Tag Archives: family reunion

Gimme A Point

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Use this game as an ice breaker game for your family reunion or party.  Make a copy of the game for every participant and give them a copy and a pencil when they arrive at your family reunion.  Your family can work on the game until you feel like everyone has arrived at your reunion site then call everyone together and go through the questions.  Your family will want to share their unusual and funny answers.  Be sure and have a prize for the winner of the game and perhaps for the person with the lowest score.  This is also  a fun time to give out a few family reunion awards such as the  tallest person at the reunion, the person that traveled the farthest to the reunion or the youngest person at your family reunion. 

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1. Give yourself 1 point for every button you are wearing.

2. Deduct 1 point for every 5 minutes you were late for this reunion.  

3. Add 1 point for each size shoe in shoe you are wearing. (Size 7- 7 points)

4. Add 5 points for every penny in your pocket or purse.

5. If you are wearing any pink, add 10 points to your score.

6. If you made your bed this morning give yourself 10 points.

     If your mother made your bed deduct 5 points.

     If your bed is not made deduct 10 points.

7. If your eyes are brown or green give yourself 5 points.

8. If you have grey in your hair give yourself 10 points.

9. Add 1 point for every egg you have eaten this week.

10. Give yourself 5 points for every game of golf you played in July.

11. Add 1 point for every baseball game you’ve watched this summer.

12. If you emptied the dishwasher or washed the dishes today give yourself 10 points.

13. If you are over 6 feet tall give yourself 5 points.

14. If you are under 5 feet tall give yourself 10 points.

15. If you sent more than 100 texts this week add 5 points to your score.

16. If you are over 50 and sent 1 txt this week add 10 points to your score.

17. Give yourself 1 point for every mile you walked or ran this week.

18. If you are wearing a belt give yourself 5 points.

19. If you have a dog give yourself 5 points.

20.  Give yourself 1 point for every 100 miles you traveled to be at this family reunion.

Okay, you can add up your score and put the total here-         

___________

More fun family reunion games are available in the “family fun” drop down at www.familyreunionhelper.com/ 

Aunt MO

“People are more honest around  a campfire.”- Megan

Planning for Stormy Weather When Planning Your Family Reunion

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This weekend I planned a fun two-day party at my house for 25 of my favorite family members. We planned to go horseback riding, play Badminton, Human Foosball, watch a movie and sleep outside. Fifteen minutes before the party was to begin, with no warning, the winds came up and the rains came down, and the thunder started booming. I’m actually amazed that I didn’t begin crying but with a few adjustments we were able to have a very fun party.

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Every outdoor reunion or party should have an alternative plan, in case the weather becomes uncooperative. When planning a family reunion it isn’t always reasonable to cancel the reunion or reschedule, instead you need to have a “plan B”.

I remember a family reunion we attended in Delta, Utah many years ago. The reunion was held at Great Grandma Stanworth’s tiny home and so everyone brought their tents and trailers to camp out. The reunion was great fun until the wind started blowing. It blew so hard that the tents were laying flat on the ground and we couldn’t even talk to each other because our words were just blown away.

If you don’t want to pack up and go home when the storm hits, that’s the time to plan for another activity. If you’re close to a town, take everyone bowling, to an indoor pool or a movie. Hopefully, two hours later, the wind will have died down. If not, stop at a restaurant or fast food place for an ice cream treat or a full meal. If the weather still isn’t cooperating stop at a park with a bowery and play a few games.

We played a fun new game at our “outdoor” party this weekend. It’s called “The Couch Game”. Directions and rules for playing the game can be found at www.familyreunionhelper.com/ but basically, you split into two teams, boys against the girls, and through strategic maneuvering, try to get four of your teammates sitting on the couch.

A couple of years ago we had rain at our big Stewart reunion. The weather did shut down a few of our planned activities but we were lucky because our reunion location included a huge bowery with an indoor kitchen. Everyone stayed in the bowery and we played a lengthy game of Bunko and ate dinner until the storm blew over.

