Morgan's Homecoming: Paint Cans and Bloomer Droppers

Keith's family traditions have been documented by me for some time now and they continue on even if they involve a shindig that marks something a bit more occasional and less annual: a homecoming for our girl Morgan. Morgan is Keith's cousin Rhonda's oldest daughter and Keith's goddaughter. She has been serving our country in the military in Turkey and was able to come home and reunite with family for a bit before heading to her next destination; Italy. As always, this family doesn't do get-togethers without a little flair, so they broke out the paint cans. Yes, paint cans.

Much of the family arrived at Chez Roberts to celebrate Morgans' homecoming, and indeed it was wonderful to see her. Girl was rockin' a shorter do and seemed to be growing into quite the respectable woman...a grown-ass woman, as she herself might tell you....or say, her father. Yes, Daddy's little girl had grown up indeed and was inviting everyone to join her at the movies to see Magic Mike after church. Sigh.....and yikes.

Food of course, was aplenty at the party including Jill's spicy saltines and patriotic rice crispie squares and Anne's homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream but at this bash, the drinks were the thing. One libation had the dubious moniker of Paint Can Julio. A healthy amount of vodka and mixers (the mixers seem to morph; I remember Five Alive and Squirt in one of them) and some fresh mint are added in a paint can filled with ice and then once the lid is firmly in place, the can is mixed up for several minutes until frost forms on the outside of the can. The result is a fresh, bright and somewhat stiff drink that is a perfect drink for the endless heat wave of Summer 2012. That bizarre name, however, seems to have fuzzy roots: no one can quite remember where "Paint Can Julio" originated from. Later, there was a new drink involving fresh fruit and powdered sugar and rum that was called a Bloomer Dropper. I didn't even ask about the origin of that name. It was made, however, in a super-awesome Margaritaville blender that I greatly admired to the point of serious blender envy.

The drinks certainly made for a festive evening, but the best part was having Morgan home. Next time, hopefully, we'll be seeing her in her new home in Italy.