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

This Garden's Progress

Remember when I planted my garden seeds last month, and it looked like this?

This is how it looks one month later. Green beans at left, Squash in the center, and four little Sunflowers next to the squash. The big, blue pot has a Tomato plant in it.

Here's a view looking down the row of Green beans. And, no, I did not plant a dandelion! That's a yellow marigold which looks far too similar to a dandelion. Note to self: next year, if you want to plant marigolds, you might consider the orange ones instead.

The long box at the left has Basil in it (from seed). Next to it, at the right, are a few Zinnias.

A dear friend gave me this wooden milk box when I was first diagnosed with diverticulitis. I drag it out every year and plant annuals in it. This year it holds blue lobelia and red geraniums. I decided to hang it on the fence. Makes it really stand out.

Close up of the Zinnias. Look at those weeds! Sheesh! Stop blogging and get out there, woman :)

The box o' Basil

I'm squeezing all I can out of every little strip of dirt in our backyard. This itsy-bitsy area is next to where the grass clippings get dumped. I threw down some seeds of parsley, lettuce, peas, and spinach. The lettuce and peas are the first...no, no, the weeds are actually the first...to come up.

My Tomato plant and 2 marigolds (masquerading as dandelions). Honest.

Can you see the little yellow tomato blossoms? I'm so excited!! I could never grow tomatoes in western Washington. With the climate being much hotter and drier here, I am anticipating lots of capresi salads with my Basil and Tomatoes. Yum!

I'll be checking the garden's progress in another month. Oh yes...and doing some weeding.