The Best of June by Loree Lough & Cerella Sechrist | We Talk to Ourselves...a Lot!

 It’s June. Already! And we can hear the Jamies singing that oldie but goodie, “It’s summertime, sum-sum-summertime…”

It’s a great month, when school’s out and we start giving serious thought to scheduling time off from work, either for a stay-cation or a go-away vacation, and we make sure our air conditioners are in tip-top order.

Here are just a few oddball things that happened in June:

9th -- Disney’s Donald Duck makes his debut (1934)

14th -- Walt Disney's Bambi is released (1942)



18th -- Sally Ride becomes the first woman in space. (1983)




27th -- The song "Happy Birthday to You" was first sung. (1859)


We’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the day when we celebrate dear ol’ dad. Just for fun, we interviewed a few fathers about the gifts they’ve received in years past. Below, a list of some of their least favorite gifts…along with our “instead of” suggestions:

· Ties. How about a shirt and tie combo, instead!

· Things that say WORLD’S BEST DAD (like shirts, mugs, trucker caps, medals). What they’d rather have? DVDS of their favorite TV shows or movies.

· BBQ aprons that bear bright “Kiss the chef”, “King of the grill” or “the Grillfather” imprints. They say, “If it has to be BBQ related, make it a great set of tools, or some unique marinades or sauces!”

· Large bottles of aftershave/cologne. Sorry, we got nuttin’ but eye rolls when we asked that question.

· Offbeat gifts, like “the singing trout.” Dads say they’d much rather have a weekend fishing (or golf) trip.

· Stuffed dice and other things that hang from the rearview mirror. “Get me the car of my dreams!” one dad said. Yeah, replied, RIGHT! Maybe renting the car of his dreams for a day is do-able…

· Personal hygiene tools: nail clippers, nose-hair clippers, mustache trimmers. We never heard more UGHs, ICKs, and ACKs! “How about a helicopter ride over the city, instead!” the dads suggested.

We also asked for some one-of-a-kind words of wisdom; we thought these were the funniest:

> “It's ok that you're short....you're just the last one to know it's raining.”

> “One day, your generation is going to have to explain how you let Snooki happen.”

> “Two heads are better than one, even if one's a cabbage!”



> “Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut."

And what would Father’s Day be without a special recipe!




Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

1 – 9” pie crust, pre-baked

1 quart fresh strawberries

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons corn starch

¾ cup water

½ cup heavy whipping cream (or Cool Whip!)



Directions:

1. Wash and slice strawberries

2. Arrange half of the strawberries into the pie shell
Mash remaining berries
Place in medium saucepan
Add sugar
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.
GRADUALLY add cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture, stirring frequently
Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened (10 minutes +/-)
Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell.
Chill several hours before serving
Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

***

Last, but certainly not least, we’re gifting a $15 Amazon e-gift card to the person who comments (below) with their own oddball Dad Advice!




Until next month, we’ll leave you with our wish that your summer is off to a super start!









***


About Loree:

With nearly 6,000,000 books in circulation, best-selling author Loree Lough's titles have earned numerous 4- and 5-star reviews and industry awards. She splits her time between her home in Baltimore and a cabin in the Alleghenies (where she loves to show off her “Identify the Critter Tracks” skills). The release of The Man She Knew (the first title in her “By Way of the Lighthouse” series for Harlequin Heartwarming) brings Loree’s number of books in print to 112! Loree loves to hear from her readers and answers every letter, personally. Visit her at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and www.loreelough.com!


About Cerella:

 CERELLA SECHRIST lives in York, Pennsylvania with two precocious pugs, Darcy and Charlotte, named after Jane Austen literary characters. Inspired by her childhood love of stories, she was ten years old when she decided she wanted to become an author. These days, Cerella divides her time between working in the office of her family’s construction business and as a barista to support her reading habit and coffee addiction. She’s been known to post too many pug photos on both Instagram and Pinterest. You can see for yourself by finding her online at www.cerellasechrist.com. A Song for Rory, Book #2 in her "A Findlay Roads Story" series, is her fourth Harlequin Heartwarming novel.

