June Themed Dinners #1 - Easy peasy picnic

When Abraham and I first met, as teenagers, we spent a lot of time having picnics.
We would head to the supermarket and load up on super cheap shaved ham, cheese rolls, orange Deep Spring (remember that stuff? Favourite drink ever!) Willy Wonka Chocolate (remember that, too?) - and head to one of the local schools' playgrounds. We would sit there for hours, talking and just hanging out. It was there that we got to know each other (and fell pretty head-over-heels).

Picnicing has been a theme throughout the entire time we've known each other.
It just makes sense that we'd share this with our kids.

We kept this theme night very simple - almost a 'night off', but not quite.
We laid out our fave picnic blanket, a beautiful hexagon quilt I found at the op shop for $5. Some of the hexies have seen better days, which makes it perfect - I don't feel bad about putting it on the ground, but I'm so pleased we can give it regular use!
We made some hot chicken and salad rolls (I coated strips of chicken in breadcrumbs and chicken stock. Nyum) and filled bowls with mixed nuts, bbq kettles and peanut M&Ms. We made soda stream with Barkers cordial (closest thing we can find to Deep Spring!).
We popped on some Ben Harper. This album is definitely the main feature on the soundtrack of our first six months together. I still adore it just as much, 13 years later.

This was our first theme night with one family member absent, which was really strange. Even stranger than I expected it to be.
Aesop chose, at the last minute, to go and stay at his friends place, instead of hang out with us. I must say, there was a twinge of sadness when he made his choice - though I didn't let him see that. He is getting to an age now, where he is beginning to go out and do things on his own. He is scooting to and from school alone, and spending more time with friends etc. Growing up so fast!
It makes me feel even better about doing these theme nights - before Aesop is too old to want to get involved in them!