berry picking & recipe

We went berry picking today - yum! Don't they look delicious!

I cut them up and put them in freezer bags - the kids love to use them in smoothies.

This was a drink recipe that I found in the July 2013 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. But of course we modified it --- into more of a smoothie. You can see it is more than half gone before I even got to snapping a picture --- it was very, very good and refreshing on a hot day.

Strawberry Coconut Cream Soda
3 cups fresh strawberries - cut up
2/3 cup sugar (we didn't use this at all - and it was wonderfully good without it - berries have their own sweetness)
3/4 cup refrigerated coconut milk
3 to 4 cups club soda or carbonated water, chilled (we used carbonated water - the blue cans of Lacroix - and we used 1 soda can)

In a medium bowl combine strawberries and sugar. Stir well to combine. Using a pastry blender, coarsely mash the strawberries. (Okay - we didn't do this - we don't like large pieces in our drinks --- so we put all the ingredients except the carbonated water in a blender - and blended - once blended we added the carbonated water. And it was done - quick easy and very, very delicious!)

If you do the other way - here are the rest of the directions - Place 1/3 cup of the mashed strawberries in each of six glasses. To each glass add ice, 2 Tbsp coconut milk and 1/2 to 2/3 cup club soda or carbonated water. Stir drinks just before serving.

Again - we blended and it was fabulously delicious. We also did not add any sugar. Healthier that way - and still yummy.

field trip to Botanical Gardens

field trip to Buddy Squirrel

YUM! This was a fabulous field trip. Great to see how everything was made - plus the ladies in the gift shop gave us samples. They were so nice to our group. It really made the trip wonderful! The field trip was for all ages. Some factories don't allow smaller children -- but they have a nice viewing area with glass windows to see into the factory area where the product is made --- yet keeps the children back and away from the machines and any danger. 

Here is part of our group. We were all asked to wear the hair nets - don't they just scream 'high fashion'! 

I don't know how these ladies manage to NOT sample as they work!

This is the machine that puts the marks on top so you can tell what type of candy it is in the box. Each of the various varieties have a different mark on top. 

Here they are boxing up the candies. 

This machine wraps cellophane and seals it shut around the individual candy bars. It is hard to see but the candy bars are on the tray in the front portion of the picture. 

They also make a cheesy popcorn that is made with real Wisconsin cheese. It is yummy --- we got a sample at the end of the tour. 

The project

Isn't is funny how in order to clean things up --- one must first really mess things up! 

We decided that the living room and hallway really needed to be painted.

These are pictures with everything covered and pushed to the center so we could paint the walls. Doesn't it look just horribly messy!

Below is my oldest painting the stairway to the basement. He also did all the ceilings in the living room, hallway and stairway to the basement. I decided this project needed to be done for two reasons: 1) it was time - hadn't been painted in years and the walls were really marked up 2) teenagers with time on their hands during the summer need projects or they just bicker and fight with each other. (And I have got projects - keep bickering boys! Mom is ready for ya!)

They really did a nice job - it looks soooooo much better. I had also taken down the curtains to paint - so those got washed and then hung back up. After all that --- well, the carpet just looked really dirty. So we then had to clean the carpets. (Have you ever read the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books? It was kind of like that --- if you paint the walls, then you will have to wash the curtains. If you wash the curtains then you will realize how dirty the carpets are and have to wash the carpets!)

Notice I only got his back side --- he had an aversion to having his picture taken. I think he KNEW I was going to blog about it!

Apparently teenage boys need to 'rest' and 'answer text messages' while in the middle of projects. Just wait until he is old and really does need to take a break!

He did get back to work and the carpet looks and smells much better.

Now we just have to tackle the kitchen!

We are going picking tomorrow instead. Sugar snap peas and strawberries are ripe and ready to be picked!

A Step of Faith - book 4 in The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans

I am so excited - the fourth book in The Walk series is out. I just got it this week at the library and am so excited to begin reading. The beginning has already grabbed me. 

