It's a beautiful day!

It is really! We finally got some rain last night. It is nice and breezy and partly cloudy. I really like having the windows open and feeling the breeze come in.
The girls helped with some housecleaning this morning while I was working with the King. I washed the bathroom rugs and put them out on the deck railing to dry. I will be putting them away until it gets cold out again.
This week is vacation bible school. So Princess #2 and I will be out every evening. I want to a little sewing before I get ready.

A Really Nice Day

Today the weather is perfect. Party cloudy (yes, real clouds) with sun and breezy, comfortable temps!!

The King and I went to Lowe's and got a new screen door for the slider that he put in on Sunday. Now we have a nice cross breeze going through the house. I lover air conditioning but I love it more when you can turn it off and open the windows.

I just took 2 loaves of french bread out of the oven and I am waiting for another batch to rise the second time. I think I will make them into dinner rolls. I wonder how that will turn out. I was thinking about trying to make some sour dough.

When I lived in Hawaii in 1981, I hung out at this place in the Ilikai Marina. (The Ilikai Hotel is the hotel that Jack Lord - McGarrett - is standing on top of in the beginning of Hawaii Five-O)

I cannot remember the name of the bar/restaurant. They made their own sour dough bread. It was so delicious.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

I did not go to church today because I am covered with poison from pulling weeds earlier in the week. There is no way I could stand to be in a hot, humid church. I am trying very hard not to scratch!

I am helping The King take out a French door and install a slider in our kitchen. Plus I made some French bread from scratch today. I made some yesterday and it turned out ok. SO I tried again. We will see if it is good!

Applesauce Muffins

I made Applesauce Muffins with the applesauce I made a few days ago. This is the recipe I used. Unfortunately, I do not remember where I got the recipe. I got 18 muffins that I baked for about 13 minutes or until the toothpick came out clean. I did not use the Granny Smith apples because my applesauce was chunky.

Easy Apple Snack Cake
Makes one 8-inch square cake
This moist, apple-y cake is delicious as an afternoon snack or for breakfast, toasted and slathered with cream cheese. Dried cranberries make a fine substitute for the raisins.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
2 large eggs , at room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 Granny Smith apples , peeled, cored, and diced medium (2 cups)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch-square cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the brown sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the applesauce and lemon zest.

3. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the apples and raisins (if using).

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before serving.

Flag Day

Today is Flag Day.

From wikipedia - It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.

So fly your flag!

My Yard

Yesterday I had to mow the yard! I am trying to mow less often than I did last year.

I noticed some thing happening in the yard. Like this:

It's mulberry time! We have a lot of mulberry trees in our yard.

Then I noticed this unusual tree. The flowers are very pretty and the leaves are heart shaped. I will have to look for this on the internet!

I saw a wild strawberry plant. I have tasted them. No taste at all.

Chem Trails

Do you have lines like this in your sky? You can see the "real" clouds. Planes fly over and leave these trails that spread out over time. You can see how some of them have spread out in this photo!

What is the government trying to do? If you want more info search on YouTube for Chem Trails and there are tons of videos!

Strawberry Jam

Today my DH and I went out to buy some meat at Dutch Way. They had quarts of strawberries (locally grown) for $2.99. So we got 2 and a pack of Sure Jell to make jam.

DD#2 helped me wash and hull the berries and we mashed them with the potato masher.

This is the recipe we used from the SURE.JELL box.


5 cups prepared fruit (about 2 quarts fully ripe strawberries)
1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
7 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 5 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-quart saucepot.
STIR pectin into prepared fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)



This is what we got!

Banana Snack Bread

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg - I use the nut and approx. how much is 1/2 tsp

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

scant 1/2 cup granualted sugar

1 egg

1 cup flake cereal

3 over ripe bananas

zest from 1 orange

juice from 1 orange

Pre heat oven to 350 F. Grease pan. I use a 10" x 13".

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. Cream shortening and the sugars. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Stir in bananas, orange rind and juice. Mix well. Then add flake cereal. Mix. Add dry ingredients. Spoon into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

My mom has used this recipe for as long as I can remember. I have changed it (of course). This time I used Cascadian Farms Oat & Honey Granola.