You Know You Are a Redneck...

when all four "boys" in my house are excited about the free episodes of "Duck Dynasty" available on iTunes.

This week, A&E has put Season 1 up for free download--some 14 hilarious episodes--and we can't seem to get enough of that Robertson family and its conservative-minded entrepreneurs-in-beards.

Grand Opening Breakfast

Today we celebrated the completion of the playground! 

The whole parish and a few extra friends enjoyed the Grand Opening/Fundraising Breakfast for the Eagle Scouts this morning. 

Earlier, the boys and Captain mixed up 20 packets of gravy and stirred in the pre-cooked sausage we had brought from home. Using two giant Crock-pots, it stayed warm until after mass! Mary brought plenty of biscuits from Sam's Club, and other ladies in the parish brought casseroles, cinnamon rolls, and coffee cakes. I added a giant fruit plate to the buffet. So delicious!

Yesterday, Charlotte and Ashton helped me set up 95 places and decorate each table. We used 30 pumpkins and gourds on the front steps and window ledges, and then offered to give them away to anyone who made a donation to the Eagle Scout projects. (festive!) Charlotte also made autumn centerpieces from bittersweet, oak leaves, mums and apples. It was a lovely room! And it was a successful fundraiser, too! Cash donations of nearly $400 were in the basket.

All the adults talked while all of the kids played outside (of course).

P.S. Mom Helped

Oh yeah, I was also there:  making cocoa and coffee, serving up my famous chili with hot dogs for lunch, and setting up the fundraising breakfast for Sunday by letting Aaron and Mackenzie help me instead of "helping" the Boy Scouts and ROTC volunteers.

Eagle Scout Projects' Day

Today was the official day for the twin's Eagle Scout Service Projects. Chilly and 43' F!

park bench...

 600 newspapers...

 wood chips...

 playground
instructions...

 read
the
directions...

 Captain
and
Dorito
helping...

Done!

feels good...

looks good!

Prep Work for the Playground

The hard work is done.
The twins and their dad have been assembling the playfort (requiring several hours) over the past two days. This will help things go more smoothly tomorrow.

also took a load of wood chips out to the site just north of the cemetery behind the parish hall...

Gifts Going Overseas

I sent a birthday present to my Anglophile friend, Kristen, who is living overseas in Hong Kong. She sent me pictures of her birthday party.

Make Talk Now

Dorito is on the staff for an iMagazine for Mic-o-Say called "Make Talk Now." His first assignment for this year was to interview the Scout Executive about Popcorn Sales (the annual Boy Scout fundraiser). You can see the interview here