The Summer Slacker Fun List
A Summer Fun List that emphasizes Fun!
Summer's here, y'all, and HerKentucky has big plans! We're kicking off our 2015 Summer Fun List series with this fun piece by Erin Wathen of Irreverin. Erin is a mother, wife, minister, and writer. She currently lives in Kansas, but her heart's in Kentucky -- specifically Laurel County, where she grew up, and Lexington, where she was a sorority sister to Sarah Stewart Holland and me. This post first appeared on Erin's blog.-- HCW
Hey, all y’all “summer bucket list people.” I love you and you’re adorable, and I am in awe of your ambition. But you are really, really cramping my style. Your lofty goals make it hard for me to embrace the epic, glorious laziness to which I am committed for this season. One day, my kids are going to be old enough to read the internet, and they are going to want to know why I have not planned craft projects, group play dates, homemade ice cream extravaganzas and neighborhood theater productions for every day of their break.
My answer will be… because summer is for slackers! This is our time to shine! Reject the Pottery Barn notion that summer is a color coordinated lawn party with place cards! Step away from Pinterest (unless you are studying sangria recipes)! We are reclaiming the hammock. And we are planting our asses there for the duration.
Here’s my version of the dream summer list. Let’s call it the Summer Hammock List, because buckets usually have something to do with work. Unless you are talking about sand castles, I don’t want to hear about buckets in my house. I will, however, commit to the following. This summer I will:
Click to download a printable PDF
- Set my alarm clock as few times as possible.
- Forget where I keep the hair-taming appliances and embrace my Monica Gellar “vacation hair” in all its glory.
- Have cereal for dinner.
- Have ice cream for dinner.
- Take long naps in the afternoons during Vacation Bible School week.
- Schedule as few evening meetings as my real life will allow for.
- Resist the urge to constantly troll TripAdvisor and overplan my vacation.
- Spend hours in the back yard; reading library books that do not imply complex theological concepts in the title.
- Binge watch whatever I want on Netflix. (New episodes of OITNB, coming soon!)
- Have friends and neighbors over for dinner. At the last minute. And resist the urge to wait until I’ve cleaned the house.
- Keep our neighborhood barbecue and taco joints in business; thus supporting the local economy AND eliminating some kitchen-related chores from my life.
- Take kids to movies that I will hate, and enjoy the a/c and popcorn and two hours of sitting still in the darkness.
- Drive fast with the windows down and sing lots of Zeppelin. Loud.
- Call my bff’s in all the other timezones whenever I want. Because they are probably slacking about too, and that’s why I love them so.
- Mow the yard at least a few times. Because my husband says if I really want to be a feminist, that is part of the package. And I kind of dig the smell of grass.
- Drink iced coffee on my deck. Drink beer on my deck. Because for the first time in my grown up life, I have a deck!
- Drop what I’m doing and play with my kids, whenever they ask me.
- Go on outdoor concert dates with my spouse, and drop the kids off with friends so we don’t have to pack juice boxes and hand wipes and SPF 50.
- Work out of the office and in public spaces more often; people watch; talk to strangers.
- Find—for real this year—the perfect wine pairing to compliment the BLT.
Ok, that’s mine. Fellow summer slackers… Identify yourselves! What’s on your not-to-do list?
The HerKentucky Guide to Father's Day Gifts He'll Actually Like: Father's Day Bourbon-que at Jim Beam
Treat the special father in your life to a special tasting event at Jim Beam!
Father's Day is right around the corner, y'all. This year,why not honor the special dad in your life -- whether it's your own daddy, your partner, or any other great dad -- with a gift he'll love? Every afternoon this week, HerKentucky spotlights a gift that he'll bet glad to open!
Last month, I visited the Jim Beam American Stillhouse. Let me tell you, it's on some of the most beautiful land in Kentucky. It's like a little amusement park built around the world's top-selling bourbon. It was so much fun to see all the brands that Beam produces and take a taste or two!
Instead of another tie or set of cufflinks, why not take Dad to the Father's Day Bourbon-que this Friday at Jim Beam? What gift is better than Bourbon + Barbecue!
