Happy December!

Christmas decorating postponed

I brought out the Christmas decorations today, and started putting up a few of them. I came to a box of my clear, crystal snowflakes that I used to hang every year in the windows of the dining room of our home. I don't have a dining room in the house we are renting as we wait for the short sale to finalize. A flood of memories hit me, and I couldn't bring myself to continue opening the tissue wrapped snowflakes.
That was such a beautiful room. It was a perfect setting for the holidays.
Instead of decorating today, I am going to change my focus and count my blessings.
It's not December until tomorrow anyway.
There is always tomorrow.

Thanksgiving

......is just around the corner!!!

I was in the hospital last Halloween....

......not because I was sick, but because I got to watch my first grand daughter being born!

Since the day was Halloween the family joke goes like this: "It was a baby ghoul". But let me tell you, she is anything but ghoulish. In fact, she is, in my very biased opinion, one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen!! (or have the privelege of being related to) My son and his wife did a pretty nice job! Thanks you two :)

I can't believe this little punkin will be a ONE YEAR old on October 31. Time has just flown!!

So in honor of Harper's birthday, I am sharing this video made by her mom's cousin Sammy. You can see what changes can happen in a little person in just one short year. And her birth has made a change in the rest of us forever.

I Love you Harper!!

~bobbi

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Delights of Fall

A walk through a pumpkin patch
Donuts......and cider

A pumpkin cannon

(a closer view)

An apple cannon

Riding on a hay wagon

Turkeys getting nervous for next month

My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown

(singing): "Ah, ah...oh no, don't let the rain come down. My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown. Oh yes, my roof's got a hole in it and I might drown."

Do you remember this song? I am not sure who composed it, but I remember it being sung by the Serendipity Singers. I think an all guy group sang it, too. (Man, am I dating myself)

I've had this song stuck in my head since yesterday when I walked into the kitchen to turn off the tea kettle and felt a drop of water land on the top of my head. It had been raining most of the day, but not indoors! As I glanced up at the ceiling I could see where water had saturated a small area of the taping up there and was beginning to drip down. This is when it pays to be a renter. LOL!

The roofer will be here this morning to look over the problem and get started on correcting it. Meanwhile, I am recalling my 60's childhood and humming along to the tune ..."ah, ah. Oh no, don't let the rain come down..."

Another year older

It was my birthday this past weekend. Now that I am another year OLDER, I have been giving some thought to what my credo should be this year. I think I will adopt the following.

Learn from the past,

prepare for the future,

but live in today.

'Cause if you don't live in today,

you'll have a lot of empty

yesterdays tomorrow.

~Thomas S. Monson

Soup for A Week!

Don't you love Good Housekeeping magazine? I do. And I am loving this soup recipe I found in last year's October issue. See the cover, above? It's actually a "diet" soup (only 45 calories per cup), but it is really just a good-for-you, delicious recipe that can serve an army!

Here's the actual recipe. Don't worry, I will be retyping it at the bottom of this post so you can read it. When you make it use a very large stockpot. It yields 28 cups of soup!

I dished it up into bowls and we ate it that night. However, it's actually better the second or third day. Isn't that the case with most soups? They improve with age.
Freezes beautifully! I ladled out 2-cup portions into plastic freezer containers so I could easily grab one or two when I needed a quick and easy meal. Any larger of a container, and I would be waiting forever for the things to thaw.

There are SO many variations you can make, too. When I get tired of just the hearty vegetable soup I can add any of the following to the original recipe: cooked chicken, shrimp, kidney beans, red beans, turkey meatballs, corn, noodles, rice, kielbasa....you get the idea.

It's also delicious with a few sprinklings of parmesan or cheddar cheese on top. Even a dollop of sour cream. To change the flavors a bit, I like to add different herbs or spices to give it some variety.

So if you want to have a freezer full of delicious options, I recommend making this terrific soup.

