Making your own header with Picasa

I typically use a Photoshop program for graphics and what~not but often I get frustrated and have to call my SIL for help.
But not this time!
Look what I did all on my own and it only took me about 30 minutes to download the program, read the directions and make the header. I love it!
I don't like all the technical mumbo jumbo that goes along with many programs. I simply dont have the extra time to sit and read and read some more to try to figure out how to work the dang thing.
After reading THIS post over at Blissfully Domestic I decided to give Picasa a try. Her tutorial made it so easy to understand and she includes the link to the Picasa download in her post.
If you've always wanted to make your own header but never knew how then be sure to check THIS out.

A Smores Kind of Weekend

Fall is definitely around the corner.
Our days are still a bit warm but nothing like it has been over the summer. Evenings are getting a bit nippy so it's  perfect weather for sitting around a fire and that is just what we did. Both Friday and Saturday evening we sat around the toasty fire and made smores.

Remember that box that I talked about last week?
Well, it's still alive.

It's been flattened out but it makes a great wrestling mat or play spot. It's days are numbered though because it's sitting near the firepit as of today.

This weekend has been full of fun activities as well as some frustrating ones.

Saturday we got up and headed to Wheeling to take a tour of the LST325 that is docked at Heritage Port until Tuesday. Definitely worth checking out if you live in our area.
I took tons of pictures while on board and will share them with you all a little later.
The frustrating part of my weekend is that my computer is a mess. I wanted to reinstall some things to see if that cleared up a few issues that I was having.
Long story short...EVERYTHING got erased so I spent a good chunk of Sunday reloading the "guts" back into my computer. There is much more work that I need to do on it but I'm taking it in steps so that my frustration level doesn't blow the top of my head off.
I'm smiling though at the moment and telling myself that at least I am back online and able to post this and check emails.
As soon as I get the have-to-do's done then I'll take some time to go back and catch up with all of your blog posts. 
Have a great Monday!

Mild Pepper Mustard

I LOVE this stuff!
I've bought it before at fall craft fairs and have had the pleasure of receiving it from friendly gardeners and canners but had never tried to make it myself until this morning.
My pepper plants are huge this year and every time I go to pick them I always end up with a huge mixing bowl full.
My freezer is running over with whole and diced peppers so I thought now was the time to try making this mustard.
I have to tell you, the peppers that I grow are mild banana peppers so that is what I used. I did add one very hot pepper to the mix though and that was enough to give it just the right amount of pizzazz without all the heat.
However, if you like HOT then use all hot peppers.

Mild Pepper Mustard

36 banana peppers (I used about 50 that ranged in size from small to large)
1 hot pepper (or more)

1 quart prepared mustard

1 quart apple cider vinegar

5 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups flour

Clean peppers and remove seeds.

Grind peppers in a food processor.

Grind until pretty much pureed.

Place in a large stock pot & add vinegar, mustard & sugar.

Bring to a boil.

Keep a close eye on it because once it begins to boil it will quickly boil clear to the top of the pan & over.

Turn heat down and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Mix flour and water together.

Add to mustard mixture.
Cook until thickened. (10-15 min.)

Place in jars and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sometimes it's the Simple Things

Who needs toys & games when you have a box?
My oldest son drug this home last week thinking that his brother and sister would want it to play in and he was right.
They have spent more time in that box than they have played with their toys or games this week.
It has been a house...a boat...a fort...and even a bed.
That's right, they put their blankets in it and made a bed out of it over this past weekend.

I'd love to have my living room back (all open & roomy) but I just can't when they are having so much fun.

It know it will be in shreds before too long so until then I'll just wait and watch as they play in it.

This weekend I got the chance to watch the new movie called the THE LAST SONG. It's definitely worth watching!

As I sat and watched it I stitched a bit.

I started this picture about a month ago, only working on it here and there when I have the time. My eyes usually drive me bonkers when I try cross-stitching so I have pretty much given up but I found this pattern that I really liked and wanted to try it again.

So far so good!

My eyes seem to be cooperating.

I'm about halfways done with the windmill and I can't wait to start on the tractors.

Before I can sit and stitch any today though, I must get some more lesson plans finished for school.

So I'm gonna hit the books again!

Vegetarian Chicken Salad

Have you ever heard of Quorn products?

