Blogs...

OK, I admit when I'm home and Kenneth is at work I spend wayyyy too much time reading other peoples blogs. I thoroughly enjoy seeing what other women, moms, grandmothers are doing in their lives and I don't mind admitting borrowing some of their ideas and laughing at their stories. It makes my day. Here's a blog I came across from someone else but signed up to be put on their blog list, Project Laundry List. Check it out and add your name if you also use a clothesline.I came across this site this morning...CUPCAKES!!! who doesn't love a little piece of cake? Their having a contest, check out some of these creations...incredible! No One Puts Cupcakes in a Corner

I love Fall...

I love this time of year, cool weather is so nice and being able to have the screen doors open to catch the breeze. The only draw back is the amount of sand which four small paws seem to be able to bring in, oh well, you have to take a little extra work for the privilege. I have tried to be more productive this morning, I actually got fully dressed today! I've done a load of laundry which is drying on the line, weeded the garden bed and did some cleaning of the large sticks out of the compost mulch which haven't started decaying yet. I cut the okra and some peppers and picked a handful of cherry tomatoes. I checked on the lemon/lime trees and look what I discovered.

Spikes! they are at least 1" - 1 1/2" long. Who knew?

the asperigus fern are doing well

this is the "volunteer" tomatoe which grew next to Dusty's pool. It ended up about 5' tall at one point it even put on some blooms but it doesn't get any sunshine. It grew in 2" of pebbles, this amazes me.

this is the blueberry plant, it has done well, hoping for blueberries next year.

the "lavender" plant, when does it ever bloom?

this is the bed I cleaned and weeded this morning (the one in the front) and behind is the last of the tomatoes, mostly the cherry ones are the only ones still making, only when I just picked them I noticed the romas are trying to make some more, we'll have to see if they are able to turn red before the first frost.

the sunflowers are long gone...

this was the very last cantaloupe of the season, they were all very good. I'm already planning for next years garden and how to rotate the crops like all the books say from one bed to the other. We know we want more okra plants and have been saving our seed. I also saved some seeds from some of the peppers and I am planning on having more herbs especially cilantro for salsa and some tomatoes which are on the meaty side. Since I'm the only one who eats tomatoes, the cherry were good but I want something we can can to use later.
Just a Note: When logging on today I noticed "I have a follower" I am very excited about this, and their a famous family from a well known movie! I look forward to learning about using coupons from her. Welcome! Life at the Burrow

Fall cleaning...

What you'll need:

a 3/4 ton, four door pick-up with overhead rack.

a backyard with clothesline, gold bedding optional. (just wanted to show, Yes, I'm still using it)

a power washer and at least 2 days of clear sunny weather, and...

a 12' round braided rug.

Power wash and let hang to dry. How else do people clean these rugs? This was what Charles came up with. It is cleaner, now we're just waiting for it to dry, maybe we should have done it in July?

Cream Pie...

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz.) of cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 small tub of whipped topping
• cookies, candy, fruit, etc. (use your imagination)
• 1 graham cracker crust
  

Cream together in mixer cream cheese and sugar, add cookies or candy to mix, then fold in whipped topping. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Refrigerate a couple hours before serving.

I have made this twice so far and had some at a friends. She added pineapple to it and topped with crushed pecans and toasted coconut, very good. I made one for Charles with crushed chocolate malt balls and Resse's flavored malt balls, I topped with a few whole one. The one pictured has peppermint oreos in it, they had a green filling so it was a light green color and very good. You could use peanut butter cups, any kind of cookie, fruit, this is a very easy pie to make.

Cooking Blogs...

Here are some blogs I came across for crock pot cooking:
A Year of Crock Pot Cooking and Nanny Kim's Recipes.
Here's another one Aggie's Kitchen. Here's one that gives you Slow Cooking Thursdays.
Check them out.

UPDATE: After looking over the year of crockpot blog some more I realized she's been on Rachel Ray! Check it out here
, to see the recipes Rachel gave her go here.
Another blog I came across Prudence Pennywise.

Herbs...

This is the Basil I cut this morning. If you have never tried growing herbs Basil is sooo easy. Just cut it every week or two above a set of leaves and it will grow until your first freeze. Also cut it first thing in the morning before it gets hot or it gets to limp to work with. I have washed this batch and am getting it ready to dry.

Trim off the leaves onto a paper towel. I use two towels still connected so you can cover it up when you place it in the microwave. As you may be able to tell I am reusing the paper towels.

This is what you are left with, just the stems.

Dry in the microwave for two minutes on the first side, then carefully flip it over and dry an additional minute on the second side. Remove from microwave and let cool before placing in baggy.

This is what I've dried so far this summer. Sprinkle a little on anything just at the end of cooking, it has a very mild flavor and adds just a little green to any meats you prepare.

Feeding the birds...

here is the pecan tree in the backyard, see how the morning glories have grown up on everything...they even reached up and attached themselves to the upper limbs.


see I don't always sleep till noon, I was up early enough this morning to get a picture of the open morning glories. Ok, it was cloudy today and this was taken about 11:00 a.m.

and see...I got a new bird feeder...now they have two to chose from. We have seen "mountain bluebirds" in the yard the last 3 weeks. There are 5 - 6 of them. I think there baby birds and have a nest nearby. We also have Bluebirds, Cardinals and any number of different small birds, we've also had a Robin this summer.

Fall is here...

Spider Lilies.

I had never seen any flowers like this until we moved to Texas. They bloom in the fall and the stem and flowers come first, then after the flowers fade the leaves grow and stay until we get a really hard freeze. They are all this reddish-orange color and multiply each year.
A very pretty time of the year and a reminder that winter is not far off.

S...T...R...E...T...C...H...

Baby face...

You've got the cutest little baby face...






Grandpa and Emily having a serious conversation...


and we'll be swingin'...

Visiting her sister...

Curly Sue got to visit with her Mom and sister while we were here this week. They are so different in coloring now. Here's Curly Sue just exhausted from playing.

See how her coloring on her face is more golden brown.

This is Mosephus (MO MO) she has the silver coloring.

She looks like an Ewok.

Sleeping baby

Enough said...

We have fingers...

come on...people want to see those pretty fingers.

Grandpa...that's not nice.

there we go...I'm ready for my manicure.

and toes...

what kinda face is that?

Update...

Sunday everyone came home from the hospital, it was a long night Sunday night, Miss. Emily had a very bad case of gas. So Monday Dad went to the store and got infant drops for "baby gas", how did we ever get by without them? She has been eating really well and had her first Dr. appointment Tuesday. Her weight was 7 lbs. 9 oz. and she was 20 1/2 inches long. How did she shrink 3/4"? She has regular dirty diapers and not as much crying, so basically evrything is working well. More to come...

We're home...

Arriving at home...

Walking Emily so Mom and Dad can get some sleep.

OK, switch off, Grandpa gets to rock her now.