Here's the recipe:

HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

prep: 20 minutes cook: 50 minutes makes: 28 cups

1 lb. carrots

1-1/2 lbs. onions (3 medium)

4 lg. stalks celery

2 lg. cloves garlic

1 lb. green cabbage (1/2 small head)

3/4 lb. green beans

1-1/4 lbs. zucchini (3 medium)

2 cans (28 0z. each) whole tomatoes in juice

1 can (48 to 49 oz.) chicken broth (6 cups)

6 cups water

Salt and pepper

2 bags (8 or 9 oz. each) baby spinach leaves

Slice carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. Coarsely chop onions. Slice celery. Coat a 12-quart stockpot (or 2 large saucepans) with nonstick cooking spray.Add carrots, onions, and celery to pot, over medium-high heat. Using a garlic press, crush garlic into pot; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, thinly slice cabbage (you should have 6 cups). Trim green beans and cut each into thirds. Cut each zucchini lengthwise in half, then slice crosswise into half-moons. Set vegetables aside separately.

When carrots are tender-crisp, add tomatoes with their liquid to saucepot, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Add cabbage, green beans, chicken broth, water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high; stir in zucchini and spinach and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Enjoy!

Fall Is In The Air

Last month my daughter in-law and granddaughter came to visit. We drove to a fruit stand that is a favorite of mine in the area. We were surprised to see that they already had the hay wagon out and were setting it up for hayrides.

We headed over to see it for ourselves.

Doesn't this just get you all excited for fall?! Is it too soon for cider and caramel apples?

Yes....fall is in the air!

A perfect summer lunch

Fresh from the garden.
Enjoy!

Taking a blogging break....

.....to enjoy the last bits of summer!

And they said it wouldn't last...

On Monday, August 10th it will be my 33rd wedding anniversary. Did I just write that? 33 years?!

That's right. I will have to use the cliche "Where has the time gone?" I can't believe how wise I was that many years ago when I said "YES"to my fiancee's proposal while watching the international hit movie Godzilla vs. King Kong on television. (So romantic)

I love you. Happy Anniversary!

Wonder if you can still find a copy of that old black and white film? I remember it being a Japanese movie with English subtitles....but that's all I remember :)

One last time down the old dirt road

Next weekend will be the last and final time we travel back to Gopher Hill Place, down this familiar dirt lane. It will be bittersweet, to say the least.

"There's nothing like the scent

of rain on a dirt road.

Settled dust seeping

in rivulets off the leaves.

The storm departs with

distant rumbling, and

our bare feet tell

tales of our passage."

-exerpt from the poem, 'Down The Old Dirt Road' by Dallas D'Angelo-Gary

We will close this chapter of our lives, and tuck the book of memories under our arm to carry with us forever.

The 4 Signs of Aging

I'm here today to give you all some sage advice. (Don't I look scholarly in my librarian glasses?)

What are the 4 signs of aging?

WISDOM

CONFIDENCE

CHARACTER

STRENGTH

It's Hot!!

Temps will be in the 100's this week. Let's cool off with some photos.
Does this help?

Aaaahhhh.....that's more like it!

Hope you are all beating the heat.

A Much-Needed Stress Break

Hubby and I went to Leavenworth, Wa. for a Less Stress Getaway. We were surprised that it took only an hour and a half (at most) to get there. This once dying timber and rail town turned itself into an alpine Bavarian village...successfully. It is so charming with its beautiful mountain backdrop, Icicle Creek, and many evergreen trees.

Leavenworth is known for its Bavarian festivals, great shopping, and myriad of outdoor activities. Everything in town has that alpine flair, even the gas station sign.

This was a cute German wagon all decked out in front of the main park.

I don't think there are too many post offices cuter than this one.

We were sitting on a grassy hill in the park that overlooked downtown.

This Oompah band of two guys were entertaining the tourists. Just a drummer and an accordian player, but they were good! When they started playing...of all things..."Viva Espana", my hubby and I had to sing the chorus!

We got our picture taken with a local gent.

Gorgeous flower pots and baskets just like this one were all over town. Notice the colorful painting on the wall behind it. That was everywhere, too.

Just so you know you are still in the U.S.

Could this man's smile be any bigger?!

Happy National Pick a Blueberry Day!

Really...I'm not making this up! Today is National Pick A Blueberry Day, and July is National Blueberry Month. So in honor of the beautiful blueberry I scoped out a local U-Pick Blueberry Farm yesterday and went picking. I got there at 8:30 a.m. and picked until 11:30 a.m.

