Random Thoughts on a Friday, vol. 3

We've sailed into summer vacation without a hitch.  The boy has spent his days with friends, riding bikes, swimming, going to the creek, playing video games...  It's been a good first week.

Here's a list of random thoughts and happenings from the past week:

© shoutingforha

1.  It's no secret that my favorite sweet treat is blueberry pie.  While traditional pie is wonderful, my new favorite thing may be these little handheld pies.  Don't they look delicious?

I used my easy pie crust recipe and made the blueberry filling as usual.  I brushed a little egg wash along the edge of the bottom crust, spooned a little filling in the middle, topped it with the top crust and used a fork to crimp the edges for a proper seal.  Each pie was brushed with the egg wash and sprinkled with sugar before baking. 

Hand pies are the perfect summertime treat.  They are just the right size and are perfect to eat on the go.  Give them a try.

2.  A Dollar General commercial is going to be filmed at my house.  Here's how it came to be...

An old friend is producing the commercial and thought our home would be the perfect location for the shoot.  When he first contacted us, I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or insulted.  After all, it's Dollar General and not Anthropologie or some other trendy store.

The director was looking for an older home that still had some of it's original charm.  The problem is that most homes of this era (early 1960's) have either been completely gutted and now resemble the standard Middle Tennessee tract house or they look like they belong to a ninety-year-old woman.

Our house is different.  While we've done a significant amount of upgrades to the Ha family mansion, it still holds some of it's good old 60's vibe.  They also liked the way we've decorated the place.

I was told that the shoot will take about six hours.  I'll post more about it once the whole thing is finished.

© shoutingforha

3.  Our family of robins has laid a second batch of eggs in the nest on our back porch light.  I assumed they would give up after their first four babies succumbed to an early death.  

The three blue eggs should be hatching any day now.  I've decided to keep the porch light off until the little birdies leave the nest in an effort to protect them from any nighttime attacks from our neighborhood owl.


Once the nest is officially empty, I'm taking down the old light and replacing it with one that will be a little less nest friendly.

4.  My boy is getting his twelve-year molars.  He never had a hard time with teething so you can imagine my surprise when he started whimpering and whining about his new choppers.

Now if he would lose the rest of his baby teeth.  They seem to have no intention of ever leaving his warm, cozy mouth.  I think the boy is willing them to stay in there in an effort to avoid the inevitable... braces.

So, dear readers.  What are your plans for the weekend?  The weather is supposed to be in the 70's here in Nashvegas, which is unseasonably cool for this time of year.  We will probably take advantage of the respite from the heat and spend a little time in the great outdoors.