Portable, easy-to-setup pavilions are a great solution to keep family members out of the rain and provide shade even on bright sunny days. Unless there is a major storm, good family reunion planning dictates you provide your guests with shelter from the rain. Many of the gazebos on the market will provide adequate shelter unless you are hit by a major storm. Renting a big tent can be very expensive; in fact sometimes I think it would be cheaper to just buy one that you can count on having every year. In our area you can plan on paying $495.00 for 30×30 tent and they go up in price from there.

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I think a better option is to reserve an alternate location in advance. If your reunion site does not have a bowery or a rec hall of some sort, consider reserving a church’s culture hall or a school gym near your family reunion site. Our school rents their gym for $75.00 a day and our church’s gym is free but must be reserved in advance. We can rent our town’s civic center for $50.00 a day.

Plan backup activities if rain pushes your family reunion inside. If your outside activities have been washed out, planning alternatives will keep your family busy. Plan on setting up a minimum of three stations (activities) at different places. Divide the family into three groups and then rotate them from activity to activity. Each activity should take 20 to 30 minutes but each should last the same amount of time. Do a craft at one station, have story time at a second station, play a game at the third station. You could ask three different members of your family to plan a “rainy day” activity to be used “just in case” or use the activities you have already planned for your reunion and move them inside.

Other rainy day activities might be:

Having a table set up with various paper, markers and scissors and encourage family members to make cards for family members that weren’t able to attend the reunion.

Have each family group draw a family portrait of their family, give an award for the best family portrait and then hang all the portraits up for the remainder of the reunion. You will need colored pencils and paper that is at least 11×17.

Square Dance

BINGO or BUNKO

Have someone tell a story.

Fold origami birds or frogs (be sure paper is cut into perfect squares)

Put on an impromptu play or melodrama. Pass out copies of the script and the actors improvise as they go along.

Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you have to stay inside. Pclip_image006ut on some waterproof gear and play volleyball, football or whiffle ball in the rain. Relay races or tag games can be extra fun in the rain.

So back to my fun outdoor summer party- we rescheduled a few of our plans; we ate dinner first and rode horses last. We postponed playing Human Foosball until day 2 but we did manage to work in everything we had planned (right down to cooking S’mores over a fire the first night) even added a few unplanned things like playing with the neighbor’s 6 puppies and giving rides on the tractor.

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Every person in charge of planning a family reunion is hoping that rain, rain will just go away, but with a little extra thought and a good “plan B” your family reunion will keep on going, even in stormy weather.

Aunt MO

Into each life some rain must fall.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Best Scary Story Ive Heard Around a Campfire

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The Legend of White Eyes

I didn’t write it nor do I know where it came from- maybe it really is a true story and came from the pages of my history book. I’ve heard a lot of scary stories when I’ve been camping but this is the only story that made me scream- I hope you scream too.

Advance preparation- besides practicing the telling of this tale you will need to take a ping-pong ball and cut it in half. Color a small dark dot on each half with a permanent marker. These will be your "white eyes". Keep them concealed in a closed hand. When the time is right, pop them on over each eye. (You may customize place names in your story to suit the occasion) NOTE: I would wait to tell this story until the little ones in your family had been tucked into bed.

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There on that side of the lake (point) is where this story took place. As you all may know, the area around here was a busy place 100 years ago due to the Gold rush. Miners turned this whole region upside down in a quest for GOLD!

Greed can be a dangerous thing, especially where Gold is involved. To find more gold meant faster production, and digging deeper underground. It also meant sacrificing safety, but they didn’t care because there were a lot of foolish men around looking to make their fortune.

One day an underground mine collapsed with 16 men still waiting to come up from a full day’s work. Hour after hour went by as they awaited their rescue. The conditions were terrible. It was pitch-black dark, and very hot, dry and dusty down deep in that shaft. The men collected droplets of water that seeped down the tunnel walls in an attempt to satisfy their dying thirst. Days went by and still no rescue. To stave off hunger, they ate rats, mushrooms, and eventually… their dead co-workers.

