Friday Foto Finish Fiesta: I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

Wow...I can't believe it! I've made the finals in Project Mommyhood's Mommy Blogger of the Year Contest!

I guess the tales of Uncle Lynn, Aunt Julie and The POPrs Family have some entertainment value, huh? Voting gets underway on August 15th. In the meantime, I'd like to recap my week at the beach. The highlights, of course, centered around the wildlife.

We saw ghost crabs burrowing in the sand during our evening walks on the beach.

We saw majestic pelicans soaring over the ocean. Incoming!

On the other end of the spectrum, we saw birds of a much different feather...

And, of course, we saw lots of wildlife of the human variety!

These shots were brought to you by Candid Carrie and her Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. But of course, you already knew that, right?

Calling All Winners!

Wanted to tie up some "loose ends" before I start my Big Beach Bash. I've heard from most of the winners in my Everybody Wins POPrs Giveaway...the rest of you need to give me a holler!

If you're one of those fabulous readers who recommended a great beach read for Aunt Julie, please make sure you send me your contact info. Just shoot me an e-mail: veggiemom@poprs.com, and your prize will be on its way.

Looking forward to sending you some beach reports from North Carolina's beautiful Outer Banks...stay tuned!

This update is brought to you by Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. So, there!

The Pop'rs Family Gets Crabby for Candid Carrie

One of The Pop'rs Family's annual traditions is going to the beach at North Carolina's Outer Banks. The other tradition is ordering steamed crabs and then posing with the critters out on the deck of the beach house before we eat 'em.

This is a shot from a few years back. From the left, if ya really want to know...Back Row: Veggie Mom, College Girl, Moker, The Wild One, Uncle Lynn. Front Row: College Boy, Soccer Boy. Shark Boy and Big Bear have apparently Left the Building (a la Elvis!). Aunt Julie, of course, is taking the pic.

We've had such lousy winter weather recently, that we wanted to re-live warmer times in toasty climes. Candid Carrie put us up to it...Please join the Fun at her Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. For real!

It's Friday, So It Must Be Foto Fiesta Time!

Yup. Participating in Candid Carrie's uber-creative and ultra-fantastic Friday Foto Fiesta Finish today. We really should entitle this photo "Oops!" It's a shot by Aunt Julie, The Pop'r Queen, of Shark Boy trying to skim the waves at the beach a couple of weeks ago. OBX, baby! Hope ya Hang In There down on the NC Coast with the onslaught of Hurricane Hannah!

Remember...You've got Less Than 10 Hours to enter The Great New Pop'rs Giveaway. Don't be shy--Give it a try! We'll announce Two Grand Prize Winners tomorrow!

A Guest Blogger, Carbonated Crystals, and the Value of Myth-Busting

Today, Eat Your Veggies! features a Returning Guest Blogger! You may recall that Uncle Lynn told you the first chapter in his Amazing Pop'rs Story last month. Well, he's back to fill you in on more of his extraordinary journey.

Before we get started, though, Lynn wanted me to remind each and every one of you that his Great New Pop'rs Giveaway ends Friday at 11:59 p.m. EST. Click here to enter! Also, the photo above shows Uncle Lynn on our recent OBX Vacation. Seems the poor guy was trying to get back to the beach house, and was cornered by a young hawk. Neither Uncle Lynn nor the hawk knew quite what to make of the situation!

So, sit back, relax, and I'll turn it over to Our Guest Blogger, The Pop'r King. Hope you enjoy Chapter 2!

When I left off telling the Pop'rs Story, I had just found out that the owners of Pop Rocks were in Spain. In this chapter I thought I would fill you in on a little "popping" background; by the way, these are things that I have heard over the years from various people, not due to any historical research I have done–so if I get something wrong, I'm sorry; I am just repeating what I have heard!

