Oh boy! What a week this has been! It has been chock full of end of school year parties, a graduation, a birthday (mine), tears of joy and tears of letting go. Of course I had my camera with me for some of it. It’s been a week full of blessings, looking back at the year we have had, and looking ahead to summer and behind that another school year with our family. That’s right. We go to school with our family. I don’t have family near by. The closest is 2 hours, which is not that far, but when it comes to day to day life, it is far enough. So we make our own family. And that includes good friends, and the teachers, staff, kiddos and their parents at our most wonderful school. My kids spend so much time there (all 4 of them) that it is just kind of natural for me to want to be a huge part of that. It’s our community. One thing about being Cajun is that you are raised to be somewhat family oriented. I have actual bonds, memories, relationships with cousins, great aunts, second cousins, third cousins twice removed. In my opinion, family is not only about who you are related to by blood, but who is there every day. And for us, that is comprised mostly of the families, teachers and staff at our school. It is a small school, so maybe that’s it. So this week has been a lot about those people. Our family. And the past week or so our Framily (thanks Bee for that term) has celebrated, grieved, said goodbye to some and transitioned. I feel blessed to be a part of it all. I have some very good friends who had kiddos graduating from 5th grade from that same school. They asked me to be there to take pictures and I am so glad I did. It was bittersweet for them, for us and like they were there on my birthday with flowers and balloons to celebrate my day, I was there on hand with my camera to capture those memories that were just a little too bittersweet for them to enjoy from behind the lens. It’s what framily does.
Now onto this fantabulous luau punch. I ran across this recipe last week here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/luau-punch/detail.aspx and it just looked so refreshing I had to make it. It only takes 3 ingredients and a little time to prep, so it makes the perfect punch for a graduation celebration, a birthday party, or just chilling around the pool. Also, with long summer days ahead with 4 kiddos in the house and probably some of our framily too, it is a great thing to have on hand. The kids can have it as is, and the mommies can spike it with rum or vodka (not that I know anything about that. Ha! Who am I kidding? Y’all know I am Cajun and I will spike it and be proud!) and make their own grown up version. It’s also great for that bridal or baby shower or a summertime Sunday brunch. It is an all around perfect summer treat!!! Cold, slushy, and refreshing…it is completely worth your time.~AMB

Luau punch

Stuff you need~

1- 2 liter bottle of sprite or any lemon lime soda (I used Sprite Zero)
1 can pineapple juice
1-12 ounce frozen orange juice concentrate (the original uses 7 ounces but I could not find that size and I did not want to waste the rest. I dumped it in and it was delish!)

What to do with the stuff~

In a large freezer safe jug or container with a lid, combine the orange juice concentrate and pineapple juice. Using a heavy duty spoon, stir well until concentrate and pineapple juice are well combined. Next, stir in the soda. It will fizz up some and that’s ok. Put lid on and stick it in the freezer overnight. The next day, remove container from fridge and using a ice pic, break through the frozen top, turning it into slush. Ladle it into glasses and enjoy! You’re welcome!

an it’s my birthday selfie with some of my wonderful friends! My framily!

our end of the school year pic with me feigning despair (mostly)…really we are all ecstatic!

sweet friends graduating…they are thick as thieves and precious as the day is long

my babies and our wonderful principal. She takes time to pose with her students…she leads a great team

even Toby cannot resist the punch

just in time for summer ☀️

an outsider may look at this picture and just see a librarian, a custodian, cafeteria manager, a security guard, and so on….I look at them, my kids look at them and see the people who are in our lives everyday. They comfort us, hug us, greet us with a smile, protect us, keep us in line…they are our framily. Proud to be a part of that.