Are you Ready???

I used Random.org for the drawing and the lucky winner is #5 ~ Carol Patterson.
Thanks to all who entered and Carol, I'll be getting in touch with you soon!

I've been busy the past few days cleaning house and getting ready for a yard sale. What a chore. The good thing is that I've gotten rid of anything and everything that we DON'T need.
I managed to get another purse sewn and a few more cut and pinned together. I hope to get this one listed sometime today.

In the garden my tomatoes are ripening and I have canned one batch of salsa so far. Peppers are really getting big too!
Speaking of BIG...check this one sunflower out. It's HUGE!

It was almost dark when this next picture was taken so it's not that great but you get the idea of how tall this thing is.
That's me, and I'm 5'2" tall. The sunflower measured 9'6".
We have a row of these planted but this one is the only one that has grown that tall. Must be something in the soil because the corn that grows in that corner also grows taller than any of the others.

Well I better get busy. I've got more yard sale stuff to get ready and laundry to get hung outside. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

If you've got a sweet tooth and love peanut butter and chocolate together then you will love this.

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. cocoa

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp. flour

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 oz. cream cheese

2 tbsp. peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 oz. Cool Whip

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 pie crust

I used THIS pie crust recipe but you could make your own or use a store bought crust.

Combine the first 6 ingredients and pour into the pie crust.

Bake 350° for 20 minutes or until set.

Let cool completely.

Once cool, then you can combine the last 5 ingredients and then spoon it over the chocolate layer.

Refrigerate and Enjoy!

I'm off to my sewing machine again so I will catch up with all you a little later on.

Meeting a Fellow Blogger and a Selling Link

I got to meet a fellow WV blogger this past Friday.
GRANNY SUE  came to do a storytelling event at our public library so Katie and I went to meet her and to listen to her stories.
She kept in theme of the summer reading program (Make a Splash at Your Library) and told stories centered around water. To be exact, the waterways that she would travel to get from her house all the way down to the Atlantic Ocean.
She used geography, mixed with a bit of history, a few hand puppets and some songs to tell the tales of the creeks and rivers along our journey to the ocean.
Granny is a fantastic storyteller as well as blog writer. You can find her at Granny Sue's News & Reviews or over at Two Lane Livin'.
I didn't take one picture while we were there (need to kick self in butt) and there really wasn't much time to chat but that's okay. I'm sure she will be back in our neck of the woods sometime soon and we will meet again.

Over the weekend I managed to get one more purse put together. (pictured above)
I'm still having some issues with my machine so the sewing is going much slower than I would prefer.
I have added an Ebay link to my sidebar if you care to see what purses I have to offer.
Also, don't forget to sign up HERE for my giveaway. It ends this Friday!

It's Giveaway Time!

I know that this giveaway may not be well suited for everyone, especially those without young children, but maybe you have grandchildren, other family members or friends that you would love to give these items to.
So all are welcome to ENTER!

I recently signed up to preview a new magazine, MOM, through Maria Bailey and BSM Media.
A few weeks ago I received the first magazine but then the other day I noticed the Fed EX guy parked in front of my house. He had left a package on my porch.
I haven't ordered anything so who could that be from????
No company label and I sure didn't recognize the return address so we took the package out back and cautiously opened it.
It was a Thank You package from Mom Magazine. How Cool!
It was filled with all of the items above as well as a few more things.(Click on picture to enlarge) I kept the items that we could use and then thought, what do I do with the baby items???
Well you guessed it!
A giveaway for my blog followers!

Winner will receive:
 ~a Puddle Jumper Life Jacket (fits kids 30-50 lbs.)
 ~1 Easy Fit waterproof reusable diaper (8-35 lbs.)
 ~2 Nuby No-Spill cups with Flex-straws (pink & purple)
 ~a Mam newborn bottle (pink)
 ~1 Mam newborn pacifier
 ~ 1 bottle IntelliCeutical Baby's Best Milk Drops
      (herbal supplement)

Now for the rules:
 1. You must be a follower of my blog.
 2. Leave me a comment on this post ONLY.
     If you don't have a blog then leave me an email address  so that I can notify you if you are the winner. (You can email it to me if you don't want to post it in the comments section.)
 3. For a second entry you can post my giveaway on your blog. (Just let me know that you have done so.)
 4. Giveaway will end and winner will be announced next Friday - July 30, 2010.
Good Luck to all!

