The Teddy Bear's Picnic

These three bears were made by my aunt Viola
about 63 years ago!!!

Today was our family Picnic - our Teddy Bear's Picnic!  I've always wanted to go to a Teddy Bear's Picnic!! The weather was unpredictable so we were fortunate to have the option to have our picnic indoors. We made our own sunshine today!










It was a lot of fun .... the food, as always, was delicious.  There were some fun things on the laden table such as a huge chocolate chip cookie with a bear face on it, "ants on a log" snacks, "bears at the beach" cupcakes, and more! We sang the Teddy Bear's Picnic Song (or a least we tried to sing it - not quite as well as Anne Murray does it). Thanks to everyone for bringing your favourite bears - it was a blast!

After dinner the children had fun whacking the pinata, playing in the nearby playground, blowing bubbles, and just hanging out with their cousins and second cousins while us adults enjoyed being together, watching as the "grandchildren" played and getting caught up with our nieces and nephews lives.  It was fun giving the bears their ribbon awards. A great day in spite of the weather!

Clay arrived late but he had a good excuse!  His ball team won the tournament AGAIN and he won "Most Valuable Player".  Way to go Clay!!  So proud of you.















Robin report
Look who's moving out of the nest.......

It was getting much too crowded anyway!  They are fully feathered now and ready to "fly the coop"!!!  I've been talking to them every day and they aren't as afraid of me as they used to be.  I wonder.......will they come back as adults and try nesting in the same spot????

Here is the corn/bean salad I took to the picnic.  It's one of my favourites and adapted from my friend Karen's recipe:

CORN/BEAN SALAD:
1 Can Black Beans - drained and rinsed
2 sm. Cans corn - drained
1/2 Cup chopped parsley
1 Red Pepper - diced (can use green pepper as well)
1/4 Chopped Chives
1-2 basil leaves - chopped
1/4 Cup chopped Sweet Onion (or green onions)
Dressing:
4 Tbsp. Oil (I used grape seed and olive oil)
6 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Soya Sauce
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

We like to eat this salad as a side dish or as a filling on Tostito's Multi-Grain Scoops!


Till next time ..... it's stopped raining now and there's a beautiful sunset - sigh!