(Throw a log on the fire for dramatic effect! Poke away at the embers.)

Despite their hopelessness, they scraped away at the rock and debris to try and dig their way out, confident that others would be digging from the surface as part of the rescue attempt. They dug and they dug, day after day, frantically hoping to see daylight from the surface. The days stretched into weeks, and then from there, the few men left alive lost track of time, and started losing their minds.

An eternity later, the survivors finally broke through, and made two very surprising discoveries. One: there was no search party. The mining company had abandoned the mine, and simply walked away. And two… all that time underground had affected their eyes… Their eyeballs were all white, except for an itty bitty black pupil. And they could no longer tolerate sunlight. 

Being left for dead was bad enough. Turning into some sort of White-eyed freak was too much. They snapped. In their rage they made a pact to hunt down every man who abandoned them in that old mine. And soon after, mysterious instances of men being killed in the mountains around here started.

The locals at first thought it was a bear or a cougar doing all the killing. The victims were usually found mauled, bloody and torn. But; closer examination showed the teeth marks on the bodies… were from human teeth!!

(Throw log on the fire!)

One by one, those white-eyed freaks killed off every miner, and any other man they could find in this area. And to this day, you won’t find any mining around these parts. Keep in mind this all happened 100 years ago. You’re probably wondering what happened to those white-eyes?? They should all be gone now due to old age, or at least that’s what they thought… until a few weeks ago. I heard on the radio, they found a hiker mauled on that trail on the backside of the lake. And on that dead man’s neck… human teeth marks!!!

Heed my words, kids: As long as you’re close to the fire, the light will scare ‘em away, but if you need to go into the dark… (pop in the ping-pong ball props)

BEWARE of the WHITE-EYES!!!!

Aaagghhh!!!!

Aunt MO

Older Than Dirt Game for Your Family Reunion

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I’m always looking for fun games to play at our family reunions- especially pencil and paper games, so I was quite excited when a friend of mine sent me the following game.  I have to admit, however, that I was a little disappointed to find out that I am actually “older than dirt”!  How about you-

“Are YOU Older Than Dirt?"

1. In the 1940’s, where were automobile headlight high beam switches located?

a. On the floor shift knob

b. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch

c. Next to the horn

2. What would you do with an old soda bottle with holes the bottle cap?

a. Capture lightning bugs

b. Sprinkle clothes before ironing

c. Shaker for sea salt

3. In the 50’s what cost 20 cents?

a. Gallon of gas

b. Postage stamp

c. Loaf of bread

4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?

a. Blackjack

b. Gin

c. Craps!

5. What method did women use to look as if they were wearing stockings when none were available due to rationing during W.W.II?

a. Suntan

b. Leg painting

c. Wearing slacks

6. What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn’t tell whether it was coming or going?clip_image004[5]

a. Studebaker

b. Nash Metro

c. Tucker

7. Which was a popular candy when you were a kid?

a. Strips of dried peanut butter

b. Chocolate licorice bars

c. Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside

8. How was Butch wax used?

a. To stiffen a flat-top haircut so it stood up

b. To make floors shiny and prevent scuffing

c. On the wheels of roller skates to prevent rust

9. Before in-line skates, how did you keep your roller skates attachedclip_image006[6] to your shoes?

a. With clamps, tightened by a skate key

b. Woven straps that crossed the foot

c. Long pieces of twine

10. As a kid, what was considered the best way to reach a decision?

a. Consider all the facts

b. Ask Mom

c. Eeny-meeny-miney- mo

11. What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940’s-50’s

a. Smallpox

b. AIDS

c. Polio

12. "I’ll be down to get you in a ________, Honey"

a. Station wagon

b. Taxi

c. Streetcar

13. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy’s pet pony? clip_image008[6]

a. Old Blue

b. Paint

c. Macaroni

14. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill?

