze me.  As we were checking in at the front desk one of the employees casually asked if we were going to the Ghostbar later that evening.  He was very nonchalant but said it was a private party,   a ticket was required to get in but it was sure to be amazing because the Ghostbar is NEVER open on Sundays. 

As we made our way to the elevator and up to our room, we very quickly realize that the only reason the Ghostbar would be open is if they were going to be there in person after the concert.  Note to self….we must find a way to get up there!  A few minutes later Mallory and Shay made it to the hotel and up to our room.  Mallory immediately whips out her NKOTB cd to get the party started but finds a Tom and Jerry DVD instead.  We were a little deflated!

While getting ready for the evening we told Mallory about our little conversation at the front desk and Julianne quickly gave her the task of going downstairs and working her magic.   We head downstairs and Mallory quickly befriends the bartender of the lobby bar.  She comes back with the news that he may or may not be able to get us in to the party.  After talking back and forth, A.J. was quickly made very aware the importance of getting us upstairs.  He assured us he would do his best and to check in with him later.  He didn’t have to worry about that!

We then made our way up the road to our dinner reservation at St. Ann, walking through the gravel in 100 + degree heat. UGH!  I had not been to the restaurant before but it had a great outdoor patio, served skinny drinks and had great ambience.

  After taking a seat at the bar and looking around it did not take long to notice the group of girls on the other end of the bar dressed in 80’s neon clothing.  They obviously were headed to the concert too, if only they re-thought their fashion choice.  At 5:00 pm the main dining room opened and we made our way to our table for dinner and drinks.  It soon became obvious the restaurant was filling up with women who were all going to the concert.  It did not take long for the restaurant to realize it either as they quickly began playing NKOTB and BSB music over the loud speakers and created red New Kids on the Block shots that began being passed around all of the tables!  CHEERS!

It was soon time to head to will call and pick up our tickets.  We decided Mallory and Shay should go back and check in with A.J while Julianne and I went to pick up the tickets.  We opened our envelope and were excited to see that our tickets were on the 4^th Row….4^TH ROW!  We dug deeper in the envelope to find our gift.  It was a necklace that had a ring with each band members name on it and a set of buttons.  Who cares about the buttons we immediately put on the necklaces and posed for pictures!

We made our way inside the AAC and went straight for the swag.  Three of us walked away with shiny new concert shirts to treasure and sleep in forever!  Time to head to our 4^TH ROW seats.

 Let the concert begin.  The first act was a girl wearing a sequined leotard. Let’s be honest, no one cares.  Next act…Jordin Sparks.  She looked great and has a few hits but once again not that interested. 

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y NKOTBSB hits the stage and the fans go wild!!!! 

It was at this point we quickly realized we made a big mistake.  Early on we made Julianne the official photographer of the night.  I left my big camera in the room and would depend on her pics.  All four of our phones were fading fast and we decided not to bring her good camera in case they would not let us in with it.  The only thing we had to document how CLOSE we were to the stage was a little point and shoot camera that Julianne threw in her purse.  Unfortunately it did not do as good as we hoped but she still took a lot of pics. 

Security was tight!  We tried to weasel our way a few steps forward to the railing but were immediately given strict instructions to get back to our seats.  You can’t blame us for trying.  At some point, Mallory finally got the nod to come up to the rail.  I think we were all a little jealous as she sat there waving and swaying a few feet in front of us.  Then low and behold I look over and Julianne has made her way to the front too for the last song.  WHAT THE HECK?  The next thing I know Danny bent down and touched Julianne and Mallory’s hands while he mouthed, “Please don’t pull me down”.  OMG! 

The concert was over and it was now time to sprint back to the W to find A.J.  As we were filing out you could hear whispers of the Ghostbar.  In the time it took us to walk across the street there was already a line wrapped around the building.  Mallory set off to find her friend while Shay, Julianne and I went upstairs to grab the paparazzi camera and freshen up.  We were back down in the lobby within 5 or 10 minutes but Mallory was nowhere to be found.  Shay and I stood in the back of the line while Julianne went down the line looking for her to no avail.  None of our cell phones were working and for about 2 seconds we were all convinced she was already upstairs and we would be left high and dry.

