Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Pets


"The difference between friends and pets 
is that friends we allow into our company, 
pets we allow into our solitude."  
~Robert Brault

Monday, June 11, 2012

Moseying in the Mornings


One of my favorite things to do during the summertime
is to mosey around outside in the early morning
before it gets too hot.


Oftentimes, even before the rest of the house is awake,
Miss Daisy and I will head out to check on the gardens and the animals.
The little eggs I found last month have hatched
and the baby birds are a week old now.
I check on them every day and I love when I 
sometimes see the momma bird feeding them. 


The green bean plants are coming up that I planted last week
We put them in the garden where the onions were. 


I usually water my herbs first thing in the morning.
And again in the evening.


My basil is doing really well.


I use cilantro a lot in my cooking
and I've been picking it just as fast as it grows!


The fresh mint is so delicious in my ice tea.


I planted some sunflowers in my cutting garden
and they started to come up last week.


The garden is really doing well this year.
Our tomato plants are covered with all varieties of tomatoes.
We pick them at the first hint of pink and let them ripen
on the widow sill.  It only takes a day or two and they're perfect.

Strawberry Banana Muffins


~Strawberry Banana Muffins~
makes one dozen

2 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup brown sugar, plus extra for topping
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter; set aside.  Combine bananas, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add butter.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.  Toss strawberries in flour mixture until well coated.  Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.  Fill muffin tin and top muffins with a sprinkle of brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until muffins test done and start to brown.  Enjoy!


I really liked these muffins.  
They smelled SO good baking and they were very tasty! :-)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Peach Shortcake Cookies


Peach Shortcake Cookies
makes 2 dozen

 Ingredients

4 peaches, pitted, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup milk


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir chopped peaches together with 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add milk. Fold in peaches. Drop by tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges of cookies start to brown. Enjoy!


Summertime Pickles


The garden is producing cucumbers seemingly overnight!
That means lots of pickles in the fridge this summer. :-)



Tuesday, June 5, 2012

~bunnies~


A baby bunny Mr. H. found while mowing last week.
It was smaller than my hand!

I really want a bunny rabbit!
The only problem is, no one else in my family 
has any interest in raising a rabbit. :-(
One person in my family
(she will remain nameless)
actually dislikes bunnies!
Can you imagine?!

They had mini rexes at the feed store a few weeks ago
and I wanted to bring one home so badly.
They were so soft and velvety
and looked just like stuffed animals. 

I resisted though, and I am trying to be content with 
the bunnies around me.  I see them all the time...
I just can't hold them!

A bunny I found in the cabin yard 
at my family's ranch this week.


Monday, June 4, 2012

I'm sold...


Last week, I made some fresh pasta sauce.
The tomatoes came from the grocery,
but everything else was from the garden,
including fresh herbs.
Oh boy!
It was the best sauce - so flavorful.

I was sold.
Fresh herbs really do make 
a world of difference.

So, tonight as I was topping homemade pizzas,
I made a three meat pizza for the family.
Pepperoni, Italian sausage and bacon - their favorite.

But the other pizza,
I topped with basil, oregano, and rosemary
snipped fresh from the herb garden.

It was delish! :-) 

Sunday, June 3, 2012

So sweet!


The baby birds are hatching!
Four out of five of the eggs in my hanging basket 
were hatched as of this afternoon. :-)

Friday, June 1, 2012

School's Out for Summer!


And so begins that wonderful season of summertime!

The time where I wake up each morning and lay in bed
for a few minutes, just to give myself a chance
 to remember if my kids are home or not...
and if they are home, 
I stop to try to recall
if I have any extra kids in my home. 

It's also the time when I do load after load of laundry
 and as I am taking clothes out of the dryer 
there will more likely than not 
be an item or two of clothing that I totally 
don't recognize and wonder how on earth they got there. 

It's the time that my back door 
magically turns into a revolving door 
with kids constanly coming in and out.
Kids that are  
constantly hungry
constantly thirsty
but, thankfully, rarely bored...

It's the time that no matter how hard I try 
I can't seem to ever have enough clean towels in the house.

It's the time when I remember just how loud 
multiple children, barking dogs, and the TV can be!


And, it's the time...that I treasure and love with all my heart. 
Happy summer - may you and your family make many wonderful memories!