a. Part of the game of hide and seek

b. What you did when your Mom called you in to do chores

c. How you prepared for an A-bomb attack

15. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doodyclip_image010[6] show?

a. Princess Summerfallwinterspring

b. Princess Sacajawea

c. Princess Moonshadow

16. What did all the really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?

a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink

b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window

c. Wrote another pupil’s name on the top, to avoid looking bad when they flunked

17. Why did your Mom shop in stores that gave Green Stamps withclip_image012[5] purchases?

a. To keep you out of mischief by licking the backs, which tasted like bubble gum

b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household items

c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick-on tattoos

18. Praise the Lord, and pass the _________?

a. Meatballs

b. Dames

c. Ammunition

19. 1930’s college fad

a. Swallowing goldfish

b. Collecting bottle caps

c. Streakingclip_image014[5]

20. Who left his heart in San Francisco?

a. Tony Bennett

b. Xavier Cugat

c. George Gershwin

www.familyreunionhelper.com

ANSWERS

1. b) On the floor, to the left of the clutch. Hand controls, popular in Europe, took till the late ’60’s to catch on.

2. b) To sprinkle clothes before ironing. Who had a steam iron?

3. a) Gallon of gas- 20 cents, stamp- 3 cents, bread- 14 cents

4. a) Blackjack Gum.

5. b) Special makeup was applied, followed by drawing a seam down the back of the leg with eyebrow pencil.

6. a) 1946 Studebaker.

7. c) Wax coke bottles containing super-sweet colored water. They were called "Nik-L-Nip"

8 a) Wax for your flat top (butch) haircut.

9. a) With clamps, tightened by a skate key, which you wore on a shoestring around your neck.

10. c) Eeny-meeny-miney- mo.

11. c) Polio. In beginning of August, swimming pools were closed, movies and other public gathering places were closed to try to prevent spread of the disease.

12. b) Taxi. Better be ready by half-past eight!

13. c) Macaroni.

14. c) Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill.

15. a) Princess Summerfallwinterspring. She was another puppet.

16. a) Immediately sniffed the purple ink.

17. b) Put in a special stamp book, they could be traded for household items at the Green Stamp store.

18. c) Ammunition, and we’ll all be free.

19. a) Swallowing goldfish

20. a) Tony Bennett

SCORING

18-20 correct: You are older than dirt!

12-18 correct: Not quite dirt yet, but you’re getting there.

0-11 correct: You are just a young “whippersnapper” and if you don’t know what that is ask someone that is “older than dirt”.

For more fun family reunion and party games visit www.familyreunionhelper.com

Tool Game for Fathers Day

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A couple of weeks ago we celebrated my father’s 80th birthday.  We played lots of games that represented Dad’s favorite things, games using Oreo cookies, games with tennis balls and games with M & M’s, but one of the most  fun games was about Dad’s interest in tools and I thought you might want to add this game to your list of games for your Father’s Day party.

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Begin by dividing your group into two teams or more, if you have a large group.  Have each group choose a contestant for the round.  Contestants come to the front of the group, standing equal distance around a tennis ball on a folded towel.

The Master of Ceremonies for the game, begins reading a description of a tool and the contestant that knows the answer first, grabs the tennis ball from the towel.  The contestant with the ball gets the first chance to give the name of the tool.  If they answer correctly, that team receives a point, if not, the question is read again and another team is given the opportunity to give the correct answer.

If neither contestant is able to give the correct answer, contestants may huddle with their team members to try and come up with the answer.  First contestant to grab the tennis ball can give the answer.

Game continues until the winning team, the one with the most points, is determined.

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A list of tools and descriptions are listed below:

Stillson Wrench- a large pipe wrench with L-shaped adjustable jaws that tighten as pressure on the handle is increased.

Coping Saw- a handsaw with a taut thin blade; used for cutting small curves in wood

Back Saw- any hand saw which has stiffening rib on the edge opposite the cutting edge, allowing for better control and more precise cutting than other types of saws.

