Captivity by Baseball

I have been held hostage this Summer so far by a little friend I've come to know pretty intimately...baseball. This is what has kept me from blogging, cooking regularly, eating regularly, doing anything non-baseball related.... We did have a rainy Sunday week before last which wiped our baseball schedule totally clean - and it was wonderful.  Just as I savor every bite of a warm, rich chocolaty dessert, so did I savor every minute of that rainy day.  The boys were each off to the movies with their friends, and Matt and I got to enjoy a normal day with Brooke.  We actually did a few things to (or FOR) our house - "honey-do" things that we haven't had a chance to take care of because of being so busy since we moved in!  We put Brooke in the stroller and enjoyed a run (until it started raining).  Brooke fell asleep in Matt's arms...

After our nice rainy day, it was off to work and a little packing as we prepared for Rosemary Beach where Matthew and I spent several days.  Down there for a baseball tournament, it sure felt more like a vacation with a little bit of baseball.   

Matthew and I had a BLAST on our trip as we enjoyed afternoons on the beach, friends around 24/7, bonfire, swimming pool, fun movies in the car...  Going from having three kids to just one and the one being your oldest - well, it's a HUGE break!  It was nice to have some one on one time with him and I also enjoyed all the card playing, music listening, dancing, running in the early morning with friends, cocktails... it was blissful!  Have I mentioned yet that Debbie and I had a near death shark encounter while on our paddle board?  (we survived).  I did miss the rest of my family like CRAZY, but it was such a refreshing break, all the same.  And to all my baseball mom friends... I adore each of you and am so thankful for these past few years where we have practically lived together like family for 4-6 weeks every Summer.  Every year a new Summer season starts, it just has that "coming home" feeling....

It's always fun to spend time with other moms who cook and do the same things you do - to learn different things.  My friend, Molly, made some AMAZING grilled chicken.  The secret?  KC Masterpiece Lemon Pepper Marinade.



We cut up pieces of chicken into smaller chunks, put the chunks into a big zip lock and poured this over all - let them sit for a few hours and then grilled. They were DELICIOUS!  And it doesn't get easier than that!

My friend, Linda, brought down some delicious bread.


We toasted this, topped it with either peanut butter or almond butter - and one morning, we even put some turkey bacon on top of the peanut butter!  Delicious!!! 

And one of the most FUN new tastes?  Well, the Pink Panty Pull Down - also known as the Skip and Go Naked.  Now, none of the above transpired, but we did enjoy drinking this cocktail!



It was refreshing and light - the perfect beach cocktail!  Below are the ingredients - mix them all together and whaaa - la, you have yourself a cocktail!  When I first looked at the ingredients, I asked, "where's the water or club soda or non-alcoholic part?"  Well, now I understand why it is named what it is. 

1 fifth Vodka (Absolut)

6 cans Beer

1 can Limeade (Minute Maid)

2 cans (Pink lemonade) Frozen Lemonade Concentrate (Minute Maid)