Family Fun Month - National Night Out! #HormelFamily

August is a busy busy month.

Trying to get it all in while we can, before the back to school rigamorole sets in...

It's also Family Fun Month!

Time gets away from us...and before we know it - the best laid plans haven't materialized.

But one thing that we DO make time for, each and every year - 

Is National Night Out - 

now known as Night to Unite ~

And since we consider our neighborhood friends our family ~ 

It's like spending an evening at a big ol family reunion!

Amazing friends, that we consider family.

Amazing food.

Does it get any better?

Bacon wrapped chicken with jalepenos! YUM!

Pam, Rob & Dave...sampling the above delish bacon treats!

There was no shortage of amazing foods to eat.

Salads, meats, desserts, pasta!

It's a great time to share our favorite recipes or try out new ones......

Mouth watering slow smoked ribs!!

We may have to get in the car and drive for hours to visit with our biological families - 

but just steps outside of our front door has us hanging with our surrogate family!

It doesn't get too much better than this...honestly.

Does your family attend National Night Out?

Do you have a favorite dish that you make & bring to family or friend gatherings?

*** I am a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger - I am occasionally given coupons to try Hormel products or given the products themselves. The thoughts/opinions/pictures shared in this post are my own. ***

Nat'l Night Out - Take 2

As is tradition in our neighborhood - just like National Night Out/Night to Unite - we met up in the cul de sac for our annual Labor Day Potluck!



Lots of great neighbor friends came out and shared in great food and great conversation...

The 'boys' stayed busy playing bean bag toss (I'm going to secretly hone my skills and whoop em next time!)

Uncle Denny even played 'bags' while cuddling Giada...He's good!

The little boys stayed busy with their own game of 'cars' - using the garden hose to put gas in - ah! if only life were that easy!!

We've been throwing around the idea of getting our kids a power wheel or two - but...it's so nice to see them actually running and playing and getting such great physical exercise...that's been the sticking factor to NOT getting one - that and where the hell do you store those things? Kids these days are so sedentary with all of the video games/television/bus commuting, etc - We love that they want to ride bikes and use their 'flintstone cars'

We've talked about it for a couple of years now, if we just keep this up for a couple more years, soon they'll be too big for powerwheels anyway and the point will be mute anyway - just like all of the other things the hubs and I deal with - ignore it and eventually it goes away right? HA!

Night to Unite

Formerly known as National Night Out - Everyone comes together and hangs out - meeting one another...

Well, as you know - we do this in our neighborhood pretty frequently, not just once a year...but it's always a good time!

Everyone gathers in the cul de sac and brings a dish to share...


The kids eat mostly cookies!


D puts two together and tries to eat them that way - cuz then it's like he's only got one cookie!


I can hardly believe how big these two are getting...seems like yesterday they were 2 year olds going for a Mustang ride on a Friday night!


Pam brought the shots...






And the kids all sat good and pretended to eat -

We got totally hosed on the 'public service vehicles' this year - every year since we moved in - EIGHT years ago...We've had not only a fire truck but a police car as well - this year - I guess because of budget cuts - we got some city councilman (or something) and a police man who hopped out of a suburban...(or some other regular old family car!)

No squad car, no fire truck...What a bummer -

The kids still thought the cop was cool - but still - not even a squad car? Sheesh!

The policeman WAS nice enough to give us a couple of beach balls - courtesy of hmmmm....?

And they were pretty fun but clearly - two beachballs and a dozen or more kids isn't the greatest of ideas...

We got out our bounce house but since it's little - and there were a zillion kids - that didn't last too long - but it was fun all the same...



I've said it time and time again - our neighbors are the only reason we are still in this house eight years later - five years was the max...but more and more lately I want to convince my hubby that MSP isn't for me, for us...

The kids are getting older...and so am I...is this big busy metro really where we want to be?

I guess for now it is - until our neighbor friends start moving out...then the decision gets easier!

National Night Out

Well, last night was our annual National Night Out Party - the old - take back your neighborhood - get out there, share some pot luck and some good will towards men (and women and kids) in your neighborhood. We had fun, as we have every year for the past seven we've lived in our house, but I can't help but notice that every year the party gets smaller. Every year someone moves out of the neighborhood and someone new moves in. More and more the newbies are driving into their garages, shutting the door and THEN getting out and sneaking inside their homes. When we first moved to this neighborhood there must of been 20 or more houses participating in NNO - Last night as I was looking around - I couldn't help but notice that it was the same neighbors we know and love, and hang out with on a very very regular basis, with the exception of ONE couple and their daughter who stopped by to eat and chat. Everyone else we talk to at the mailbox, out on walks, or have get togethers with on a regular basis. None of the new people came out to say hi - not even people who were "new" last year. What gives? This is such a great opportunity to get out and say hi to your neighbors, get to know one another, be grateful for where you live! As I lie in bed last night I couldn't help but wonder when our good neighbor friends decide to pack up and leave the neighborhood...will we be right behind them?
I say it often, the good neighbors we have are the only reason we are still in this house seven years later. It really was intended to be our starter home - had we put more thought into being there longer than 3-5 years we would have had more criteria - like a front closet or maybe a 3rd garage stall! More and more people are moving away and the new ones that move in aren't really worth sticking around for! When I drive though our neighborhood I see more and more unkempt houses, unmowed lawns (including that jackass next to Andy and Jamie who had weeds over 5 feet tall in his front yard). I have to think if people came out and got to know their neighbors, perhaps they would take some pride in their homes and in our neighborhood...Maybe next year we'll have to expand the invite to be the whole Sunset Lake Subdivision in hopes that one more family would join us? It just takes one to make a difference right??Ok, enough complaining - we had a good time with our neighbor friends - The po po came, a fire truck came and a good time was had by all who dared to show up!


Lary and Jamie in the back of the squad...


Let's hope this isn't a picture of what's to come...Derek and Mason in the back of a squad pulling up outside of our house??












Derek and his sidekick Gary - or is it Gary and his sidekick Derek?