Mallot- a tool resembling a hammer but with a large head (usually wooden); used to drive wedges or ram down paving stones or for crushing or beating or flattening or smoothing.

Pliers- a gripping hand tool with two hinged arms and (usually) serrated jaws.

Lathe- a machine tool which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling or deformation with tools that are applied tot he work piece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation.

Router- a plane for cutting interior angles, as at the bottom of a groove.

Plomb Bob- a weight, usually with a pointed tip on the bottom, that is suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference line.

Allen Wrench- A tool consisting of an L-shaped bar with a hexagonal head, used to turn screws with hexagonal sockets.

Box Wrench- a wrench with a closed loop that fits over a nut or bolt head.

Ratchet- a type of wrench, or tightening tool, that uses separate, removable sockets, removable sockets to fit many different sizes of fittings and fasteners, most commonly nuts and bolts.

Clamp- a fastening device to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation through the application of inward pressure.

Nail- a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener.

Tin Snips- hand tools used to cut sheet metal and other tough webs.

Hack Saw- a saw used with one hand for cutting metal.

Radial Arm Saw- a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm.

Anvil- a heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering.

Vise Grip- pliers that can be locked into position, using an overcenter action.

Screw- a simple machine of the inclined-plane type consisting of a spirally threaded cylindrical rod that engages with a similarly threaded hole.clip_image002

Of course, there are hundreds of tools that can be added to this game, a dictionary is a great resource.

For other great Father’s Day games see the free download at Family Reunion Helper.

Uncle Richards Homemade Root Beer- a Family Reunion Favorite

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Rustle up some cowpokes and head on down to the OK Corral for a wild and wooly family reunion! We’re proud to announce the completion of our “western” family reunion.

Western reunion 007 A western or cowboy theme has been a favorite reunion of our family for many years. It’s a theme we have repeated many times. It takes hours to create a family reunion theme for the webpage and as I worked on this western reunion theme, looking at photos and reading journal entries from past reunions, I was amazed and excited about all the fun things we had done. In fact, there were so many great ideas I had to force myself to stop writing after 30 pages of “yeehaw” fun.

I tried to choose the very best western decorating ideas, games, activities, recipes and printables for this theme but, like with most things, with the completion of the Western reunion I immediately started thinking of things I should have found room for – like Uncle Richard’s homemade root beer recipe. So refreshing and delicious we include it at all our family reunions but it seems like an obvious drink for the “saloon” area at your western reunion. Therefore, I thought I’d use this blog to share this refreshing recipe with all my www.familyreunionhelper.com blog friends.

DSC_0571zz If you ask Uncle Richard for his root beer recipe he’ll just tell you to add a bag of sugar, root beer concentrate and water, but we have carefully watched him make his brew and we now have an official Uncle Richard root beer recipe.

Uncle Richard’s Homemade Root Beer

You will need:

5 gallon container to mix root beer (we use an insulated cooler with a spigot or a milk can, using a ladle to serve)

5 pounds granulated sugar

5 gallons of water

5 pounds of dry ice (I always buy 6 pounds because some of it seems to “magically” disappear.)root beer concentrate.ashx

2 ounce bottle of Root beer concentrate (I use McCormick brand found near the vanilla extract in the spice section of your grocery store.)

 

Directions:

Begin making your homemade root beer 30 minutes before serving. With a long handled ladle or spoon, mix water, sugar and root beer concentrate in your container until sugar is dissolved. Add dry ice. Do not put the lid tightly on your container. Let sit for about 30 minutes and then serve.

This root beer will loose it’s fizz and isn’t something you can store in the fridge for days. If you do have some root beer left over (doubt it) just leave it in the container and you will soon find icy, popsicle like areas that are fun to scoop out and suck on.