Pop Rocks were actually invented in the '50s by a man named Dr. William Mitchell. He died four years ago, much to my regret, because his invention has become a great part of my life. I met his daughter, Cheryl, at a trade show some years ago, and she invited me back to California to meet her father. I will forever regret that I did not find the time to take her up on that offer–always remember, when you have extraordinary opportunities, never get too busy and decide to “do it later”!

Anyway, Dr. Mitchell worked for General Foods (GF–now know as Kraft General Foods) and invented Pop Rocks while he was trying to make an instant carbonated Kool-Aid, but the invention was considered a failure since it only made a "noisy" drink. What I have been told is that the product was a GF curiosity, and Dr. Mitchell would make a batch once a year or so for many, many years and offer the little magic crystals at company summer picnics, much to the delight of all, especially the kids.

Somewhere in this, GF bought a chip company located in Canada. The former owner of that company was touring GF plants, and happened to be at one of Dr. Mitchell’s "popping picnics." Delighted by the crystals, he arranged to get enough packets to use as a premium for his chips in a promotion he ran. Apparently, kids were seen going into stores to buy the chips, and throwing the chips away just to get the little packet of Popping Magic! That was apparently enough for GF to decide to introduce the product, and in the mid-'70s, Pop Rocks were born.

I think we all know about the rumors about the “dangers” of Pop Rocks, all of which are fun to tell and all of which Are Not True. I know–in fact, I inadvertently helped prove this: Several years ago, the popular but crazy Mancow Radio show asked us for samples of our Carbonated Crystals. Thinking this might be a fun opportunity for our little company, we sent him several pounds of a number of flavors. Should have thought that one through better: On the morning of the show, we all got by the radio in our offices in Neenah, WI, and got ready to hear our national introduction. Well…..

Mancow did a nice job of introducing our company, and all seemed to be going well. Then, we listened as he asked one of his assistants to lie down on a desk; then we, in growing fear, listened as spoonfuls of our crystals are poured into this assistant’s mouth–flat on his back. Then came the horrible sound of a Coke can being opened. Flat on your back, with a mouth and throat full of the explosive little crystals, and now a Coke about to be poured on top of that–I thought I was going to listen to the death of my little company on national radio as Mancow killed his assistant!

Well, I am more than pleased to report that there was certainly some sputtering and a lot of laughing, but no death! So, if anyone ever tells you that popping crystals can hurt you, I can tell you Mancow did his darned best, and NOTHING bad happened. There was also a great "MythBusters" show on the Discovery Channel, which showed for all time that there is nothing but fun to be had with Carbonated Crystals.

Anyway, when I pick this up next, I will tell you about my travel to Spain and how I introduced Popping Popsicles and more to the world!

Ode to Vanna White

The Pop'rs Cousins, along with Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn, left the beach this weekend, headed for home. After an overnight stop at our house, they were on their way back to Northeastern Wisconsin. Their 14+ hour trip was made more comfortable, of course, thanks to Vanna White.

We're not talking about the "Wheel of Fortune" star here. We're talking about a big ol' white Econoline Conversion Van, with close to 260,000 miles on it. The Pop'rs Family bought Vanna in 1994, when the boys were little and Soccer Boy wasn't yet digging the sod out of his cleats. Vanna has traveled to DC, OBX, and Florida too many times to count. She's also always up for ski trips at the blink of an eye! The shot above shows Vanna in her younger years, with Shark Boy, Aunt Julie, Moses, Uncle Lynn and College Boy ready to embark on another Vanna Voyage.

Vanna is outfitted for the Traveling Life, you betcha. She has four sets of headphone jacks in the back for iPods and personal DVD players. "We laughed at first when we’d ask the boys a question and they would yell because they were wearing headphones," Aunt Julie says. "College Girl has a habit of getting carsick in Vanna, with the movies playing and all the junk we eat on trips, so she is banned. The dogs see us loading Vanna up for a trip and will jump in if we leave the door open. They know we are going away!" Both Trouble Elizabeth and Moses have made multiple trips to the beach in Florida in Vanna. "Trouble Elizabeth had to go on his first beach vacation when he had a broken leg, and needed physical therapy," Julie recalls.