And then, there she was with A.J from the bar.  The next thing I know we are out of line and being escorted past the crowd to the front door where we were whisked into the elevator and sent up to the Ghostbar! 

AMAZING!!!  I can only imagine what everyone was thinking…..B*&%$#@

When we walked in there were not many people there yet.  After stopping at the bar we saw an area roped off and thought to take our positions along the rope right in front the door that went out to the balcony.  Mallory quickly began chatting with the bouncer who made it very obvious he was not going to give in to our pleas to get behind the rope.  We even tried to slip him some cash but he was having no part of it. BOO

All of a sudden in walks JORDAN as he walks right in front of us to go out on to the balcony.  The four of us sat there happy to get such a close glimpse but painfully watching him take pictures with a few fans out there and wishing we were one of them.

The next thing I know we started talking to this really nice guy that walked inside from the balcony and who was wearing a very official looking lanyard. We chatted with him for quite some time and asked if there was any way we could get behind that rope.  Julianne tried the whole I’m a mom with 4 kids who has waited her whole life for this to which he said, “everyone in this place is a mom with 4 kids”.  One of said we were probably older than him and he looked at us and said if you can guess my age,  I’ll get you behind the rope! We were all WRONG!

Then low and behold he says, “Do you want to see Donnie?  FOLLOW ME!”  Um O.K!  We all grabbed hold as he led us back towards the back door where Donnie had just come through.  It was hard to give up our prime real estate on the ropes but we had not seen anything yet.  Our new friend led us right past the bouncers and bodyguards, through the ropes, up to the DJ booth and WE WERE IN!  Donnie and Joey were up on the booth welcoming everyone, singing and dancing while the DJ mixed songs.  It was A-MAZING!  For the rest of the night we were with Maurice on the side of the booth watching them perform and trying not to drool.  SERIOUSLY do you see how close we were?

Then imagine my surprise when Jordan walked within inches of me to join them up on the DJ booth. OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. 

Donnie then walked over with his shirt off and posed with Shay. 

Then Maurice said he would get us a picture with Donnie as he walked down into the crowd.  Girls were pushing and shoving trying to make their way over but Maurice smoothly asked Donnie to take a picture with us and he did.  

For the record, I was standing beside him with my arm around his neck right before this picture was taken.  After they handed the camera off to Maurice I took a step back so we could all get in the frame but was sure not to let go of his neck!

At this point Maurice was beyond ready to be home.  It was after 2 am and he was waking up at 6 am to hit the gym.  We really did not want him to leave but did not want to be rude either.  He had already been so incredibly nice to do this for us and we were truly appreciative.  All night we kept telling him how nice he was and that we were going to take him to dinner to thank him. 

On the way to the door instead of walking to the back and around the frenzied crowd, he walked right past all of the bodyguards and right in front of the DJ booth where my man Jordan bent down and acknowledged all of us by grasping our hands!  Here is somewhat photographic evidence of me once again with my childhood heartthrob. 

That is my arm and hand he is holding!  AHHH

We then walked out of the Ghostbar with Maurice after exchanging our numbers and email and promising to take him to dinner.  While standing outside the W 

Julianne told us that in her bible study they were talking about people that do nice things for no reason.  She then told Maurice that he had totally done the nicest thing ever for no reason!  It was sweet and funny!  With that we said our good-byes, and made our way to the swinging chairs in front of the hotel where we all collapsed in shock and awe while trying to come to grips with the night we just experienced! 

It was so unbelievable we had to pull out the camera to see if it all was real.  Yep, we really were UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL with our favorite boy band.  I made physical contact with Joey, Donnie and Jordan!  AM I DREAMING?

I don’t know what else to say other than it was an amazing night that I will never forget spent with wonderful friends and full of laughs.  Thank you Maurice!