The people who worked there first asked me what type of blueberry I wanted to pick? Who knew there were more varieties than just "regular" and "wild"! The ones I'm holding in my hand are the type I chose. The variety is called 'Dukes'. They were in between the largest ones and the smallest ones in size, and they tasted good, too! They had free samples there so you could taste the berry and make your selection before you went out to pick. Then you were directed to the rows with the variety you selected.

I picked beneath netting that was above all of the bushes to keep the birds away. The berries were pesticide free and really wonderful. I picked 11 pounds of berries in 3 hours!!

When I got home I put the berries in the fridge for a while to cool before I washed them. (those were the instructions the farm gave me) After the berries cooled I washed them, spread them out on pans and put them in the freezer for about an hour. After that I tucked them into plastic freezer bags and put them back into the freezer. They will stay good for up to a year, and I can have fresh blueberries any time I like! I'm imagining muffins, pies, pancakes, pancake syrup, freezer jams, dessert sauce, etc. But first.....

Some of the berries I set aside and used them to make fresh blueberry custard pie. Hubby and I have nearly eaten the whole thing!

All the time I was picking blueberries I kept thinking of this adorable book I used to read my kiddos when they were little. I have always loved, "Blueberries For Sal", by Robert McClosky. (did you know he also did all of the illustrations?) Do you remember it?

"Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!" We had a softbound copy and read it so often that we wore it out. I think I will have to get a new copy of it for my grandkids.

Oh, and I plan to go the blueberry farm again next year. Only now that I'm an experienced picker I think I will take my grandboys along with me so that we can all "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk" away on a lovely morning in July.

America, the Beautiful!

On our way to Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

A perfectly beautiful day.

Magnificent!

Mt. Rainier in all its splendor!!

So thankful for this beautiful country we live in , and the freedoms we share.

Happy 4th of July!

A Fabulous Cake

I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe yet. After all, I love all things Paula Deen, Ina Garten, and Ellie Kreiger. Can 3 women have more different cooking styles?! But I love them ALL!...and I love to cook. So I am always on the lookout for GREAT recipes, and the blogging community did not disappoint with this absolutely divine Strawberry Coconut Cake. I must give credit where it is due. I found this recipe at Dear Daisy Cottage. While there, I found out that Kim got it from Nancy at her Southern Lady blog. Nancy got the recipe while visiting Lulu's Tea Room in Powell, TN. So thank you Kim, Nancy, and Lulu. Here's my finished product:

Is that not one yummy looking cake? I made one small change to the original recipe. I was about half a cup shy of the amount of coconut the recipe called for, so I just used the amount that I had. It still turned out great, just not as coconutty. I think the filling/frosting would have been a little stiffer with the correct amount of coconut, though.

Here...I cut you a slice. Dig in! Hubby and I like it best with lots of fresh strawberries on the side.

If you're looking for a cake that's a real winner look no further. Happy baking!

Strawberry Coconut Cake

Cake:
1 -1/2 boxes of white cake mix

5 eggs
2 cups water

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 box (3 oz. size) strawberry jello
1/2 cup of chopped strawberries (I used fresh)

Icing:

1 - 16 oz. container sour cream

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar (you read that right, it's not confectioner's)

1/2 box (rest of the 3 oz. one) strawberry jello

1 - 7 oz. bag of sweetened, flaked coconut

1/2 cup of chopped strawberries (I used fresh, again)

1 - 8 oz. carton of Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients for cake with an electric mixer. Pour into 3 (8 or 9 inch) round baking pans sprayed with cooking spray (I also lined the bottoms with parchment paper). Bake 22 minutes (mine took about 5 minutes longer until cake was set) . Let cake cool completely before icing.

Mix all ingredients for the icing, excluding the Cool Whip. Place one layer of cake on a platter and cover the top with 1/3 of the coconut mixture. Add the second layer and cover that layer with another 1/3 of the mixture. Take the remaining 1/3 mixture and add the 8 oz. carton of Cool Whip. Add the third layer and cover the entire cake with your Cool Whip mixture. Garnish with strawberries.
Recipe Courtesy of Lulu's Tea Room