Chuck E. Cheese & Sarris Chocolates

On Thursday, we (Mom & I) packed the kids up and headed to PA.
You see, Mom had a week of vacation about a month ago and had promised all of the grandkids that she would take them to Chuck E. Cheese.
However, as she was driving home from her last day of work she hit a big old pothole in the road. Within minutes she had a terrible headache and then started having chest and arm pain a bit later.
Our thought....Heart Attack????
Well, she truly didn't think it was that so she opted to rest a bit. By the next day she was in so much pain that I took her to the ER. They told her that she had messed up a few discs in her back and sent her home loaded up on pain meds and an anti-inflammatory. Needless to say she didn't do anything but lay around in misery that week. (Bummer of a Vacation)
So, fast forward now through the past month with a little bit of physical therapy and she is doing much better.
Good enough to take the kids on their promised fun day so we headed to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games. On our way back home we always stop in at the SARRIS CHOCOLATE FACTORY in Canonsburg, PA. They have this huge chocolate castle (pictured above) as well as this Candy Castle scenery that is painted on the ceiling.

This place is all decked out in red and white stripes. It has candy tucked away in every little nook and cranny  and it's even got an old fashioned ice cream shop. 

Here we are standing out front of the store.
But wait!
Where is my Mom?
Oh, here she is.

Gottcha Mom!

Hope everyone can stay cool in this nasty heat and have a great weekend!

ALSO

I'll be posting a GIVEAWAY in the near future so be sure to check back in.

About to Throw it Out the Window!

I have spent the last two days *sew* frustrated with my sewing machine. Remember on Saturday I had cut and pinned all those purses together....well I planned on getting them all sewed together yesterday but that sure didn't happen.
Instead I spent the whole day fiddling with the adjustments on my machine. My stitches were horrible looking and I could not figure out why. ( Oh, and I couldn't sew in reverse either.) I changed the settings and rethreaded the dang thing so many times that I just wanted to scream.
I also spent a good bit of today trying to figure out the problem and finally just gave up. I changed the stitch setting (there are three straight-stitches that I can use) and got it to work perfectly. It seems that the middle setting has gone bad but thankfully the other two are working. One of these days I'll have to find someone to look at it and see what it needs to fix it.

Once I got it all straightened out I was able to sew the final stitch around the top of this purse and it's a good thing because I was just about to throw the purse out the window too! Now, *hopefully* I will be able to get the other three purses done tomorrow.

Here's a few pictures of the other mess that I got into yesterday.

I baked some zucchini bread and it turned out pretty good so there WAS a little good to my day.

 

I'm wishing for a day of smooth sailing tomorrow with no frustrations and maybe 3 more purses complete! Wish me luck!

Boredom..New Purses..Jamboree in the Hills..Headaches

What a combo, huh?

This weather is really bummin' me out. It is so hot and humid outside that I don't even want to go outdoors. But on the flip side, I am so sick of being indoors all day.
I do manage to get outside in the evenings with the kids when it's a bit cooler but I follow that with sitting on the porch swing until late at night. Thus, I don't get into bed until late and want to sleep in the next day.
Bad Habit for me to start!
So, I think I am officially ready for FALL to get here with it's cooler temperatures.

I couldn't think of a thing to get into (indoors) on Saturday so I decided to grab some fabric and be productive. I sat watching Jamboree in the Hills on tv as I cut and pinned together the four soon-to-be purses pictured above.
I am so glad that our local tv station broadcasts the Jamboree. Each year we all sit around (in the comforts of our homes) and watch as new up and coming bands perform as well as the many *Greats* of country music. I think the biggest crowd pleaser each year has got to be Neal McCoy. He interacts with the crowd like no other.
HERE is a link to WTOV9. You can click on it and see who all performed this year as well as watch backstage pass clips and view lots of photos.

Sunday was a wasted day with awful headaches that would NOT go away. I pretty much did nothing other than lay around in misery.
No headaches today (as of yet) so I'm off to sew those purses and maybe bake some zucchini bread as well as a few other chores so I'll catch up with you all later on!

Homemade Peach Pie....Oh so Good!

I went to a favorite fruit and veggie market this past weekend with my mother and while I was there I picked up some peaches. I brought them home and left them set a few days to get a bit more ripe and yesterday was the day. They were finally ready to dig into so this is what I made.
It was so good!
I tried a different pie crust recipe and I think this one will be my new favorite.
It called for Crisco but I didn't have any so I just replaced it with butter and it was so easy to work with, not to mention  how tasty it was.