Good chance you haven't unless you are a vegetarian.
The only reason that I have is because my Dad does not eat any meat. He uses numerous products from Morningstar Farms, Boca, Quorn & Tofurkey (and the list goes on) to replace the meats in his meal.
Now I'm not a big fan of chicken salad or any meat salad but this is GOOD.
Could it be because there is NO meat in this recipe?
Don't know ~  but I like it!
Anytime Dad makes a batch of this he always shares it with me and likewise I do the same for him.

Vegetarian Chicken Salad

9.7 oz. box Quorn Naked Chik' N Cutlets

1/3 cup Miracle Whip (or more)

3 tbsp. sweet relish

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch of onion powder

1/8 tsp. cider vinegar

Place all cutlets on a plate and microwave for 4 minutes.

Cool.

Once they are cool enough to work with, tear them into smaller pieces and place in the food processor.

Process until they are ground fine.

In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together.

Add ground cutlets and blend well with a spoon or spatula.

Spread on bread for a sandwich or on a cracker as a snack.

ENJOY!

"Mock" Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

The "Mock" is because I used ground beef instead of steak.

"Mock" Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

1 lb. ground beef

3-4 banana peppers, diced

1 onion, diced

8 oz. cream cheese

salt & pepper to taste

store bought refrigerated pizza crust

bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown beef, onion and pepper.

Drain.

Add salt, pepper and cream cheese.

Add a bit of milk.

(I didn't measure but I'm guessing that I used about 1 cup.)

Stir this and let it cook as the cream cheese melts.

You want a nice thick sauce, not too soupy.

When it has cooked down to the right consisitency then pour it over your pizza crust.

Top with mozzarella and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

My oldest son started back to school today. :(

I hated that he had to go back. The weather seems to be cooling down a bit, enough to actually be able to go outdoors and enjoy the sunshine instead of roasting in it but now there will be no time.

Our garden is really winding down. The tomatoes all seem to be rotting before they ripen so I pulled them all out. I picked about 93 tomatoes from them so I do still have a bit of canning to do. Next year we hope to put a pool in the garden's place so not sure if I will find a new smaller garden area or just not garden at all.

As I was pulling the plants up I found a little one hiding under some leaves.

The kids played with it a bit and then let Maggie see it.

She acted like she wanted to get it but then got scared away when it moved the slightest bit. We eventually placed it in a neighboring yard where it would be safe from the dogs.

My tomatoes are about ready to be juiced so I better get off here and get busy. I still have lots to get done for the day.

Homemade Ice Cream or Ice Milk

Good Monday Morning to all!
First of all I want to thank you all for the anniversary wishes that you left for us.
The kids all stayed at my parents house Friday evening while Mark and I went out for dinner and then some shopping.
This was the weekend that I do the big once a month shopping trip so I started on Friday morning with making my rounds to our local Krogers and Walmart. After dinner that night we finished by hitting a few stores in St. Clairsville and then home to enjoy some peace and quiet.
Saturday started with a morning bike ride by the river and then home to begin cleaning and organizing. School starts this week so it's time to gather things up and get ready for the start of a new (school) year.
Sunday was spent in the kitchen cooking for our family dinner which included OVEN BBQ ROUND STEAK, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and then dessert.
I stopped by the bakery to pick up a cake to go with the homemade ice cream that I made.
I don't care for that thick coating of yuck that is left on your tongue after eating homemade ice cream so when I found this recipe over at My Country Blog of This and That I had to try it. It uses chocolate milk, Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk instead of the heavy cream.
It kind of reminds me of chocolate ice milk instead of ice cream and it beats a Wendy's Frosty hands down if you eat it just as it finishes in the ice cream maker.
You can find the recipe for it HERE. Scroll towards the bottom of the post to find it.

My house is all cleaned and the chores are all caught up so I think I'm going to spend the rest of my day sewing. Hope you all enjoy your day!

Our 16th Anniversary

We were sitting on the porch the other night and I asked Mark if he would do it all over again.
He said, "No!"
A little puzzled, I looked over at him and said, "Why?"
He smiled and said that he wouldn't change a thing. He's happy with our life together.
I smiled and said, "Yeah, but wouldn't you like to go back and do it all over again."
I know I would.

Happy Anniversary Mark

I love you!