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If you want to serve a yummy treat at your family reunion, serve the root beer over a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass or mug. The Root Beer float was invented in 1893, when Frank Wisner of the Cripple Creek Brewing Company in Colorado., glanced at snow-capped mountain on a moon-lit evening. What he saw resembled a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on top of the black mountain. That inspired Wiser to add a scoop of ice cream to his own brewed root beer and thus the “root beer float” came to be.

Don’t forget to check out the latest reunion theme at www.familyreunionhelper.com while drinking a frosty, cold, mug of Uncle Richard’s homemade root beer.

Aunt MO

“One of life’s greatest mysteries is how the boy who wasn’t good enough to marry your daughter can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world.”                                                           unknown

My Top Ten Family Reunion Songs

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I have a favorite family reunion song- it’s upbeat and fun and you feel good when you listen to it and even better when you sing it. It’s a little known song, you haven’t heard it on the radio and it’s never been on the top of the charts but it’s my favorite and I think that when you hear it you’ll like it too.

clip_image002[5]I spent a lot of time looking for my favorite family reunion song, I’ve searched the net and I’ve visited hundreds of family web pages. I found that the most used song on these family web pages is “Family Reunion” by the O’Jays”. I like the lyrics that say, “It’s so nice to see, all the folks you love together”. Not a bad song, really, the song’s only problem is that it is over used and, for my liking,  the tempo is a little slow.

There are some great family reunion songs that are regional in nature such as “Sweet Home Alabama” which would be a great reunion song if you roots were in Alabama or if Texas were your home state, “God Blessed Texas”, or "Louisiana Saturday Night" by Alabama. But you really need to be from one of those places to choose it as your favorite family reunion song.

My list of family reunion songs is quite an eclectic list, songs from many different genres. I think that a reunion song should be upbeat and fun and should make you feel good and if it meets that criterion, I don’t care who sings it or if it is considered country, rock or spiritual in nature.

Let’s start my list with a song that probably couldn’t be classified as “family reunion” music but it has a great tempo and some fun lyrics and to be perfectly honest, is just a guilty pleasure of mine. “The Boys Are Back in Town” is my number 10 choice. My number 9 choice is another fun song- one that you can use to get your “party started” but most people probably don’t think of it as a family reunion song.

Songs numbers two through eight can be considered more traditional family reunion songs and although they didn’t come immediately to my mind, seem to naturally belong on the list.

Song number one is in a class of it’s own but I want you to discover it for yourself. So read on, and when you get to song number one, prepare to be surprised.

 

#10 Boys Are Back In Town- Bruce Springstein

#9 Get the Party Started- Pink I’m comin’ up
So you better
Get this party started

#8 “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” – Bon Jovi & Sugarland Who says you can’t go home
theres only one place they call you one of their own
Just a hometown boy born a rolling stone
who says you cant go home

#7 Lights of My Hometown- Aaron Lines Don’t know how long I’ve been gone, All I know is it’s been too long

#6 Something To Be Proud Of- Montgomery Gentry That’s something to be proud of
That’s a life you can hang your hat on
That’s a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin’
Or a newborn baby cryin’
In the arms of the woman that you love
That’s something to be proud of

#5 Family Reunion- O’Jays It’s so nice to see, All the folks you love together

#4 Home- Chris Daughtry So I’m going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.

#3 These Are My People- Rodney Adkins These are my people
This is where I come from
Were givin’ this life everything we got and then some
It ain’t always pretty
But its real
It’s the way we were made
clip_image004[5]Wouldn’t have it any other way
These are my people

#2 We Are Family- Sister Sledge

All of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We’re giving love in a family dose

The above songs be downloaded for 99 cents at http://family-reunion-planner.fimark.net/family-reunion-songs.html

And now for MY number one family reunion song-

#1 Family Reunion- Plank Road Publishing

From the hills of California from the shores of Maine

We all come together with the same last name.

It’s our family reunion!

So many aunts and uncles

I’ll have to count again

And all these crazy cousins

I can’t believe we’re kin!