This Father's Day event will be hosted by Fred Noe, Jim Beam’s great-grandson & seventh generation master distiller, & his son, Freddie Noe. I had the pleasure of meeting Fred recently and, let me tell you, he's quite hilarious. I guarantee you and your dad will have a great time!
The Jim Beam Bourbon-que includes a VIP tasting experience complete with bourbon-inspired dishes, samples of the world’s No. 1 selling bourbon and a guided tour.
The schedule is below:
12:00 p.m. - Welcome to Jim Beam; Opening Remarks
12:15 p.m. - VIP Bourbon Tasting with Fred B Noe III, and Freddie B. Noe IV – Fred and Freddie will walk you through the tasting process and history of two bourbons.
1:30 p.m.- Bourbon Inspired BBQ Lunch
2:00 p.m. - bottle signing with Fred and Freddie
2:45 p.m., 3:00 p.m. & 3:15 p.m. EST- Bourbon-que Distillery Tours
Of course, everybody needs to be 21 or older to attend. It'll make a memorable afternoon, it's only about 20 minutes south of Louisville, and it's far, far better than a card or a new golf club!
Jim Varney: More than Ernest!
Lexington, KY born actor Jim Varney -- from Shakespeare to Ernest.
Today is the anniversary of Jim Varney's birth.
You know, the guy from the commercials. Of course you remember them. "KnoWhutImean, Vern?", the famous (or annoying, depending on your preferences...) catchphrase of Jim's character Ernest P. Worrell, ran on so many dairy ads across the country that Varney was even granted trademark protection for the saying.
“I’d like to do a piece of Shakespeare. Any upcoming Shakespeare film. Just a bit to say I did a classic.”
By the late 1980s, Ernest, who was created by the Nashville-based ad firm Camden and Cherry, proved too big for ads and gained a series of movies of his very own -- nine in total!
But did you know that the Lexington-born Varney began studying acting at age 8? As a student at Lafayette, he won state drama competitions. He portrayed Scrooge in a local theater production and even studied Shakespeare at Virginia's famous Barter Theater. He moved to New York, did dinner theater and off-Broadway, and landed a role as a regular on the Johnny Cash and Friends variety show.
“I like to sing. I write music. Country songs. You have to if you’re in Nashville. It’s part of the lease. You sign a lease that says, I will write country songs and pay my rent on time.”
Of course, you dance with the one who brung you, as the old saying goes, and Varney, who also played Jed Clampett in the Beverly Hillbillies film, won two Daytime Emmys for his Ernest role, for which he will always be known. He lost a battle with lung cancer in 2000, shortly after filming Billy Bob Thornton's film Daddy and Them. To learn more about Jim Varney, check out The Importance of Being Ernest, written by his nephew Justin Lloyd.
Happy Birthday, Jim Thanks for the laughs!!
Woodford Reserve & Ale 8 Slush
Delicious frozen punch recipe with a bourbon kick!
Happy National Bourbon Day, y'all!
Here's a recipe for a delicious punch that will let you beat the heat with two of Kentucky's favorite flavors -- Woodford Reserve and Ale-8 -- and a tangy citrus twist. You can serve it in a punch bowl for a party or picnic, or keep in the freezer to scoop out as you like!
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups strong tea
- 2 cups Woodford Reserve
- 3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
- One 6-ounce container frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- Two 6-ounce containers frozen lemon juice concentrate, thawed
- Ale-8-1 or Diet Ale-8
Combine the water, tea, bourbon, sugar, orange and lemon juice concentrate in a large container or bowl, and mix until sugar dissolves.
Pour into two gallon-size freezer bags or large covered plastic container. Freeze overnight. Scoop slush into glasses and top with Ale-8. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Happy National Bourbon Day, and cheers, y'all!
The Five Best Barbecue Joints in Kentucky
Kentucky's best barbecue restaurants
Kentucky Barbecue is having a moment, y'all.
Time Magazine just named Louisville one of America's best cities for barbecue. Southern Living named two Owensboro restaurants to their list of The South's Top 50 Barbecue Joints. If that's not enough, a Louisville chef and barbecue restaurant owner was named to Eater's Summer 2015 Young Guns list. Of course, any conversation about Kentucky barbecue isn't complete without the longstanding debate on mutton -- folks around Owensboro love it, and the rest of us will never fully get it. (The story goes that there were a whole lot of sheep in the Daviess County area after the Civil War, providing a ready food supply. The tradition was carried on by a popular circuit of Catholic Church picnics, and the rest was history.)