Deer Dining at Midnight

These guys have been leaving us lil' clues of their nightly visits for a good month or so now yet none of us has been able to catch them in the act.
That is... until last night!
I let Maggie out one more time before heading to bed and for some reason I walked on out with her. I'm glad that I did.
Both deer stopped eating momentarily and looked up at me. My first thought was to grab the camera but I figured I would scare them as I opened the door again.
Scared?
No Way!
I made three trips in and out the door and Gage even came out to join me. We talked as I snapped about seven pictures of them and they just continued eating.
I guess they must be used to the noises of the city so they weren't even bothered by us.
After about five minutes though, Maggie finally realized that there were two large creatures on the other side of her fence and went off to scare them.
It worked! They jumped the next fence to find food elsewhere.

I've heard of red eye but how about alien eyes!

Ranch Fries

Several years back (more like 10 years ago) we used to order take-out from a local restaurant that served these fries.
They came in a little foil pie pan and were so yummy.
We would order several of them so that all could enjoy but they were a bit pricey for my taste so we soon began making them ourselves.
They are just as good and a whole lot cheaper.

                                       
                                      Ranch Fries

bag of frozen french fries

ranch dressing ( I prefer Kroger Buttermilk dressing)

8 oz. bag of shredded cheddar

Bake or deep fry fries as directed on package.

Next place fries in a greased baking dish or cookie sheet.

Pour dressing over top. (use as much or a little as you like.)

Sprinkle cheese on top of dressing.

Place in a 450° oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

ENJOY!

Strong Storms, Successful Sale & Lots to Can

A strong storm passed through our area last week leaving many downed power lines and trees. Luckily we didn't lose our power but many others did. My girlfriend and all of her family live out of town in an area that was affected so I offered for them to come and stay at our house. She and her husband wanted to remain at the house so that they could keep a generator going in hopes of keeping all of the food in the refrigerator from spoiling but the kids all jumped on my offer.
They all piled into the truck and came home with me that night. We blew up an air mattress and they camped out downstairs in the living room.

They enjoyed a cool night of sleep instead of tossing and turning in the stickiness of all this heat and humidity.
Are we spoiled with A/C or what?
The next morning was the yard sale so they all got an early wake-up call. They didn't seem to mind though!
Our sale was a success. We got rid of a lot of stuff and made a good bit of money too.
After two days of being outside at the sale you can imagine what my house looked like. It was a Disaster Area. I spent the whole day yesterday cleaning and doing laundry. Unfortunately, I still have more laundry to do today but the house is all nice and clean.

Now I just need to get something done with all the tomatoes and peppers from the garden before they go bad. So I'm off to can some spaghetti sauce.
I'll be back soon to catch up with all of you!

I Think We Are Just About Ready

One more day and I think we've got almost everything ready now. My SIL and I have a big yardsale each year but this year I thought that it was going to be smaller than usual.
I was wrong!
We had seven tables set up and still needed more room so I borrowed two more tables. We filled those up pretty quick and could probably use another table or two but we are out of space to set anymore up.
It's supposed to be nice both days of our sale so we'll just set some of the bigger things out on the ground.
I'm not sure why or how we accumulate so much extra stuff each year but it sure is nice to be able to get rid of the NO LONGER NEEDED items and make a little extra cash while we are at it.
Though, whatever I make will probably go back in to pay for those cars that the kids are playing with in the above picture or the Pogo Stick that they had to have out of there the other night as well as a few other odd and end treasures that they found. Not complaining though, because that's much cheaper than taking them through the toy aisle at the store.

Now just for fun, let me know what you go looking for at a yardsale. What is the one thing that is at the top of your list to find?
Is it antiques, glassware, crafty items, books, toys, clothing or what??

Ranch Mac and Cheese

I've been busy preparing for our yardsale this weekend so I've haven't spent much time in the kitchen cooking or on my blog (or anyone else's blog for that matter).
When things slow down a bit I'm going to have lots of catching up to do.

I did manage to squeeze in a little cooking today. I'm not a big pasta lover but I'd have to say that this wasn't too bad. It was a nice change from the usual mac n cheese.

Ranch Macaroni & Cheese

16 oz. elbow or shell macaroni

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1 envelope Ranch dressing mix

8 oz. bag of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 cup crushed saltines

salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

While pasta is cooking start making the cheese sauce.

In large saucepan, combine milk, butter and dressing packet over medium heat.

Stir often so that it doesn't burn.

Add cheese and stir until melted.

Add sour cream and blend well.

Add drained pasta, saltines, salt & pepper and mix all together.

Enjoy!