Comments

  1. Happy June, Loree and Cerella!

    If the children are younger, how about something handmade as a Father's Day gift . . . or maybe even a short story, written for Dad by the child? ;)

    (Please don't enter me for the giveaway.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great idea, Kate! What a great way to get kids interested in writing! Have a fantastic Friday, my fabulous friend!

      Delete
  2. I was amused by the eye-rolling gift ideas and the alternate suggestions, Loree and Cerella. Our adult daughters have now decided their parents ought to receive "experiences" rather than gifts and we really love that. High teas in fancy restaurants and whiskey tastings are some of our fun times together but no matter what the gift, it's the time spent with each other, right? But I still have my collection of handmade Mother's Day cards and drawings from those younger girls! Thanks for this post and yes, Happy June...at last!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those gifts sound terrific, Janice! Like you, Larry and I have a box filled with cards, noodle plates, handprint paperweights, beeswax candles, and whatnot that our girls made over the years. I keep it in the front hall closet, because if there's ever a fire (GOD FORBID!), I want to grab it and run! Wishing you a beautiful weekend, m'friend! And good luck in the gift card giveaway drawing!

      Delete
  3. Thanks for the reminder about Sally Ride and for the pie recipe. Happy June!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, T.R., the Sally Ride photo really takes me back, too! I hope you'll enjoy the pie. I know my family does! Good uck in the gift card giveaway, and have a great weekend!

      Delete
  4. Nice post ladies. Informative and funny. Great Father's Day ideas. And that pie! Oh well...'nuf said about that pie.
    Cynthia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL Cynthia...that pie recipe is a good one, and comes with great, fun memories for me: Very first time I met Larry's parents was for supper at their house. His mom baked a strawberry pie, and I went back for seconds. And thirds! After we were married, she baked one for my birthday every year, and reminded me each time how I "...ate half a pie at one sitting...and she didn't even know us!" How I loved and miss that woman! Have a terrific weekend, m'dear!

      Delete
  5. Great post girls. Really laughed at the Father's Day bummer gifts. My dad just loved an outing with us three kids. We would go to the beach for the day or for a picnic and just have a great time. I really miss him. He was a caring and sensitive man--a wonderful father even into his nineties. smile
    Loved that Bambi was born in June. So was I and that was one of my favorite stories as a child.

    Have a wonderful summer. Happy writing. And thanks for the recipe. yum

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your dad sounds like a prince, Sandra. I'm happy that you enjoyed 90+ years with him. Wishing you a happy June birthday and good luck in the gift card giveaway! Enjoy your weekend!

      Delete
  6. My dad wanted one thing for Christmas, birthdays, and Father's Day--a box of Fannie Mae dark chocolate butter creams. No barbecue aprons--we lived in city apartments, no fishing or hunting gear--never did either in his life. But Fannie Mae--his vice--almost a hobby! And he was so thin, too, never gained an ounce. Made my mother furious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I empathize with your mom, Virginia! Larry is like that...eats what he pleases and rarely gains an ounce, while I merely LOOK at a cupcake and the scale goes up 5 lbs.! Have a happy weekend, m'friend!

      Delete
  7. My dad was a single dad was five girls and a boy. He wanted to drive a hot rod. Of course, he was a little old for those, but nonetheless he only wanted to drive it, not own it. He owned a Harley Davidson motorcycle, one of those big jobs we called HOGS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. My birthday is in June too. It's only Monday, the 12th. Gemini's raise your hands!

      Delete
    2. Larry had a big ol' motorcycle when I met him, but gave it up to buy a 2nd car when the kids started coming along. He said it was no sacrifice, since he rarely got to ride it (and we had no place to store it in our first apartment), but I still think it was a loving sacrifice...

      Your dad is the kind of man heroes are made of. Five girls and a boy, all on his own? Whew, I'm pooped just thinking of what that entailed!

      Wishing you a very happy birthday, Shirley, and a wonderful weekend, too!

