Dear Summer......

Dear Summer,

Just for the record I'm not ready for you to leave yet.  I love you and want you to stay as long as possible. Don't you see me out playing and walking and biking and planting and spray painting and  ......
I'm not enjoying the fact you seem to be turning off the lights earlier and earlier but I am willing to overlook this flaw if you will stay.  In order to show you I really to appreciate you I made Blueberry muffins tonight and added some rasberries for good measure.  See I am serious about you hanging around ~ these are good summer time fruits! 

Love,
Linda

P.S.  Just so you know I am really, really serious!!!   I didn't want to take the time to write down the recipe for people so I took a picture of it :)  See that leaves me more time to enjoy you summer!

(I added a heaping 1/2 cup of blueberries and threw in the rasberries....I did'nt measure)

P.P.S.

I also made a fruit pizza for the pot luck yesterday using summer time fruit!  Can't you see your breaking my heart summer when you threaten to leave!

Fruit pizza: sugar cookie crust (used a dry packaged sugar cookie mix and followed directions....baked on pizza stone.  Follow directions for cutout cookies....I didn't and mine spread really bad and over flowed on the bottom of the oven)

Once cool....mix package of cream cheesed (softened - I used low fat) and one tub of marshmellow fluff together....spread over cookie.  I let that sit on cookie for a little while (1/2 to 1 hour) then carefully removed cookie dough from pizza stone and slid on to serving plate. 

Cut up any fruit you want to use and decorate (I used red grapes, blueberries, strawberries, rasberries and kiwi) Very delish!

linked up at all things releated 

finding fabulous 

Pie and Project

Sometimes my favorite crafts are little things :)  I went on a GW adventure and found a black iron wall hanging object....don't know if it qualifies as a scone.....wait that is a bakery item :)  Anyways I remember seeing a mason jar with sand and a candle and thought it was really simple and pretty.  So I went looking in the basement and found the above items and I hung it on my garage/shed and really like the way it looked.  I want to make a burlap banner and hang "Welcome" across the top.....So I will see if I get it done and if it looks like I envision it in my head :)

I think it is weloming......husband said I'm going to burn down the garage but the flame is inside the jar so we are good :)

Also, my husband is rather hard to buy gifts for.  Not because he's picky but because he truly doesn't want anything.  So I gave him a "pie coupon" and he used it this weekend.  My parents brought me some door county cherries a few weeks ago and I made them into homemade pie filling......VERY easy and so delicious! 

This is not something I would take to a potluck because it is rather messing looking. 

It's graham cracker crust, layer of cherries, layer of lemon goodness (lemon pudding, cream cheese, cool whip) and layer of cool whip and more cherries.  "Fluffy Lemon Fruit Pie" ~ The family really liked it.  Mine doesn't look the picture in the book but it was fabulous tasting!  I go for taste over presentation on this one :)

too perfect who would want to eat that?!!!

Look below....Now that is a piece of pie :)

And one more picture from the weekend.....

enjoying a bike trail :) 

Food ~ Family ~ Biking ~ Crafting ~ Church

all in one weekend is pretty sweet to me :) 

Hugs,

Linda

Some yummies to try...............

As I was cruising blog land I found some incredible recipes to try and I thought why should I keep all this goodness to myself.  So not wanting to be selfish I am sharing with you.  Let me know if you try any of these..........

Mexican Coleslaw ~ This sounds good and healthy. 
http://frenchknots.blogspot.com/2011/08/mexican-coleslaw-mid-week-munchies.html


Crockpot Lemon Chicken......always love a good crockpot recipe....especially with fall right around the corner!

http://www.crystalandcomp.com/2011/08/crockpot-lemon-chicken/

Reeses Cheesecake brownies.....ummmm no calories in those I'm sure!

http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/2011/08/reeses-cheesecake-brownies.html

 Tortilla Lasagna ......this would be good with the above coleslaw recipe :)

http://www.creatingafamilyhome.com/2011/08/tortilla-lasagna-recipe.html

I found these over at http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ....at her linky party

go check out some great craft ideas and more yummy looking food ideas :)

Hugs,

Linda

Give me a "W"

If you look around on blog land you see there are a lot of monogram projects.  This is my take on it. 

I started with a picture frame I picked up at a thrift store I think for .99 and a wooden letter at Wal-Mart for $1.98.  First thing I needed to do was spray paint.  Sometimes I think I am going to put the project in one place and then change my mind so that is why I picked blue.  There were a couple of places it would work and it is a really nice blue. 

After spray painting I stapled burlap to the back of the frame.  I have seen some that just hang the frame and the letter inside using the wall as  the back drop.  I like that also but since I wasn't exactly sure where I was going to put this I deceided to go with the burlap.

I deceided to hang this out on my front porch because of the blue accents I have out there. 

I am really happy with the finished project.  All I did was hang the frame and then put a nail through the burlap onto the wall behind it and hung the W.  I really like the burlap as the back ground.  I think it really helped make the W pop.

