A Labor Day of love

These sunflower and bumble-bee gnomes went up on the ledge the first of August

As per usual when Labor Day rolls around, we had a big fancy to-do at Chez Weber on Monday.

Just as we celebrate our Erica's birthday each year on Memorial Day, we celebrate our Stephanie's birthday on Labor Day.

Those occasions sort of book-end the summer.

Once again, we had a birthday to celebrate

The grandkids and even a few of the adults enjoyed what will likely be their last swim of the summer -- and they swam and swam, for much of the day.

It's hot again. Not AS hot, and certainly cooler during these late-summer nights, but still hot and bright enough to find a multi-hour swim-and-play time refreshing and enjoyable.

Naturally, I was in the kitchen.

Melanie is happiest sitting off to one side, observing. Piper was a sentinel.

There was nothing exceptional about the meal (in fact it may have been a carbon copy of our Memorial Day feast): burgers, hot dogs, and chicken tenders on the grill; bacon to go on the burgers; barbecue beans and baked macaroni and cheese; an assortment of chips; deviled eggs; soft drinks and sparkling water.

It was all so simple but tasty and plentiful, and everyone was famished by two o'clock when we sat down to eat.

For Stephanie's birthday dessert, on Sunday night while waiting for them to arrive, I'd made an ice cream sandwich cake and popped it into the freezer. 

Yet another sunflower-bearing gnome sat his ground on the lazy Susan

Stephanie and her family, as they do every year, drove from North Carolina after Sunday evening services. Our Joel, her husband, is a pastor.

They got in around eleven o'clock. We sat up and talked until one o'clock in the morning.

There was no rush to get up early on Monday, but I was showered and dressed before nine and made a pot of coffee for Stephanie, Allissa, and me.

If you do not have an egg slicer like this one, at least you have my condolences

By one o'clock or so, everyone had arrived for swimming and the meal.

There had been one or two store runs for last-minute stuff. Most everybody ended up sitting around outside before lunch was served.

Meanwhile I had prepared all of the meat for TG and Chad to throw on the grill, but I had to make the sides.

Bees Wrap covered the freshly cooked thick-sliced bacon

Earlier that day I had put together the crock pot of barbecue beans. There is no recipe for this but in addition to the beans, it involves ketchup (some), mustard (a decent amount), Sweet Baby Ray's (lots), brown sugar (don't be stingy), and Creole seasoning (liberal sprinkling).

You make them with your heart. They are tangy and spicy. I do not serve bland food.

Then I cooked the noodles and assembled the semi-homemade baked macaroni and cheese.

Semi-homemade baked macaroni and cheese ... before baking

Next it was time to make the deviled eggs. I fired up my Dash egg cooker.

Oh and I have a new toy -- again, influenced to buy by a Korean housewife -- which maybe you already have.

But if you don't, you need one.

The birthday cake, aflame with golden candles

It's this multi-level egg slicer. It will cut your egg in half, or dice it, or slice it into pretty wedges.

I don't know what I ever did without it.

My deviled eggs were so precisely cut, they looked as though they'd been rent asunder with a laser beam. The velvety yolks practically jumped out of each half.

The birthday girl admiring her confection

I made the filling extra fluffy too. Probably my best work involving deviled eggs, to date.

Sorry but I forgot to take a picture of them after they were complete. And they didn't last long.

Another nifty kitchen tool I've had for some time, but never told you about, is Bee's Wrap.

Early evening and time to head for home

Audrey got me this for Christmas last year and I reach for it so often, I will definitely replace my supply once it has lost the qualities that make it so useful.

The package I got contained three pieces of Bee's Wrap. One is pretty small; you might use it to cover a lemon you've cut in half, or at most an apple.

The middle size sheet is larger -- ideal for placing over the top of a small container, maybe the dimensions of a cereal bowl.

The large size will cover a whole dinner plate and you have enough on the edges to fold it under.

TG and Little Andrew looking more pensive than they actually were

You rinse off and reuse your pieces of Bee's Wrap. They smell like honey.

I love them.

On Monday I used a sheet to cover the thick-sliced bacon I'd made in the oven, to go with the burgers.

So anyway we ate, and then everyone hung out while I cleared the table and made the dessert coffee. Then we had our ice cream sandwich cake.

Many conversations were going on at once

Stephanie loves pink so I had decorated the top with pink sanding sugar and festive sprinkles.

We put seven golden candles to add a little drama.

She blew those out and we sang to her, and then I carved out huge hunks of the cake for everyone to enjoy.

Then Stephanie opened her gifts. She got perfume and jewelry and a jacket, among other things.

Allissa and Dagny are never ready to say goodbye

Everyone pretty much dispersed then, for the next few hours. The kids got back into the pool. TG got in with them.

Melanie, who loves to simply sit and observe, spent much of the day seated at one end of the pool with Piper right at her feet.

It's as though Piper were guarding her.

Eventually it was time for everyone to think about leaving. I say think about, because we stood around in the yard for at least half an hour before anyone left.

Everyone gets a hug

It's sort of a tradition. Weather permitting.

Stephanie's group had a three-hour drive ahead of them, and Tuesday was a school day for little Andrew, who is in sixth grade.

Allissa, a tenth-grader, had the day off -- I don't remember why -- and was planning to go to the bank and open a checking account, since she now has a job and gets paychecks.

The Tar Heel bunch were the first to pull away

We waved and blew kisses as they drove away.

Cherica were next to leave. They still haven't chosen a name for that baby who will be here in four weeks. I've made many suggestions but for some reason they do not seem ready to let me name my fourth grandson.

I don't know why; I would do a good job at naming him.

Then Cherica and Rhett, with that as-yet-unnamed baby on board

Dagny and Audrey left last and it was only about seven o'clock.

I will admit that it's nice to retreat to one's chair and relax after so much sustained activity and action.

So it was a pleasant, quiet evening with some reflection on the events of the day.

The boy gnome has hold of a handy honey dipper

Autumn looms.

What did you do for Labor Day?

Are you enjoying September?

Tell me in the comments.

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Wednesday

Comments

[Donna]

Well, Happy Birthday to Stephanie! Sounds like she received a lot of sweet presents...
And may I say how beautiful Melanie is? Piper is the perfect body guard!
What a nifty egg slicer! It certainly beats my old beat-up one...I may need a new one in my life...!!
The macaroni dish sounds yummy! My Samantha has that same serving dish...so pretty!
Awww, TG and little Andrew DO look so sad! It's never fun to say goodbye.
It always took my family three quarters of an hour to say goodbye once we got out the back door! Lol
And I pause here now to say I believe it to be your maternal "right" to be the keeper of names for your fourth grandchild!! A grand name such as Thaddeus comes to my mind! Maybe as in, Stevens? Lololol....Maybe that's why I was never allowed to partake in the naming of my grandchildren? Too much, you think?? Lololol
Can't wait to see him arrive...another Gods Gift...
Sweet day dear friend...
hugs
Donna

[AC]

You 'festivize' really well.

[Mari]

That looks like the perfect celebration of Labor Day and Stephanies birthday.
That egg cutter looks like it needs to be purchased and I have some Bee Knees - good stuff.
Your gnomes are so cute! I must admit that I am rebelling against Fall and haven't put anything up yet.
It's so good to see those sweet Grands enjoying themselves.
PS - Tell Cherica that I would trust you implicitly to name that baby!

[Lori]

Happy Birthday to Stephanie!! Her cake looks delicious. I love all of your gnomes. They are perfect for late summer decorations. Everyone looks amazing as always and your food sounds so good. We had bacon cheese burgers loaded with toppings, macaroni salad and deviled eggs at our house. It was a quiet and peaceful holiday weekend. 4 weeks to go? How exciting.

[Jennifer]

@Donna ... Melanie is indeed precious and it makes us sad that she can't really be "with" us -- she lashes out and we don't know why, but we can't help it so we try to stay out of range because it can be painful, haha -- but we keep an eye on her and she keeps an eye on us and it's all good. And GIRL do not hesitate to buy that egg slicer. That is hands-down one of my favorite gadgets ever. Just superb. You will love it. And I know there are more complicated ways to make who's-yer-daddy macaroni and cheese, but you cannot beat this recipe for ease and deliciousness. The kids INHALE it. Don't feel sorry for TG and Andrew ... TG was no doubt thinking about the Cubs pitching staff (UGH) and Andrew was not looking forward to school the next day! Yes we take our leave slowly and I think that means that we are reluctant to part! I think that's a good sign of a loving and close family. YES I could name that baby and probably better than them, ahahahahaha! WHEN will they learn to just listen to me and do what I say? Oh mercy the life of a pirate, hahaaa. xoxo

@AC ... We have had years of experience haahaha xoxo

@Mari ... You have the Bees Knees? You ARE the bees knees! Hahaha! You MUST get that egg slicer. You will thank me although you wouldn't necessarily have to. Girl get those fall decorations out, immediately if not sooner! Just go with it! I will tell Erica what you said and she would probably let me do it but the one who won't cooperate is Chad, hahahaha! A pox upon him! Haahaha xoxo

@Lori ... I have gnomes for every season now, and still I can't get enough of them! I don't know why their cuteness eluded me for so long but now that I'm smitten, there is no going back. Your Labor Day meal sounds fantastic and a quiet, peaceful day is the best ever. YES! Four weeks! They'll fly by and then it will be October and I'll have a baby I can get my hands on by driving just fifteen minutes down the road!!!!! My son-in-law will have to up sticks and move his family and forget to tell me the address, hahaha! xoxo

[Carla TePaske]

Hi Jenny,
Happy Birthday to your dear girl. I would like a slice of cake please. ;-) It looks delicious.
Hee Hee that those parents will not let you name your next grandson.
I might have shared this with you already, but I will do it again, because I cannot remember if I did. We had friends just recently have a baby, they named him Theodore Robert and yes, Theodore is in honor of the president, Teddy. ;-) The couple that had the baby are the first of my boys best friends that were in our homeschooling group to have gotten married last year and now just had their first baby. :-)

[Jennifer]

@Carla ... Thank you and you're welcome to some of that cake but to be honest, it's too sweet, haahaha! I could not even begin to eat a piece of that. I just had coffee. What a wonderful story! Anyone who would name their kid after TR is all right in my book! That's so cool! And ah the nostalgia! These kids are growing up and soon they'll be in charge of everything, haahaaha xoxo

[Jeanette]

Happy Birthday to Stephanie! We had ice cream cake at my brothers on Monday too! Easy and delicious! Looks like a wonderful get together. I definitely need to check out that egg slicer. Love the picture of sweet Melanie and Piper. Dogs know just what to do don't they? XO

[Jennifer]

@Jeanette ... hey girl! Yes those ice cream sandwich "cakes" take about ten minutes to make! Boom and you're done! I wish it were possible to get ice cream sandwiches with REAL ice cream, like we had when we were growing up, but I guess those would be too expensive to make a cake with. DO get the egg slicer! You will not regret it. Yes, dogs just know what to do. Piper is the family pet for them but she's an emotional support dog to Melly! xoxo