Back from the Beach!

We're home from a trip to 

one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!

Can you guess?

We were in Destin, on Florida's Emerald Coast! :-)

I'm a beach lovin' girl and I've been to lots of beautiful beaches -

Waikiki, Malibu, South Padre, and Miami to name a few,

but Miramar Beach at Destin has become my favorite.

The only beach I've been to that tops it is Cancun.

But as far as beaches in the United States go, I officially love Destin the most! :-) 

It was SO beautiful and we had perfect weather.

The water was swimming pool clear and just the right temperature.

The sugar sand was so white and pretty, and amazingly cool.

There was very little seaweed and NO jellyfish! ;-)

My kiddos both love the water and have declared Destin 

one of their top favorite vacations we've ever taken as well!

We got to spend three whole days at the beach and that was just about right

for Mr. H. and my son, but my daughter and I could have easily stayed a week. :-)

We stayed in a little house that was just a short walk to the beach.

It had wood floors, a screened in porch, and lots of wicker furniture.

I thought it was so charming! 

Wish I could have stayed forever! :-)

Linked to Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #117

Ice Cream in a Bag!

This one's all over pinterest. 

And it really works!

First, take a sandwich sized baggie.

Place inside -

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup half and half

Seal tightly.

Next, take a gallon sized baggie.

Place inside -

ice cubes until about halfway filled

1/2 cup rock salt

Place your small baggie inside your large baggie.

Seal tightly.

Then you, 

Shake!

Shake!

Shake!

And shake some more.

For five minutes.

Then take your small bag out and rinse it under cold 

water to get the salt water off.

Open your bag, pour your ice cream in a bowl

and dig in!

Tasty summertime fun!

Linked to From the Farm Blog Hop #41 

Farmgirl Friday #116 

Flubber!

My niece and nephew are staying with us this week 

and we've been having lots of fun.

Today we made some homemade flubber.

I had never made it before so as we were stirring it up

I kept telling them if it was a flop, 

we'd just make some homemade play dough. ;-)

But it wasn't a flop!

It was so easy and really cool.

This is what you need -

3/4 cup cold water

1 cup of glue

(I emptied several partly used bottles in our craft closet, 

plus some craft glue I had on hand.  We had just enough to make a cup!)

food coloring

1/2 cup hot water

1 teaspoon borax

In one bowl combine the glue, cold water and food coloring.

In another bowl combine the hot water and the borax until the borax is dissolved.

Then add the hot water mixture

to the cold water mixture.

Stir!

It will immediately start coming together.

There will be some liquid left over and that's okay.

My niece, 9 1/2 years old, played with it for about 30 minutes. 

My nephew, 6 years old, was fascinated for almost an hour 

before he left the table and he's kept coming back to it throughout the day.

Even the bigger kids at my house have had some fun with it. ;-)

Linked to Share Your Cup Thursday #64 

From the Farm Blog Hop #41 

Farm Girl Friday #116 

{TH} read :-)

I'm linking up this week with the all new

at The Simple Woman -

where we share what we are reading 

and what we are crafting.

This week I am reading, Thinking in Pictures - My Life with Autism

by Temple Grandin

I'm crafting a knitted cowl

to match a knitted cap.

Link up what your reading and crafting at {TH} read! 

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

July 7th-13th

Sunday

homemade pizza

Monday
mexican frito salad 

Tuesday
fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls

Wednesday

tacos, spanish rice, refried beans, tortilla chips, picante sauce, guacamole

Thursday

hamburgers, french fries, baked beans

Friday

leftovers

Saturday

out of town

Linked to Menu Plan Monday

Homemade Maple Syrup

so quick, so simple, so easy

so good :-)

In a saucepan pour -

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Don't stir.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Let boil for 10 minutes or so.

Remove from heat.

Add 1 teaspoon maple flavoring.

Pour over pancakes, waffles, or french toast.

Store in the fridge.

Will thicken upon standing.

Just heat in the microwave before each use.

Enjoy!

Linked to Share Your Cup Thursday #64  

From the Farm Blog Hop #41 

Farmgirl Friday #116 

Les Miserables

No vision and you perish...

"No vision and you perish;

No ideal, and you're lost;

Your heart must ever cherish

Some faith at any cost.

Some hope, some dream to cling to,

Some rainbow in the sky,

Some melody to sing to,

Some service that is high."

~Harriet Du Autermont

Homestyle Macaroni Salad

Homestyle Macaroni Salad

8 to 12 servings

2 cups macaroni

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions; rinse under cool water.

To macaroni add bell pepper, celery, and onion.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly.

Chill before serving.

Enjoy!

Linked to Share Your Cup Thursday #63 

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #115

From the Farm Blog Hop

Cake Mix Cookies

I've never made "cake mix cookies" before today.

But, I think I just became a big fan!

Cookies made using a cake mix are really quick and easy.

I used a recipe I found from Cookin' Cowgirl.

Cake Mix Cookies

makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 box white cake mix

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sprinkles

Combine first 5 ingredients.  

Stir in sprinkles.

Roll into balls, place on parchment lined cookie sheets, and bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and leave cookies on cookie sheet for 5 more minutes.

Place cookies on rack until completely cool.

Enjoy! 

My family tried a few and then I put them away for our 

4th of July cookout this evening! :-)

Linked to Share Your Cup Thursday #63

Farmgirl Friday #115 

From the Farm Blog Hop

Happy Birthday America!

(my patriotic perennials from 2011)

Happy 4th of July to each of you!

I hope you enjoy a day with friends and family

celebrating our beautiful country

and being thankful for the 

land of the free and the home of the brave.

July Daybook

FOR TODAY

July 1, 2013

Outside my window...

are dogs, a cat, kittens, chickens and a pig

 who never cease to entertain us :-)

I am thinking...

about the cool front that blew in last night 

and how very nice the weather has been today

I am thankful...

for food grown in our backyard

In the kitchen...

I made strawberry banana pops this afternoon

I am wearing...

an Aggie t-shirt and running shorts

I am creating...

more organized, streamlined areas of my home

in hopes that when I go back to work in the fall

homekeeping will be easier 

I am going...

to the beach in two weeks! :-)

I am reading...

"Thinking in Pictures - My Life with Autism" by Temple Grandin

and I just finished "Muscle and a Shovel" by Michael Shank

I highly recommend both! 

I am hoping...

to read several more books this summer 

I am learning...

to be better at recycling

Around the house...

I'm cleaning and organizing room by room

I am pondering...

what I want to can this summer

A favorite quote...

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have,

but rather recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~ Frederick Keonig

One of my favorite things...

butterflies

A few plans:

to have some friends over for the 4th of July

A peek into my day... 

treating the chickens to some lettuce

Linked to The Simple Woman's Daybook - July Edition