trip'n

We took two of our granddaughters to the Black Hills...

 

 

three days of jam-packed fun!

 

~b



pizza trial part 2

If you want to get better at anything...

you have to pick yourself up and go right back into the ring.

Right?

"Just keep trying because one day you will be amazing."

I went back on line today and scrutinized pizza dough recipes...

ingredients, instructions and reviews.

You must read the reviews!

They are very helpful.

Today's pizza was pepperoni.

I've determined my dough issues are not with the ingredients...

it's the kneading, rising and baking.

For this dough I let my KitchenAid do the work for me.

The crust was much better tonight...

but could it get better?

You betcha!

Stay tuned.

"You can either throw in the towel...

or use it to wipe the sweat off your face and keep moving forward."

~b

muy bien

I'm still on a mission to make homemade pizza...

great homemade pizza that is.

It's on my bucket list!

It's should start with a great crust which is where I'm having issues.

I want it to be Pizza Hut's crust.

I used a crust recipe I found on pinterest...

and it's already been filed in the garbage.

It was good but Not Great.

I think I would make a good food critic?

I used the toppings recipe for taco pizza

from allrecipes.com...submitted by DESHL.

(I didn't know so many ingredients went into taco pizza.)

It was muy bien!

~b

TODAY

 is turning out to be one of those days 

when I should have stayed in bed.

Like this tortoise under his log.

I bet no one is bothering him.

~b

upcycling

Sunshine on a sign...

I love the way these old relics are being upcycled!

~b

Happy Father's Day...

which also happens to be the summer solstice.

So officially summer begins today.

What a great day for everyone.

At our house you know it's summer when

the fish are in the pond

 and we hear the sound of running water

 for the next four months.

Father got his beetle bug out today

 and we went for a little spin in it.

Summer also means...

potato salad is back on the house menu.

This was the view in our son's backyard yesterday...

Yup, I love summer!

~b

chickens in the kitchen

I showed you this cloth basket a few months back...

but look what I added to it.

Three knitted dish rags in matching colors

with two hand embroidered flour sack towels

 to make a fun gift basket!

Add a set of  cute measuring cups and some dish soap

and this gift will be a big hit.

See it listed in our Dakota Maid shop.

~b



foxy

I finished foxy this week...

YAY!

She sat around looking so sweet in her underwear

just waiting for me to finish her dress.

Look at those shoes and socks!

I ignored her dress on my needles for months.

Working with three different yarns at one time

is outside my box.

But I'm glad I did and I'm happy to be finished with her.

~b

inspiration

When the roses are blooming...

I start dreaming of floral projects.

Roses are so old fashioned and romantic don't you think?

The earth laughs in flowers.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Grab a glass of lemonade and a good book...

and join me in the rose garden.

~b

The Devil's Claw

Devil's Claw quilt square...

I made mine into a quilted square to use as a hot pad holder.

Don't you love the names of quilt blocks?

Jacob's ladder...log cabin...bear's paw...garden of Eden...prairie queen...dad's bow tie.

They remind me of herb's...

I read about the benefit's of Devil's Claw

in a Barbara Delinsky book I was reading.

She is one of my favorite authors. 

Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) is a desert plant that grows in southern Africa and is named for the miniature claw-like hooks that cover its fruit. For centuries, the native people of the Kalahari Desert dried and chopped up the roots for use in remedies to treat pain and indigestion and for topical applications on sores and other skin problems. In recent years, a number of scientific studies have suggested that devil's claw can help relieve the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis, particularly symptoms affecting the knee or hip. There is also evidence to show that devil's claw can relieve low back pain.

The names of herbs are as interesting as quilt blocks...

St. John's wort, skullcap, witch hazel, cat's claw, horsetail.

I'm a firm believer of vitamins and herbal supplements

so I'm giving Devil's Claw a try.

~b

whew!

Me and mommy are going home today...

WHEW!

My grampa and grama are needy!

All that hugging and kissing was wearing me out!

I couldn't go anywhere that grama wasn't following me!

Like I was going to hurt myself or something?

Then they took me to see my nana...

and she slobbered all over me!

And they call me the slobber-er!

Until next time...

this is Delainee over and out.

~d

Pool time

Delainee here!

"It's Friday and it will be time to go home tomorrow.

Grama will be on her own again and back to blogging about

all her boring knitting and sewing stuff."

Today I'm sharing my pool tips:

Wear a hat and apply lots of sunscreen!

The higher the SPF number the better.

Bring a float to sit in and lots of water toys.

Wear a swim diaper

to avoid sinking to the bottom of the pool in 10 minutes.

A cute swimsuit will impress all the other babies at the pool and

grama says if I look this cute nobody will be looking at her!

She says, "The ultimate sacrifice a grandmother can make

is to be seen at the local pool in her swimsuit."

~d

grampas

Delainee here on a Thursday...

When grampa's sitting in his chair looking a little sleepy

and totally bored...

I try to come up with things to entertain him.

He really liked blowing bubbles with me.

Be prepared to share your freezy pop.

"Grama! Can grampa have his own freezy pop?"

You can take him to the zoo too!

The monkeys were our favorite.

Hint: Make him wear sunscreen and reapply often.

~d

Who's a monster?

"Hi!"

Wednesday here...

and I'm still putting up with Grama!"

"If your grama asks you to help her make monster cookies...

just say yes and pretend to help

 because remember when you're finished 

you get to lick the spatula."

"I think they need just a smidgen more M&M's."

"Perfect!"

~d

toys

"Hi!"

Delainee checking in here on a sunny Tuesday."

"Mommy's taking me swimming today.

She used to be a lifeguard 

so she says the first thing she will be checking is the PH of the water.

I think PH means play hard."

"I overheard grama telling mommy yesterday

 that kids now days have too many clothes and toys!

Mommy rolled her eyes at clothes

and I rolled my eyes at toys"

"Mommy says a girl can never have too many clothes

and I said a girl can never have too many toys"

~d

Delainee

"Hi!

I'm Delainee..."

"I'll be helping my grandma post this week."

"I may be sharing my secrets about removing those tough

carrot stains from bibs, the best brand of laundry soap,

flatulent issues, selecting the correct size of diapers

 demonstrating how to do the hot dog dance...

and more."

~d

summer fun

Mac and cheese...arts and crafts...snappers...

monkey bars and jungle gyms...bomb pops and pop...

sidewalk chalk and hot wheels!

My sister brought her granddaughters over for a visit

and we crammed as much fun in as we possibly could.

They are a couple of silly cuties.

I knew they were coming

 and I've been wanting to make this new zipper pouch pattern.

I am a sucker for a fun coin purse.

Throw in a little girlie stuff and they made the perfect prizes

for our sidewalk chalk art contest.

And I get to keep the art until the next rain.

~b