Okay everyone, the Thursday Rundown is back. I know it went dark last week but I am chomping at the bit with five fresh topics tonight…

Watermelon Birthday Treat – My sister knows how to plan a party! For my nephew’s fourth birthday party this past Sunday, it was a dinosaur theme…for the most part. When it came time for cake and ice cream, the dinos went extinct and everyone got a watermelon sugar high. Not only did my sister bake a watermelon-shaped/flavored cake but she paired it with chocolate chunk watermelon ice cream. Although big pieces of chocolate in a watermelon ice cream might be a tad misguided, the cake sure was good!

A look at the watermelon cake my sister made along with how it looked when paired with the ice cream.

Vanderpump Again – When I went to Las Vegas for work in November 2019, my boss-at-the-time Lindsi took me to the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden. Well, Lindsi isn’t the only “Vanderpump Rules” fan I know. Visiting Lisa Vanderpump’s bar in Caesar’s Palace was on my wife’s Vegas bucket list when we visited last week. We made sure to stop in for some goat cheese balls. Let me be honest with you, it truly is a nice place to sit down and have a drink. Our stay in the garden was short but I know Sid sure enjoyed it.

Sidney at the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden.

Peppa Effect – Earlier this week many news organizations reported on a condition that impacted American children called the “Peppa Effect.” It turned out that a lot of kids in the United States watched a whole lot of Peppa Pig during the pandemic and started talking with British accents and using English terms. I saw these reports, shook my head, and thought the “Peppa Effect” has absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic. Any child who watches Peppa Pig will most likely develop the “Peppa Effect” whether the country is shut down or not. How do I know? My daughter had a strong case of it! In fact, I even documented her case by writing about it in 2019. Not only was she speaking with an accent and referring to Santa Claus as Father Christmas but she went all-in and dressed up as Peppa for Halloween.

Sloan dressed up as Peppa Pig for Halloween in 2019.

Nice Gesture – Big shoutout to Breauxdoo Bakery in Spokane. We had never heard about the business until Saturday night when they posted on a popular Spokane Facebook page that they were giving away a free large cookie to everyone who stopped by. Sid and I threw the kids in the car and we drove to the bakery that happens to be located in a very obscure part of Spokane Valley. I chose a red velvet cookie, Sid selected a “chocolate on chocolate” cookie, Sloan opted for a sugar cookie with sprinkles, and Beau “picked” a lemon cookie. We all shared with each other and our unanimous decision was that the lemon cookie was the best. Thanks, Breauxdoo Bakery!

Our free cookies from Breauxdoo Bakery.

A Good Pizza Buy – If you are looking to order pizza this weekend, you might want to give Domino’s a try. After about four years, we gave them another chance this past Friday. Domino’s offers a pretty good $5.99 menu that allows you to order medium pizzas, wings, chicken, breadsticks, and more. We ordered a medium pizza for Sid and I, a medium pizza for the kids, and mango habanero wings. The food was good and we paid just $20. I don’t know if I will be moving Domino’s up on my list of top pizza chains, but we were satisfied with our most recent experience.

Sloan standing next to the pizza we ordered from Domino’s.

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Another summer weekend is upon us. I hope you enjoy it and remember to take some time to watch the Summer Olympics. Don’t Blink.