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A jam-packed weekend

Last Friday we headed to the cabin for a weekend with T's family. On our way, we decided to use up some tickets an amusement park. Our first ride? The ferris wheel!

Saturday was beautiful and we did everything from slippin'-n-slidin'...

to creek-stompin'...

to crayfish catchin'...

to cucumber boat makin'...

to cucumber boat sailin'... (I believe there were 12 made by the grandkids)

to chasin' the cucumber boats to see whose will win... (Q made a cucumber boat too, but he was more interested in the crayfish!)

to just enjoyin' God's awesome creation...

Wordless Wednesday

Put away the bananas!

After reading PW's review on a pineapple zucchini cake posted on her new recipe site, I knew I needed to try it out. It had a cream cheese frosting - I knew it was a go.

So, I'm here today to tell you to put away those bananas I told you about to make last week's Banana Zucchini Bread, grab a zucchini and your arpon - you've got to make this one.

The recipe is posted on my cooking blog, here, and on PW's Tasty Kitchen, here.

Simple Summer Dress

I found the pattern to this "summer sun dress" free at Joanns. It is truly simple with one seam down the back for the dress. And you add trim as you sew the hem.

The pattern includes accessories too - a little purse and headband.

The best part is the fabric is "mock smock." The fabric is gathered at the top already on the bolt - before you purchase it! See what I mean by easy?

The fabric is a little more expensive than a yard of just a cotton fabric, but just measure your daughter's chest before purchasing to make your dress - and if you get on Joann's mailing list (and email list) you get 40% off coupons almost every two weeks.

Don't let the veggies fool you!

I made some modifications on a Taste of Home recipe (mostly increasing the amount of bananas and zucchini) and this turned out to be a wonderfully moist and very yummy treat!

I grate my zucchini (peel and all) with my food processor and believe it or not, the strands of zucchini are 3 inches long. They dissapear into this bread but give it a wonderful texture.

Need a way to sneak more veggies into your kids' diet? Or, just want a satisfying and healthy treat that is quick to make? Try this!

The recipe can be found here, on my cooking blog. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Helping Dad (on a Sat)

The veins in the rock fascinate me.

Beautiful! But I might be in trouble.

We've been having the most amazing summer - some cooler temps than normal and it has been wonderful! Usually, in mid July, the A/C is crancking and we wait until the evening hours to go outside and play - because it is normally HOT and HUMID! But not this year, we are outside so much more.

However, this poses a problem. In previous years, at this point in the summer, we are starting our 3rd week of school. We've always figured why not start early since we are "stuck" inside.

We haven't put a dent into our school work yet. (Not that anyone is complaining!) But, like I told T, if we have a cool fall yet too, we may never get started! ;-D

Christmas in July...

...at the Bit of Whimsy blog.  I have made one of her adorable patterns and there are so many more I'd love to make.  Her patterns are very clear and perfect for a sewing beginner!!

Click on the link above to see more!  Her contest runs through this Friday, July 24 and winners will be announced on Saturday!  Good luck to all who enter!

Friday's Five - Project Edition

1 - Pocket Tote special order for a special friend

2 - SewSensible's Faith Dress Top made for a dear friend's little girl born last October

3 - Test pattern for You Can Make This - skirt sewn onto recycled tank top (I didn't have any to repurpose, so I found this one at Tar.get for $3)

4 - Test Pattern - skirt with shorts underneath made from repurposed adult T-shirt

5 - I had so much fun with the above pattern, I made Elle a second pair with a green Tshirt. I'm also working on another tank top dress (#3).

I'd like to introduce...

my two-wheelin' daughter! She's been jumping on and off our "purple bike" (a $6 bike we don't have training wheels on) since Spring, but Sunday night she decided to really go for it. This video was taken Wednesday morning. I tell ya what, she is a determined little girl. Once she made up her mind to try it, she didn't stop. She was out all morning, afternoon and evening riding on Monday. Tuesday she slowed down a bit and had so much more energy to ride even further. She even learned to start herself! Last night, she was riding around our cul-de-sac and back up the driveway, which has a little bit of a hill to it and just kept plugging away. I think she's doing awesome!!

Wordless Wednesday (kinda)

It can't be wordless when these pictures have a story that must be told!

Sadly, on the way home from the bakery (I've always told my husband he's a reckless driver) the cake shifted.  In the center of the citrus buttercake's goodness is a heavenly layer of raspberry.  Can you see my lopsided cake? Do you think I cared?  Oh my no - it was as good as ever.  This was actually from the bakery that made our wedding cake and is the flavor combo we had at our wedding...well not "the" cake, you know what I mean.

T felt bad that it shifted and it honestly didn't bother me in the least - well, that is until he snapped this last picture.

If you've ever been around the two of us, you know how we love to give each other a hard time  (lovingly, of course).  Having glanced at the cake before leaving the bakery with it, T commented that it really had looked better - and then he added, "kind of like you!"   HAHAHA   So that explains my smirk!  Don't worry - I always get him back since he's a year and a half older than me with more gray hair!  LOL!!!

Lifting Hands

On the parents' prayer blog, I've picked a theme for the month of July.  Following Stormie's 18th chapter in The Power of a Praying Parent, July's weekly prayers are focused on praying through our children's rooms.

"Everyone's house needs a spiritual houseclaning from time to time, especially in the rooms where our children sleep and play.  The Bible says if we bring anything detestable into our homes, we bring destruction along with it.  A holy housecleaning should be done periodically as a matter of principle, but definitely whenever you feel troubled by something in your child.  If he or she is becoming fearful, rebellious, angry, depressed, distant, strange, a disciplinary proglem, or having bad dreams and nightmares, sometimes simply praying through the room can change things quickly.  Singing Christian songs, humns, and worship choruses in the room is also very effective."  Stormie Omartian, ch 18

Enter of the rooms of your child(ren) and pray this prayer:

Crowd out any darkness which seeks to impose itself here, and let no spirits of fear, depression, anger, doubt, anxiety, rebelliousness, or hatred (name anything you've seen manifested in your child's behavior) find any place here. I pray that You, Lord, will make this room a holy place, sanctified for Your glory.


"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil." Isaiah 1:16

May we join our hearts together in prayer, by lifting our hands and raising our voices to the One True God for the sake of our children.

Here's the link.

A + B ≠ C

A. I love wearing these shoes

B. I love walking

Do you see where I'm going with this?

C. I, however, do not love walking while wearing these shoes. Especially since the opera house and restaurant where about 4 blocks apart. But, Les Mis was terrific, dinner was terrific - and an evening out with my man was THE BEST, even if my feet did hurt a little.

Clarification - I can walk in these shoes, but I cannot "walk" 8 city blocks, comfortably in them.