The lyrics are great but don’t mean as much until you put the fun music behind them. You can listen to this song at http://www.familyreunionhelper.com and you can download it http://www.mootoobmoosic.com

Our family has had a lot of fun with the reunion song. One year we assigned a few people from each family group to learn the song and then sing it at our family reunion. Many of the performers dressed up in Hill Billy attire and sang it with a twang. It was the highlight of the reunion and soon everyone at the reunion was singing along. It’s easy to learn and easy to sing but if you’re looking for a serious family reunion song this is not it.

“Family Reunion” is upbeat and fun but no one is going to get tears in their eyes when they listen to it- unless they’re tears of laughter!

Aunt MO

The house fly hums in the middle octave key of F.

Sing up for the blog and get the family campfire songbook free

Easter Egg Hunt on Horseback!

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The best Easter Egg hunt in the entire universe is held the Saturday before Easter at Canna Bay Farms. Humans of all descriptions gather; greenhorns, cowboys and babies as well of horses of all breeds, colors and training, to find Easter Eggs hidden all over the farm. At our Easter Egg hunt it’s not about the eggs- it’s about the hunt!

To make things fairer for the inexperienced and younger riders, Uncle Steven and I hide the eggs according to color. Each rider has a different color or style of egg. For instance, this year we have basketball eggs for Kory, purple eggs for Megan, football eggs for Ryan, chicken shaped eggs for Brynna, pink eggs for Janie and so forth. We’ve been collecting eggs for years, and since we ask everyone to leave their eggs and just take the candy home, we have quite a collection. Assigning each rider their own color makes it possible for us to hide the eggs according to the rider’s ability.

clip_image004Because Megan, Kory and Janie are experienced riders we hide their eggs in places that are hard to see and difficult to get to, but we hide green horn and children’s eggs in plain sight and in places easy for them to reach.

After the hunters find all of their eggs they are allowed to hunt for the golden eggs that have special prizes in them such as movie tickets, gift certificates and coins. This is the most exciting part of the hunt as riders become a little more daring and often find themselves racing for the same golden egg as another rider. I recently read an article about how to hold a “safe” Easter Egg hunt and although I don’t think our horseback hunt would qualify as “safe” I am happy to report that we have never had an accident- I’m not saying we haven’t come close- but no one has ever been hurt.

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Our most unusual hunt was the year my son, Kory, used the hunt as a means of proposing to his future wife, Janie. We hid her diamond ring in one of the eggs and everyone held their breath as Janie hunted for her eggs. When Janie found the egg the ring was in, I was so afraid the egg would come open, that I finally had to ask her if she wanted me to hold her eggs while she continued searching for more eggs. Of course, Janie said “yes” when Kory popped the question, and they and their 18 month old daughter live “happily ever after” about 5 miles from us.

After all the eggs are found everyone gathers together to open their eggs and discover the goodies and prizes in them. We usually play badminton and eat Sloppy Joes for lunch.

Tips and hints for a successful horseback Easter Egg hunt:

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Because the horses haven’t been ridden much during the winter months they are usually feeling a little frisky for our Easter Egg Hunt. We used to give the riders a plastic shopping bag to put their eggs in but some horses would spook at the crackling noise the bags made so now everyone just wears a hoodie with pockets to put their eggs in.

clip_image002[9]We have hidden as few as six eggs per person and as many as 12. The gold eggs are extra and although we don’t limit how many eggs a person can find, they are pretty good to make sure that everyone finds at least one golden egg.

I always fill extra eggs in case we have an unexpected rider, which happens more often then not.

For more unusual Easter Egg hunt ideas and fun family reunion themes, visit www.familyreunionhelper.com, and check out the “Home for the Holidays” family reunion.

Aunt MO

“If you only have one smile give it to the people you love."

What do Pudgies, Toasties, Jaffles and Hobos Have in Common?

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No, we’re not talking about the loved ones that will be attending your family reunion- we’re talking about Pie Irons! Pie Irons are known by many different names, Pudgie Pies, Pioneer Pies, Fire Pies, Toasties and Jaffles, but each name is referring to ingredient-filled "pockets" of bread toasted over a campfire. Cooking with pie irons is a long time tradition at our family reunions.