Here is the close up and down below is a picture that gives you a little better idea of the surroundings. 

in case your wondering what the "blob" is under the frame...it is a birds nest.  It looks nicer than it does in the picture :)

And there you have it....my first monogram project.  A very easy project that any crafter regardless of skill would be able to pull off.  Please let me know if you give it a try ~ I would love to see your project!

Have a blessed day!

Linda

Lamp Redo

If your like me you love a good deal!  I mean really there is something exciting about an honest to goodness bargin.  I was looking for a little lamp to put on my front porch.  I have an overhead light but it seems so harsh ~ I wanted a softer light. So I was excited to find a little light at a rummage for .50 cents!  The color was blue and it would work.  It didn't have a lamp shade but I  thought no problem I will pick one up at Wally world.  Well the lamp shade would have been around $10.00.  Hmmmmmmmmm maybe my little lamp is turning into not such a great deal.  I would have bought a lamp I really liked if I am going to pay more than $10.00 for one.  So yesterday I stopped another rummage and found a brand new lamp shade with the cover on it for $1.00.  Now that is what I am talking about :)  So here is my lamp and lamp shade.

As you can see the lampshade is cute but really doesn't go with the blue lamp.  No problem.....I  pulled out my spray paint stash and changed the base color to......

It looks so much better don't you think............

I did realize after I painted it I never checked to see if it workded!!!  Note to self: check before painting!  Thankfully it's all good. 

Not bad for $1.50 :)

Only extra cost was spray paint I had picked up earlier.

If you have something you want to change don't be afraid to try a little paint....you can always redo it if you don't like it.  A little paint can do wonders :)  Be creative and have fun!

Have a blessed week!!!

Linda

*******************************************************************

Update:  I wasn't happy with the color...it came out looking silver so I redid my redo....

I like it better now and so does my cat....how about you????

Grapevine Wreath and Basket

Here is one of my wreaths I will be taking out to sell at the Little Farmer this fall.  Do you think I should decorate it or leave it as is?  I'm leaning towards as is since I'm running out of time.  It's a bigger one and I actually had to swing on some of the vines to get them out of the trees.  I guess you now know another reason why I love monkeys :)

 Another shot of the wreath and a basket I made.  I actually made this last fall and have been storing them for this season at Little Farmer.  I wanted to do more but will have to settle for 2 baskets and 2 wreaths.  I love being able to work with grapevine but it had been so hot for the last 3 weeks.  The last thing I wanted to do was but on long sleeves and pants and go sweat in the woods.

I do have a bunch of other items to take out and I will be sharing some of those things with you later. 

Have a great rest of the week :)

Blessings,

Linda

Easy, Cheesy Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

I made this for dinner tonight and it was yummy :)

You can get the recipe here:  Life Blessons: Easy, Cheesy Spaghetti Casserole Recipe:
Carmen has a great blog you should check out too!

I increased her original recipe and modified it slightly.  I did add a pound of ground turkey.  I used Jennie-O ground turkey that was Italian seasoned.  And I also added fresh basil and garlic.  I used almost a full package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles and I used a full jar of spaghetti sauce.  I just increased the amounts of everything else. 

Add some bread and a fresh salad and your all set.  Plus we have left overs (on purpose)....can't get better than that!

Enjoy your weekend....

Blessings!!!!!!!
Linda

While She Was Sleeping: Brown Sugar Banana Bread

While She Was Sleeping: Brown Sugar Banana Bread: "Banana bread first crossed my pallet when I was in my late teens. We were visiting family in the hospital and had dinner in the cafeteria o..."

I on my Facebook last night that I made Brown Sugar Banana Bread!  It smelt so good!  It filled my dreams with visions of monkeys swinging through trees and eating banana's...okay not really but I did sleep good and so did Mango :)

I put the link up above for the recipe and blog it is on.

This recipe was different than the one I normally make....I liked it because it used 4 banana's....my go-to-recipe uses 2.  This recipe used cinnamon AND ginger....interesting...I never used ginger in my banana bread recipe before.  I added raisins because I have to have them in banana bread.  I normally add walnuts but left them out because the recipe didn't call for them and didn't know if it would diminish the taste of ginger.  I did cut the sugar down and only added 1 cup brown sugar and it is fine.  I give it a thumbs up however I think I still like my original recipe better.  The one I normally make has sour cream in it and I think that really adds to the bread. I would make it again if I had 4 brown bananas sitting on the counter instead of 2. 

I snapped a picture before I cut into it.  It was worth the wait.  Let me know your thoughts if your try it or share with me your favorite banana bread recipe.  I will have to post my go-to-recipe in the future!

Wish you were here!

Hugs!

Linda

Girl in Air: It's a BEADUCATION Giveaway!!

Girl in Air: It's a BEADUCATION Giveaway!!