      Delete
  8. Not exactly advice, but my dad once said, "If it weren't for the lazy people, we'd all still be making tools by hitting two rocks together."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, Beth! Your dad was right! Wishing you a wonderful weekend and much luck in the drawing!

      Delete
  9. Great post, ladies. I think Kate's suggestion is spot on. Bring on summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you and Kate, Jill...c'mon summer! (I promise not to whimper and whine when the temps hit the low 100s and the humidity is in the high 90s!)

      Enjoy your weekend, m'dear!

      Delete
  10. I remember Dad for his rural expressions. The high cost of repairs or a setback like bureaucratic policy was 'a corker'. Things coming fast at you were 'ten of a kind'. As in: it was raining 'tennakind'. And for negative emphasis the double negative: Don't matter none to me. I think that the expressions are from his English heritage. Long time ago, I read about these isolated islands off the coast of Maine? where they still spoke ol' English, and also used double negatives as emphasis. Loved the sayings, ladies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love your dad's sayings, M.K.! I need to look up those islands near Maine. They sound like fun! Enjoy your Saturday, m'dear, and good luck in the drawing!

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Seeing this makes me miss the dad my dad used to be. Thanks for the post. Oh and I am a June baby. :) so you miss that. LOL..... I always love summer !!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love summer, too, Beverly! Except for the excessive heat. And the humidity. And the weekly thunderstorms the heat and humidity brew. And those dry August days that turn the lawn brown and make the flowers' leaves crispy. Other than that, I love summer! LOL

      Happy June birthday to you, and good luck in the drawing!

      Delete
  13. My Dad, at 86, is still around (thank You, Jesus). All he wants for Father's Day is all 4 of his kids and their spouses, the grands, and great grands to spend the day with him.

    Your pie recipe looks scrumptious! Thank you for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My soon-to-be 90 year old dad is still with us, too. Like your father, Michelle, all he wants is his kids/grandkids around on his special day. If you try that recipe, I know you'll love it. My family does! Have a terrific weekend, and good luck in the drawing!

      Delete
  14. My Dad was a June baby too. An incredibly kind and wonderful man. This is our first Father's day without him. We'll celebrate him by being together. His favorite gift was having us all near. We were so blessed to have him as our Dad, and that he was with us for 89 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a blessing having our parents with us well into their 80s...in the case of my dad, 90s! (Well, almost, anyway...) Wishing you a super Saturday, Mary, and much luck in the drawing!

      Delete
  15. Me: What's the magic word? (3 kids refusing to say it.)
    Dad: (very helpfully) Now
    Kids: Oh, so the magic word is Now? Can I have sweets now?

    and even today, 15 years on, the magic word is no longer please, it's now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL,Clare! Don't tell the kids...but I'd love to ask for sweets and have them delivered NOW! LOL Hope your weekend was fantastic, and good luck in the drawing! (Ebooks and e-gift cards can be sent anywhere!)

      Delete
  16. My husband is the sentimental kind, so one year when the kids were little, I helped them make a poster with various pictures of them on it. It reads "Happy Father's day to the best Dad", he still has it hanging on the wall and our kids are now grown! I also bought a picture frame that says "I love my Grandpa" and placed a picture of him and our three year old grand-girl in it. He loves those kinds of things :-)

    What a fun post! Thanks for the giveaway. I didn't have a very good dad growing up so I'm glad my husband is a great one to our kids and grand-girl:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so sweet, Trixi, making the poster and framing a photo of your hubby with the granddaughter! Larry is a lot like that, too. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, and much luck in the drawing!

      Delete
  17. I work retail. I always chuckle at all the people who give socks and underwear for father's day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I always had my boys make their own cards for their Dad on fathers day. My oldest boy really liked to draw explosions and would often include a picture of his father being exploded LOL. Nothing says happy fathers day and I love you like explosions ;)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'd get my dad socks and clothes. Then I'd hide goodies throughout those eye roll items!
    jennydtipton at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. My dad worked outside most of his life, and his advice to me: "Always take water." Practical and important! So while it may sound like odd-ball advice to other people, not to me. Thanks for the post, ladies, and keep those great Heartwarming stories coming!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment