About that week-end....

The last post left you at Friday evening.  Of one thing I am certain - late nights and I do not get along well anymore.:-)  By the time we made the hour's drive back home, it was well past our usual bedtime.

Saturday was a very busy day.  I spent the time in the kitchen preparing some food ahead of time since we were expecting company to come on Sunday.  I always like to have a lot done so I don't have to spend much time with food prep once they are here.  Oh - "they" were Munchomom (aka cafecarol) and family, plus the Country Couple family.  We knew the Muncho family would be staying overnight on Sunday, but weren't sure when the Country Couple would be able to come.

So - I just forgot all about taking pictures.  I was working furiously from one thing to another - potato salad, green pea salad, tuna-macaroni salad, apricot gelatin salad, chocolate cake and cupcakes, fresh salad greens washed and dried, whole wheat rolls baked, pimento cheese spread made, and other plans made!  I put a ham in the slow cooker overnight on Saturday night, and a turkey breast in the slow cooker on Sunday morning.  The ham was chilled for lunchtime on Monday, and the turkey was ready to serve for dinner on Sunday evening.  Oh - can't forget that homemade strawberry ice cream!:-)

Anyway, the Muncho family came a little after 4:00 on Sunday afternoon.  The Country Couple family came on Monday morning.  We had a fast-paced time with everyone and rather collapsed when everyone left early on Monday afternoon!

The women's chorus had the final performance for the season yesterday!  We worked in nine appearances this time around.  There will be some time off now before rehearsals begin again.

One thing I have left out is that The Husband was finally able to plant some things in the garden!  Here is a picture!

Sweet potatoes!

Sweet potatoes seem to grow well in our soil, so we are hopeful for a good crop.

That's it for today.

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

Where do I begin?

Let's see.  Perhaps I will back up just a bit and mention something from last Thursday afternoon. 

The Women's Chorus performed at an assisted living facility in a neighboring county, an hour away from us here.  Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch together.

This is a very popular place in the area.  It was a good thing we had reservations - something only permitted for groups of at least 20 or more - because there were people sitting all along the porch waiting to be called for seating.  We were shown to our section where the first thing brought to us at our table was this.

This is a basket of apple fritters.  I forgot to take a picture until some of them had been enjoyed.:-) (Diners are also served an apple julep.)  Anyway, while we were having lunch a storm came through, complete with noise and lots of rain.  That took care of my plan to take pictures of the grounds afterwards.

Now, I last left you with my plan to head out to that book-signing.  It was held about an hour away, but it was worth it for this.

She also signed the two other copies I had that had not been signed!  When we left the area where she was, this is the scene that greeted us.

A beautiful sunset!

We also took advantage of the evening to go by to pay a brief visit with the Country Couple as we were in their area. 

Now, there is much more about the week-end to tell.  To tell it all will make this a LONG post!  I really need to divide it for another one.

The Women's Chorus will have our last performance for the season today.  Perhaps my schedule will slow down a bit after this, but then again - maybe not.:-)

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

The week-end....

....is still underway here.  I will be back as soon as time allows!

Have a good Monday and a good week ahead!

Thank you for reading.  I appreciate your comments.

Area author....

Are you glad Friday is here?  Do you have special week-end plans?  Perhaps you plan to spend some of your time reading. 

Here are some books by a local author.

Written in order from top to bottom.

What is exciting about this author is that she is the mother of a former third-grade student of mine!  These books are fiction and are set in the area of the Smoky Mountains.  I am fortunate enough to have autographed copies of two of the books.  Later today she is having an autograph session, hopefully for the next book in the series.  Perhaps I will be able to convince her to autograph the books I have that are missing her signature.:-)

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

Time for refreshment....

Without a doubt, summertime is here!  The heat index here yesterday neared 100 degrees!  That is time for some cool summer refreshment.

Smoothie, anyone?

While Smoothies are mentioned as a great breakfast option, I find a good one can be a smart choice for an afternoon "pick-me-up." 

This recipe is from the March 2013 Everyday Food leaflet that arrived with my issue of Living Magazine.

TROPICAL BLUEBERRY
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 orange, seeded and cut into quarters
1/2 - 3/4 cup water

- Add ingredients, in order listed, to blender.  Blend until desired consistency.

Beautiful, tasty, and healthy!

I send along good Thursday wishes to you!  Stay safe and cool!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

New blooms....

A short post on this Wednesday.  Lots to do, it seems.  Whenever there has been a busy week, the one that follows (that doesn't have many things on the calendar) seems to be full with catching up.  Of course, that is a never-ending journey - "catching up."  It seems there is always some of that to do.

Another lily blooms!

Hydrangea on the way to full bloom!

That will do it for me today.  On to laundry, cleaning, and other organizational chores.:-)  I hope you will have a good Wednesday!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

By request....

Happy Tuesday to everyone!  How is your week going thus far?

A few days ago I featured strawberries on the blog.  By request, I am including a recipe today.

In small bowl, combine strawberries with lemon juice and 1/3 cup of sugar; stir gently.

Pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout.

Pour into freezer containers to "ripen."

This was truly a very tasty way to use some of the strawberries we have had.

I used a countertop Cuisinart Ice Cream maker.  This requires that the bowl be frozen when you begin the mixing step.

FRESH STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla

- In small bowl, combine strawberries with lemon juice and 1/3 cup of sugar; stir gently and allow strawberries to macerate in juices for 2 hours.
- In medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and remaining sugar until sugar is dissolved, about one to two minutes on low speed.  Stir in the heavy cream plus any accumulated juices from the strawberries and the vanilla.  turn machine ON, pour mixture into freezer bowl through the ingredient spout, and let it mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.  Add sliced strawberries during the last five minutes of freezing. 
- Transfer to freezer containers to ripen, and freeze until firm. 

The warm summer days we are having practically beg for a refreshing dish of ice cream!  Enjoy!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.