Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to our new son-in-law!

He married (us) our daughter in May.

He's a great guy and we consider ourselves lucky

 to have him in our little family. b

bakery

I played bakery yesterday.

Oh no, I couldn't just stop at a pan of buns...

Caramel rolls are a huge treat at our house and don't last long.

Bread making is an art I just haven't mastered yet.

I might have gotten a purple ribbon on these for taste and texture

 but only a yellow ribbon on appearance.

It requires lots of practice and a metabolism faster than mine...

if you know what I mean? b

modeling

I put together a couple bibs for a gift this morning.

Pearl was kind enough to model them...

but now she wants a contract! b



peeping

Just a little 'peep' at what I've been working on the past week...

stay cool, b



neighborhood watch

Pearl likes to pretend she's in the

'Neighborhood Watch Program'

I told her,

"More like the Neighborhood Nosey Program!"

b



Jenny W.

This little Jenny Wren didn't take the weekend off like we did...

She performed a concert for us,

did her housecleaning and built a nest...

all whilst doing guard duty against neighbor cats!

Thank you Jenny! We enjoyed your show. b



weekend pancakes

Do you like having dessert for breakfast?

Or breakfast for supper?

This apple puff pancake is delicious...

Apple Puff Pancake

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend eggs, milk and vanilla.

 Add flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon, mix just until blended.

 Set aside.

Melt butter in pan (I like my cast iron pan for this).

 Arrange apple slices in the bottom of the pan, and pour the batter over them.

Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.

This German dish reminds me of the kuchen grandma used to make...

so good! b



sweet baby flannel

Finished this sweet baby flannel blanket.

I hauled this one around with me for quite awhile before I had it done.

I never go anywhere without a project or two in my bag

as well as a book and magazine.

These blankets and knitted dishrags make great traveling projects.

You never know when you might find yourself stranded on an island...

if I could just be so lucky. b



make a wish

I wish this heat wave would let up...

and we would get a cool day of rain.

Anyone got a penny? b



moments like this...

enjoying a cupcake moment here...b

sundresses

I enjoyed making these sundresses last week

 for the gran-girlie's and their dolly's...

Gingham seersucker is so sweet and cool to wear.

It all started with the summer sweaters I am knitting them...

when I decided they needed little dresses to wear with them...

then their dolly's needed dresses too.

One thing always leads to another with me.

No, the dolly's aren't getting matching sweaters. b



garden gate

through the garden gate...

Have you ever made a hollyhock doll?

b



sounding off

It's looking like a scorcher today,

high temps and high humidity!

I'm naturally grateful for air-conditioning and central air but

I'm glad to have grown up in a slower gentler time...

where a family was lucky to have one fan and

you had your windows open to catch a breeze

 you heard birds singing 

and children playing

 summer smells

everyone hung their clothes outside to dry

you spent afternoons at the local swimming hole...

just remembering

b

floods

Minot, ND flooding

All my troubles are small as I view flood pictures.

How does one recover something like this financially?

b



favorites

Did you know...

Pansy's are my favorite flower?

They are so delicate and old fashioned.

I snapped these at daughter's in North Dakota.

Aren't they pretty in this old weathered wooden barrel? b

buffalo chicken

These Buffalo chicken burgers were very good...

I ground up chicken breasts in the food processor

and added onion, red pepper, buffalo sauce and seasonings.

They were too soft to grill outdoors so I fried them in my cast iron pan.

Absolutely no grease off these burgers.

Have you ever wondered where the term "Buffalo" chicken came from?

Check it out. b



Pie

Making a pie on Sunday...

is not a sin.

But eating it...

should be! b



preserving

Preserving summer's bounty...

What's easier than chopping up rhubarb

 and adding pie filling and jello to make rhubarb jam?

I save and use small odd and end glass jars in order to share with family and friends.

I'm craving a PBJ sandwich, how about you? b

a bowl full of summer

I'm thinking pie and jam?

I haven't had rhubarb for 2 years so I'm hoping to stretch this bowl of it as far as I can!

Can you remember a time when everyone had rhubarb and couldn't get rid of it?

Now they're selling it at $3 for a very small bundle at farm markets.

Guess that's why they call it the 'good ol' days'.

We picked this in North Dakota from a generous friend of our daughters.

Rhubarb and strawberries!

Don't you just love a bowl full of summer?

He has the most beautiful garden I have ever seen.

But more on that later...b



home sweet home

We're home from up north...

As usual, we had a great time.

Mr. B and daughter knit and pearl agree that

fireworks are great fun...

 (and not a total waste of money?)

She's lucky her new mr. enjoys them too.

The 314-shot saturn missiles was the piece de resistance...

(they're threatening to get a bigger one next year!)

and ended our fun for another year. b



big parks

Hope your 4th of July

is as fun as going to the "Big" park!

We're headed north to North Dakota for our fun.

Five days off for fireworks, margaritas, grillin' (and rhu-barb pie)...

The guys will be working frantically to finish a front deck

where the 'ladies' will be viewing the parade.

b