Pie Crust

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1 cup Crisco ( I used "real" butter)

1 egg

2 tbsp. vinegar

3 tbsp. water

Combine flour, salt & sugar in a bowl.

Blend in Crisco (or butter) with a pastry blender.

In a small bowl, mix egg, vinegar and water together.

Add this to flour mixture.

Roll out pie crust.

(Makes 2 crusts)

Peach Pie

3 tbsp. cooking tapioca

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

4 cups fresh sliced peaches

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. butter (softened)

Combine tapioca, sugar, salt, peaches & lemon juice in a bowl.

Let them set for 15 minutes.

Add butter to peach mixture and give it a stir.

Pour peach mixture into bottom of pie crust.

Place top crust on and seal edges.

Bake on a foil lined pan at 400° for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Taking the STING out of Bee Stings

This is the remedy that my mother always used on us when we were growing up and it is the one that my kids ask for when they get stung.

Bee Sting Remedy

Baking Soda
Water

Make a thick paste by mixing a tbsp. or so of baking soda with just a few drops of water. Stir it up with your finger and then apply it to the bee sting area. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes and it really helps to take the STING away.

I keep a store-bought Bee Stick in my medicine cabinet but my kids always ask for the baking soda stuff when they get stung. They say it works better... and one of my kids should know.
Katie has been stung 4 times this summer. It's called STUBBORN!  You would think after the first time she would just give up and put shoes on before she runs outside.

She was stung again the other day and I did finally notice that she IS now putting shoes on before she heads out the back door.
She is obviously allergic to bees because her foot will swell up for 4-5 days after getting stung and the other night she broke out in hives (after being stung) that lasted into the next day. I gave her some Benadryl and watched her closely. Yesterday the hives disappeared and today the swelling seems to be going down.
I wish there was a good homemade remedy for allergic reactions!

Week in Review

Our vacation week was pretty enjoyable.
We went to Kennywood Park on Monday with my brother and his family. Lots of fun there!

The Kennywood Racer

*NEW* Sky Rocket Coaster
(My son & husband's newest favorite)

So tempting!

Waiting in Line for.....

the Raging Rapids!







We also enjoyed a day in the pool at a friend's house

as well as some time to relax and unwind.

Once rested up it was time to get a few things done like mowing the grass (after we got some much needed rain) and some garden work.

I also found a good deal on strawberries at our local grocery store so I took advantage and bought enough to make some strawberry jam.

That's about it for our week.
Now it's back to the old grind!

Freezing Zucchini

What do you do when you are up to your ears in zucchini???

FREEZE IT!

I'm not sure if my method is correct but it works for me. I did this with last years crop and had enough stored up to last us all winter.
Here's how I do it.

Wash & peel zucchini  (can leave the peel on if you prefer).
Slice it in circles, slabs or chunks.
I like to use the circles to saute in butter, the slabs make nice ZUCCHINI SANDWICHES and the chunks can be thrown into a variety of dishes (soups, casseroles, etc.).
When freezing the slices or slabs I layer them on waxed paper. When a sheet is full I just add another piece of waxed paper and continue layering. I then place all the layers into a freezer bag and freeze.

I can easily remove a sheet at a time or use the whole bag if needed.

To freeze the chunks I place them on a cookie sheet (spread them out) and put in the freezer. Once frozen you can remove them from the tray and place in a freezer bag. Freezing them first prevents them from freezing all together into one big ice chunk. Now you can just grab a handful of zucchini chunks for your next recipe without having to defrost the whole bag.
I use this same method when freezing peppers

(Slice/Freeze/Bag) that way when I go to make a pot of soup or such I just open the bag and easily pour just the amount of peppers that I need into the pan. I then reseal the rest of the bag and place back in the freezer for another recipe.

                               * Today's Batch*

We are still "on vacation" for a few more days. I am so enjoying the week without schedules, bedtimes or alarm clocks. It's been too hot to do much outside other than swim so I've been inside watching movies, playing games and sewing. I manage to get outdoors late in the evening to water the plants and sit a bit in the cooler air. (If you want to call that cool air!) I can't believe how hot this season has been so far!
As I sit here typing, the rain is beginning to fall outside which is so good. The gardens and lawns are super thirsty so this will do them good. I just hope it cools things off a bit.
Hope you all are staying cool and Enjoy your weekend!