Then there was the time when Auntie J. was seven months pregnant with Soccer Boy. "We got to Milwaukee and I made Lynn stop," Julie explains, wincing at the memory. "I felt closed in, uncomfortable and trapped (much like College Girl feels when she gets Vanna Sick), so he pulled over at a rest stop. He called my OB, who laughed when told I had only been on the road an hour-and-a-half! So I took some Dramamine and slept the rest of the trip. When we got to the hotel for the night, I was amazed at how good the boys had been. Lynn retorted that I could have slept through an atomic bomb!"

Vanna showed her advancing age during this last beach trip. Just outside Milwaukee, she blew a tire. Near Louisville, she overheated. And when Vanna and the Gang reached my neck of the woods, she had to go to the mechanic for a radiator problem.

Everyone made it back to Wisconsin safe and sound, though. But Uncle Lynn is thinking about retiring Vanna. He's got his eye on a successor--another white Econoline Conversion Van. Vanna White the Second, I suppose?

College Boy Catches a Wave

Aunt Julie, The Pop'r Queen, pointed out this morning that College Boy is the only Popr's Cousin who hasn't been featured in this blog. Well, it's your day, CB!

College Boy has been itching to catch a wave since he was a little boy and first started going to North Carlolina's Outer Banks with his cousins. Well, at first he wasn't too receptive to the OBX Coastal Culture. We do remember him arriving at the beach as a 6-year-old, in his jeans, T-shirt, socks and sneaks. It took him a couple of days to ditch the Upper Midwest Gear and make a beach-type fashion statement.

Since, then, though, College Boy has been boogie-boarding through life. Check out the pure joy in his face as he catches a wave with his cousin, College Girl, on his way into shore. His Mom, Auntie J., snapped this with her new digital camera. Life is sweet, ain't it?

This Pizza's Actually GOOD for You!

I've been trying so hard to get into good "beach shape" for our trip this weekend with The Pop'r Family down to North Carolina's Outer Banks. We've been going to the OBX in the summertime since College Girl was a toddler. Aunt Julie, Uncle Lynn and The Boys started sharing a beach house with our gang about 15 years ago.

Remember that even though we're going on VAY-kay, we'll never be far away from our Bloggy Friends! And don't forget to enter our newest Great Pop'rs Giveaway! The contest runs through Monday, August 11th, at 8 p.m. EST--be there, or be square!

While checking my e-mail the last couple of days, I found out that I'm a winner, too! Amanda, over at mommymandy.com, notified me that I won her Baskin-Robbins Coupon Giveaway, which is pretty darn cool! And IHChicky, over at Everything Up Close, just let me know I won The Ultimate Walking Workout DVD, in her First Ever Giveaway, which makes me feel pretty special! Don'tcha think those two prizes were meant for me? You know, they really go hand-in-hand!

Aunt Julie's sad that her Favorite All-Time Quarterback, Brett Favre, has been traded to the New York Jets. What's Lambeau Field gonna be like without Brett? But she collected herself long enough to send me this fresh and delish twist on an old standby. It all sort of works out with my workout routine, too. Thanks so much, Aunt Julie, and see ya soon at our Beach Rendezvous!

Aunt Julie's Fruit Pizza
1 roll Pillsbury sugar cookie dough
1 8 0z. package of cream cheese
12 oz container of Cool Whip (thawed)
Any fruit you like--pineapple, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, kiwi, bananas, etc.

Line a large pizza pan with the dough, pressed to form crust.
Bake the crust @350 degrees for 10-15 min. Cool. Mix Cool Whip and cream cheese, and spread on the crust. Arrange the fruit on top.

Glaze:
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup sugar
Mix the glaze ingredients together, and heat this mixture on top of the stove until it thickens. Cool and pour over fruit. Keep in fridge.