Monthly Archives: August 2011

so i start early…

It’s almost September! In this household, that means our Christmas prep is underway. I’ve pulled out my Christmas Notebook, the Room Pages binder, the party planner, and miscellaneous storage binders full of Christmas ideas. This year, I’ve also added Pinterest to my bag of Christmas prep tools. Being visually oriented, Pinterest is a great way […]

menu plan monday ~ august 29, 2011

I’ve been busy getting my Christmas Notebook updated and ready for the holiday season. Plus a few other necessary binders… More about that in another post later this week. For now, here’s our week’s menu. Monday Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms Tuesday Roasted Chicken Baked Potatoes Steamed Aspargus Corn on the Cob Green Salad Wednesday Chef […]

getting to know you, getting to know all about you…

Oldest Daughter brought a kitten home with her when she finished her summer job at a girls’ camp in New York. The kitten, Cedar, is probably a few weeks older than our newly acquired kitten, Amy. It has taken them about a week to get used to one another. But now they play hard! Here […]

homemade tortillas

Oldest Daughter asked for tacos for supper. I decided to make Homemade Flour Tortillas. They were delicious! I made two modifications to the recipe. First I used Crisco instead of lard. I have never cooked with lard and didn’t want to buy it for the small amount needed in this recipe. Second, I used hot […]

menu plan monday ~ august 22, 2011

Our oldest daughter brought a kitten home from the camp where she worked this summer. Cedar and Amy didn’t hit it off at once and are still a little hissy, but they are beginning to play together. They’ve been fun to watch. Their antics and growly fits make us laugh. I think they’ll be fast […]

my peach cobbler

For years, I’ve used a recipe from the August/September 1998, Taste of Home magazine, called “South Carolina Cobbler.” But it didn’t take long to know the recipe called for too much sugar for our tastes. I’ve revised it over the years until it fits a 9×13 baking dish and uses less sugar. I also added […]

menu plan monday ~ august 15, 2011

The high temperatures of the summer months seem to be a thing of the past. It’s much more pleasant outside than it has been for a long time. The windows are open, the birds are chirping, the locust are singing. And the hostas are blooming beautifully. These particular ones are ‘Invincible.’ They have glossy green […]

the rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday but never jam today…

…It’s jam every other day. So said the White Queen, but we have enough jam for every single day! I made strawberry jam last week, and plan to make more tomorrow. Strawberries are cheap right now. Aren’t they pretty? All it took was a couple of pulses in the food processor and the strawberries were […]

surprise lilies

The surprise lilies are in full bloom. So pretty! They add a dramatic touch to the garden, springing up suddenly (hence the name). I made a simple bouquet of them for church last Sunday, using glass florist pebbles to hold the stems in place. You can’t sit too close to them, though. The scent is […]

menu plan monday ~ august 8, 2011

I had a very busy week last week. DD and DH were at camp. DH is the director, so I help with organizing the registration forms, compiling lists, etc. I also make the camp “yearbook.” That’s 11 pages, printed both sides, full of camp pictures. It’s a special treat for the campers, but lots of […]