"Am I dying? It's a stupid question, really, as we've all got an expiration date. I guess the real question is not if, but when." p. 4

I had a very good friend that when I was diagnosed with breast cancer decided that she knew my expiration date and didn't want to be friend any more. She didn't want to be around to watch me die. I was really hurt at the time. I wanted to say to her at the time - Who do you think you are? God? Only God knows my end date and thankfully you're not Him! I was so profoundly hurt that I couldn't even say anything but walked away from the whole situation. Sadly, she missed the real point. We all have an expiration date --- some of us might get glimpses as to when ours is coming --- some of us it takes us totally by surprise. But we all have an expiration date. So she came face to face with that fact --- and sadly she didn't have enough faith to handle it. She felt she had gotten to see that I have an expiration date and ran away from it --- is she planning to shun everyone that has one? Now I am just sad for her - because she is missing out on so much. By shunning everyone that is going to die her world must be a very lonely place. 

I had another friend that was going through ovarian cancer at the time - and sadly she lost her battle. But it was by watching her going through that, that I got to really see her strength, her courage, her love for her family and Christ. I got to know her even better and found an amazing example. I am a better person for having known her through her cancer journey. Watching someone else battle for life also puts in perspective the blessings in my life. It made me more grateful for my family and each day I had was more of a gift as I realized it was not a given. Not all of us have a tomorrow. Now if we just lived with that in mind - wouldn't the world be a better place. 

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

This was a book that our book club read and discussed. It is a delightful story with really wonderfully developed characters. It is written in Pastoral mode. It gives a wonderful glimpse into the culture of the Irish in the countryside. There is lots of humor. Doctor Fingal O'Reilly is quite a character - very intelligent, yet humble and compassionate. Doctor Laverty ends up learning quite alot from him about being a doctor in a small community and the number one rule is to not let the patients get the upper hand. The characters' story continues in further books --- I have already ordered An Irish Country Village from the library. Can't wait to read it. 

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking by Sherry Gore

This is really a fun, neat book. It gives us some insight into the Amish of Sarasota, Florida. It begins with a history of the Amish and Mennonites and an explanation of what is The Budget. Then there are lots of recipes that were submitted from many Amish / Mennonites --- everything from bread/rolls, soups & salads, to pies, cookies and bars. Through out the recipe section are antidotes that were sent in from some of the members in the community. It gives a glimpse into their life. 

I can't wait to try many of the recipes but I have to say that I was surprised that they aren't 'healthier'. While one would think of an Amish meal as home-aide, some of the ingredients were processed, boxed and canned items. That surprised me. I figured it would be 'healthier'. I am sure they are good but due to allergies in our family some of the processed foods are just not something we can do. 

This books was provided for free from Booksneeze in exchange for a honest review. 

The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down. Wanted to know how it would all be resolved. While it seemed to be the typical story line of the rich heiress, with suitors wanting to marry her for her money, there was also intrigue and mystery. Katherine, Amelia's friend, dies while giving birth to her daughter, Lucy. Katherine's husband is a Captain and is away at sea. Amelia promises her dying friend that she will care for the child. Amelia is engaged to be married a scoundrel of a man. Once she realizes he is not the caring, kind man she thought he was she asks Captain Sterling, Katherine's husband, to marry her instead. She must marry prior to her 24th birthday or her inheritance will be given to a relative. Then someone kidnaps Lucy in order to get money from Amelia. How will they find Lucy? And who is the person responsible for her being kidnapped?

The book is very well written and kept my attention. I was eager to keep reading to know how everything would be turn out.

This book was provided for free from Thomas Nelson through Booksneeze in exchange for a honest review.

The 13: Fall - Book Review

I loved this book. It is the first in a series - the next one is The 13: Stand and it comes out in October of 2013. Something to look forward to! 

This book is about God's judgement on a nation that has chosen to not follow God anymore. This is not about Revelations and the Final Judgement but similar to the judgments Israel faced in the Old Testament times. When Israel strayed God used various methods to bring His people back to Him -- He allowed them to lose battles, to be taken into captivity, to have the nation go through hard times. In this book, God's judgement falls on America in an effort to restore America back to God. It is set in the future but the events could only have occurred because of past administrations failing to follow God and the various policies they set in motion. There does appear to be a correlation between some of the events / policies that have happened in the last 10 years of America and the book taking those to their conclusions. 

The chapters are short --- and the story really moves along. It is really a very well written book. I enjoyed it very much.