The HerKentucky writers have discussed, and sampled, and sampled some more to arrive at our list of the Five Best Barbecue Joints in Kentucky. We'd love to hear if y'all agree with us!
5. Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, Owensboro. Moonlite is arguably Kentucky's most famous barbecue joint, cooking traditional Western Kentucky-style mutton barbecue (along with brisket, chicken, and pork) in an open pit with hickory chips. Did we mention that they offer a barbecue buffet?
4. Lyle's BBQ Company, Lexington/ Nicholasville. Lyle's started out as a Lexington-area food truck and, as our friend, owner Chandler Lyle will tell you, "figured out a way to watch UK games while working" by becoming vendors at Rupp Arena. Their restaurant opened last week in Nicholasville; the perfectly smoked, juicy brisket and pork shoulder are perfect every time, and the smoked chicken wings are a must-try!
3. Leigh's BBQ, Kevil. If you're not familiar with the Purchase Area of Kentucky, you may want to take a native with you to find this Western Kentucky jewel, located west of Paducah. If you ask her nicely enough, HerKentucky contributor Sarah Stewart Holland may even offer to be your tour guide. The pit at Leigh's has been going since the late 1940s, and the pork isn't pulled off the shoulder until the moment you order it.
2. Old Hickory Bar-B-Q, Owensboro. If pressed to offer an opinion about their local delicacies of barbecue and burgoo, most Owensboro natives will quietly confess that "Moonlite gets all the publicity, but Old Hickory is where it's at." Members of the Foreman family have been barbecuing mutton since 1918; the sixth generation continues the tradition at Old Hickory.
1. Feast BBQ, Louisville. The cocktails (bourbon slushies, y'all!) and sides (collard greens with a healthy dab of pulled pork; oh, and tater tots!) are amazing. The menu is unique -- they even offer smoked tofu! -- but when we rank barbecue, we're talking meat, and the meat at Feast is amazing! Perfectly smoked and moist, it's hard to choose among the velvety brisket, the classic pork, or the smoky chicken. I can tell you there are no bad choices. (Well, I've never tried the tofu...)
Did we get it right? Who makes your favorite Kentucky barbecue?
In case you missed it:
Seersucker Kentucky Cocktail Napkin Giveaway!
In honor of National Seersucker Day, HerKentucky is giving away one set of 4 seersucker Kentucky cocktail napkins from Elizabeth Elfen! The winner will be able to choose from pink, blue, green or red seersucker. Please see below to enter.
Good Luck!
The hemstitched cocktail napkins are a blend of cotton and linen and measure 6" x 6". They will be packaged as pictured.
Five Fun Facts About Seersucker
National Seersucker Day trivia
- The classic seersucker suit was created by the New Orleans-based clothier Haspel. Joseph Haspel founded his company in 1909, with the goal of producing clothing that stood up to the Louisiana heat. He made laborers' coveralls and, soon after, men's summer suits, out of the puckered fabric made popular in British India.
- The word "seersucker" derives from the Hindi word "sīrsakar"; that term was borrowed from the Persian compound "shīroshakar", meaning "milk and sugar" and describing the varied texture of the fabric.
- Senator Trent Lott started the U.S. Senate's tradition of Seersucker Thursday, in which Senate members wear the summer fabric, in 1996. It was discontinued in 2012, but officially resurfaced this year. National Seersucker Day arose to coincide with Seersucker Thursday.
- Gregory Peck wore a seersucker suit in To Kill a Mockingbird, as did Cary Grant in Charade. Both were custom-made by Haspel.
- In the Rolling Stones' song of the same name, the Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man wears a seersucker suit; he also drives a Corvette!
Happy Seersucker Day, y'all! How are you styling your seersucker today?
Shop The Look: National Seersucker Day
We've picked out some fun seersucker pieces to meet any style, shape, or budget. I'm DYING over those New Balance sneakers!!
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