(Never) Too many Luaus

Do you know what I discovered this summer?  If you happen upon a few old circus party decorations in your cupboard and decide to host the Newman family reunion with a Luau theme....people will bring MORE luau decorations with them when they come.   With MORE decorations, you might as well host ANOTHER luau for the Cantrell family reunion.    And then THEY might bring some stuff and maybe leave a bunch of lei's instead of taking them home as favors so....it would only make sense to use those things AGAIN a few weeks later for the big homeschooling party you are throwing for the children.

Right now, I am totally sick of luau decorations.

 I fully intended to donate every last one of them right after the party- but then I think, if I already have all the decorations...maybe I should save them for next years' parade float.  And then- well, who knows what the next big party theme could come from a few years down the road when I open the box with pink flamingos...  

Hoarding has its' benefits.  

Luau #1:  Newman Reunion (minus Kelly who left too early for the picture! Sorry Kelly!)

Lots of decorations magically appeared after this one.  Ineke ate corn on the cob for the first time by herself.  Homemade pina coladas and grilled pineapple!

Awwww....look at that cute, productive little garden!  Before it turned into a weedy swamp monster a month later.

Luau #2: Cantrell family 'reunion' with the added perk of an adopted Grandma Barb!  

Luau #2 boasted of the Most Ginormous Bubbles We've Ever Seen (thanks Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Mary!) and finished off with a BANG!

Luau #3: A Back to Homeschooling Luau

The invitation guestlist was 64+ people but a few could make it.  At peak, there were about 53 people, I think but I never got a picture of them.  :-(  Too bad- it's a handsome lot.  I made over 22 pounds of sloppy joe ahead of time (thank goodness we recently butchered a cow!) and bought 80 hotdog buns.  Of course, kids were so busy playing and hanging out- we ate from the leftovers for about a week.  I still have some in the freezer, in fact.

There were bonafide games at this luau- and a tidal wave photo booth.  (I had the fabric stored from handmedowns.  Yes, another perk of hoarding.)  And oodles of silliness. 

It was great.

It always helps when you have extremely talented friends who get right in the spirit of things.  (Thank you Owen Girls!)

Sorry Malachi and Martha- my camera is broke!  I blame it on that!

Cadence looks all lovely and Ineke is shoving her face.  That sounds about right.

 

The party remnants: 

a few decorations more than the first porch picture!

And we end with the little surfer girl on the Sweet Tiki Tea....

Aloha!

Weekending

This person got tired of NOT painting.

This is what you see when you look down on the bridge.  

Still evidences of porch painting, I see.

 

Thanks for taking our photo, Rebecca!

Almost done... a hot and tired boy takes a break.

And after the hike, swimming!  

A lot less hot and tired now!

Aunt Rebecca let us borrow her underwater camera- which is just TOO fun!

We took two group photos (you know, in case anyone had the audacity to blink) and I love them both because I just love Andrew's little shadow right up front and center.

 

Lookie, lookie at what we got done before the weekend...

 The kids and I grabbed the bull by the horns on the first dry day last week and painted porch spindles and railings from morning until evening- getting the whole porch done in time to surprise Papa when he got home from work.   (Reason # 3,972 for having children: many hands make light work.)  There was plenty of Johnny Cash and JJHeller being belted out from children and Mama at different points throughout the day-and a bit of Gone Away Lake to keep our sanity.  We were paint splotched from head to toe by the end and our knees and wrists were sore (or maybe just mine because I am an old lady...) but it's DONE!!! (Hallelujah!)

When Matt pulled into the driveway, we all stood waiting expectantly for his amazed expression but he didn't even notice the porch pulling in!  That had more to do with the caliber of his day at work than the finished product; when he finally realized the porch was done, his reaction was well worth the effort.

The day before the reunion, the children and I played hookie with some family/friends and took a road trip to The Watkins Glen Gorges for the day.  I think everyone would agree: hiking and swimming is a much better way to spend a day than preparing for a party. And everything wound up getting done in plenty of time on Saturday morning anyway.

The waters were murky due to all the recent downpours and flooding.  But, truth be told, we are all a bit murky these days.  Our hometown was hit especially hard with rains (in one night it rained 7 1/2 inches!) and many people have been affected with flooding and water damage- some losing their homes, some salvaging their homes through the silt.  So we won't hold that against Watkins Glen.  Still so beautiful.

At the reunion, I served marinated chicken and home-grown steaks (trying to empty out our freezer in time for another cow to go in it this fall), jalapeno popper dip with veggies and tortilla chips, summer squash casserole, marinated cucumbers, cream puffs and blueberry pie.  (When I heard about all the other desserts people were bringing, I decided to put the lemon meringue pie on hold for another day.) Everyone else brought even more food (to much deliciousness to describe); my parents-in-law grilled the best corn on the cob you ever did eat, the highlight of the reunion every year.

Of course, I got no pictures of the food because- well, once the party starts silly things like that don't happen. But I *did* get a picture of all the girls in their matchy matchy outfits.  Which makes me supremely happy.  Barefoot beauties, all in a row.  Love it.