Camp cooking doesn’t have to be just hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. Our family reunions wouldn’t be complete without a delicious raspberry pie cooked over the campfire and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. With a pie iron, you can cook anything from a simple grilled-cheese and ham sandwich to a delicious berry pie for dessert.

In its most basic function, a pie iron is a way to cook grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit pies over an open fire. This is done by placing the food inside the pie iron and then locking the two sides closed with a metal hook. Metal rods with wood handles extend from the castings so the user can easily maneuver the pie iron over a campfire. A few minute over the heat, usually 4 to 6 minutes, and you will have perfectly toasted sandwich or pie.

Pie Irons are available in both cast iron & aluminum. Our family prefers cast iron. They come in several different shapes; round, square, oblong and double. For our family reunions, we only use square irons.product_thumb.php A slice of bread fits perfectly in a square pie iron but the “waffle” pie irons I’ve seen look fun too. Some day I’m going to buy waffle style irons for our family reunion and use them for breakfast. Aunt Lynn doesn’t think she’s had breakfast unless she has had a piece of toast so we’ve even used our pie irons for toast.

To make the most simple of pies, just take two slices of bread (buttered on the outsides), fill with jam, cheese, meat or pie filling- you don’t need much, then place inside the pie iron and lock it closed. Hold it over your campfire for a few minutes on each side and you’ll soon be eating a grilled cheese sandwich or a scrumptious apple pie.

At our family reunions, we like to make fruit pies in the evening while we are sitting around the campfire visiting, singing or playing games. About ten years ago, at a family reunion, cousin Mindy suggested that we sprinkle our freshly baked pies with sugar and cinnamon when we dump it out of the pie iron. Yummy! Some of our favorite flavors of fruit pies are lemon and raspberry. Another family favorite at our family reunions are “Cherry Cheese Turnovers- the recipe is below.

Cherry Cheese Turnover

Cream Cheese

Cherry Pie Filling

Butter or Pam cooking spray

2 Slices of white bread

Butter or add cooking spray to one side of each slice of bread and place buttered-side-out in pie iron.  Fill with a Tablespoon of cream cheese and a Tablespoon of cherry pie filling.  Cook on camp stove or in fire until golden brown.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Pie Irons are great for making ham and cheese sandwiches, individual pizzas and dessert pies but you don’t have to always use bread pockets when you use your pie irons. At our family reunions, we have made omelets and hash brown potatoes in our pie makers. Use your imagination- I even heard of a family that makes Baked Alaska in their irons. That’s a recipe I’ve got to try! Here’s a fun recipe using tortillas.

Quesadilla

10" Flour Tortilla’s

Shredded Cheese

Grilled Chicken Strips

Taco Seasoning

Sour Cream, olives, salsa etc.

Spray both sides of Irons well, with non stick cooking oil. Lay Tortilla in middle of one Pie Iron. Fill with 3 to 4 strips of cooked and thawed chicken, sprinkle 1/8 cup of cheese and taco seasoning to taste. Fold the Tortilla in on all sides, close Pie Iron and cook until Tortilla is golden brown on both sides.  Serve cut in half with sour cream and salsa.

A basic pie iron can be purchased for about $20.00 at Sporting Goods/Camping & Outdoor Stores, BBQ & Kitchen Specialty Stores, Campgrounds, RV Stores, & Hardware stores. I once stumbled onto store liquidation and bought pie irons for $6.00 a piece. I bought every iron they had in stock. An online resource .

You don’t need a pie iron for every person at your family reunion, just cook your pie and pass the iron onto the next person. After you’ve introduced your family to pie irons at your next family reunion everyone will want to have one- selling pie irons might even be a great fund raiser! More great recipes can be found at www.familyreunionhelper.com under “Tried and True” recipes.

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro

Aunt MO