Tales of the Traveling Tote #36 and A Giveaway

Welcome to our September 2023

edition of 

Tales of the Traveling Tote.  

Here at Purple Chocolat Home 

the summer has been consumed 

with building our new home 

(now into it 20 months!)

and trying to go through 33 years 

of too much stuff! 

It is mind boggling and we 

are so sentimental that 

we want to bring most 

everything with us! 

Well, not really, but way too 

much! We have already done 16 

Suburban loads to thrift stores 

and tons of trash can loads, 

but between entertaining, costumes, 

tablescaping and decorating, 

we have so much to sort through.

I am so busy I haven't blogged or 

even read emails.  I searched my 

emails the other night and discovered I 

was to create the sidebar for 

Tales of the Traveling Tote 

for December!  Good thing I 

checked!!

Well, then I couldn't find my 

tote and wondered if I had 

left it on my last trip.  I was 

wondering if I would be kicked 

out of the group if I couldn't 

find it - a bit of a panic!  

After searching everywhere I 

could think of - and mind you, 

it isn't a small item - I thought 

of my purses which were already 

packed up in five boxes.  

Lucky me, it was at the top of 

the first box I checked!

I thought I might have left it 

on the houseboat down at 

Lake Powell, and since we are 

done for the year, it would have 

been until next May before I 

would be able to check. 

Good thing I found it!!!!!!

We were able to sneak away for three 

Lake Powell trips this year so that is 

where Miss Madi K and I were able 

to go.  

Miss Pansy got to travel along 

too as she makes a nice bag 

for boating. 

We invited two families from our 

neighborhood for the August trip. 

We had ten kids and 6 adults.  

One of our favorite games we 

play with kids is 

The Candy Bar Game. 

The basic idea of the game is 

you place 3-4 packages or pieces 

of candy in the center.  Everyone

takes turns rolling the dice inside 

a bowl.  If you roll doubles or 

7 or 11, you get to pick a candy bar,

announce what you picked and 

then hide it behind your back 

or under a pillow.  People can steal 

it from you if they win a turn, but 

they have to remember what it was

and who had it.  After three 

possessions it is permanent.  

When the last piece leaves the 

table, the game is over. 

Oh, and if the dice fall out 

of the bowl you skip your turn, 

and if you don't pick your 

prize before the next winner, 

you miss your turn! Lots of fun.

Well, we had one darling boy 

who is 8 years old and he gets 

seizures if he eats sugar, so I 

had to come up with a 

new plan.  I decided on the 

Dollar Store Game. 

We decided it was even more fun 

than just candy.  Everyone had a 

blast and we didn't tempt him.

Miss Madi K helped carry all of 

the prizes down and keep them a 

secret.

Of course, sugary desserts are a 

huge part of our Lake Powell 

experience, like this chocolate chip 

Pizookie, or Skookie, with homemade 

ice cream and homemade hot fudge.

So I found a Pillsbury Sugar Free 

Brownie mix and sugar free 

chocolate chips at the grocery store, 

and I made him sugar free vanilla 

ice cream using powdered Swerve.  

He was such a happy guy!  

His mom had said she would 

go without sugar with him, 

but at 8, how hard is that, so 
I had fun experimenting.  I even 

made his hot fudge with 1 T. 

sugar free chocolate chips 

melted with 1 T. cream. 

I think besides the Dollar Store 

game one of the kids' biggest 

surprises was that I got on the 

water rockets to battle it out!!

(My favorite thing to do at 

Lake Powell!)

Our final night was a 

Copacabana Party, 

where everyone dressed up 

for dinner in tropical clothing.

Summer fun is over, but 

we were glad to get away, and 

the best thing was, the builders 

kept working while we were 

gone each time. 

When I get time I will post 

our Lake Powell menus.  I 

just ran into someone the 

other day who requested I 

keep posting those.  We love 

to eat, so food is a big part 

of our Lake Powell experience.

Now for the fun giveaway.  

I am hosting this month, 

so leave me a message and the 

winner will be chosen randomly 

on September 8th. 

Include your contact information 

if you don't have a blog so you 

can be notified.  

Ooh, this is such a fun, fun prize.

Visit our other fabulous 

travelers and see where they 

have been off to.

 Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box  

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home (you are here)

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader