The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ August 30

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .a borrowed trailer is standing in the driveway, waiting to be hitched to the van so that Jeff can haul the riding mower to the repair shop. He and Tommy mowed all 2 1/2 acres with the push mower last week and I don’t think he wants to do that again!
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I am thinking. . .that living my life before an “audience of One” is extremely freeing.
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From the learning room. . .last week of vacation around here – we will be back to the books next Wednesday.
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I am thankful for. . .Jeff, who is working from home for a couple of weeks so that I can get some things done that I haven’t been able to get to.
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From the kitchen. . .Smothered Chicken in the crockpot and a green salad for dinner tonight.
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I am wearing. . .navy shirt and capris.
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I am creating. . .new chore charts for the kids – with Laura starting a job this week I need to reassign most of her chores to other people.
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I am going. . .to take some pictures of my blue and white quilt blocks, and post them as soon as I can. Thanks for asking, Michelle! And I haven’t forgotten your request for the bread recipe either, Jaime!
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I am reading. . .several new magazines that I picked up the other day – Quilt, Country Woman, and Hobby Farm Home.
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I am hoping. . .to get back to regular blogging soon!
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I am hearing. . .children waking up.
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Around the house. . .Oh, what a mess! We are in the middle of changing several children’s bedroom assignments around and there are disassembled beds, mattresses, and piles of toys and books all over the place.
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One of my favorite things. . .the smell of mums in Autumn.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .Anna starts ballet lessons, Laura starts her first job, ice skating, Ladies Bible Study, and getting the house back in order.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Just a little bit longer to enjoy these summertime delicacies!

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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy to find the August list of participants in The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Have a great day!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ August 23

Good Morning! Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .the trees are looking tired – the first hint that Fall is soon to follow.
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I am thinking. . .that I better start planning the Labor Day Cup – it will be here sooner than I expect!
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From the learning room. . .about ready for the new year – need to order a few books, buy a few school supplies, and tie up a few loose ends.
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I am thankful for. . .the abundance of blessings that God has provided for me.
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From the kitchen. . .Tater Tot Casserole, applesauce, and tossed salad for dinner tonight – maybe a chocolate cake for dessert if I have time.
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I am wearing. . .white t-shirt and capris.
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I am creating. . .I will be sewing block #5 of my blue and white “Thangles” quilt this week and picking up block #6 at the quilt store.
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I am going. . .to be so glad to see the cooler autumn days arrive, so that we can be outside again.
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I am reading. . .“The One Year Christian History” – a wonderful collection of true stories from ancient to current day arranged by the dates that the events actually occurred – inspiring and moving.
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I am hoping. . .to have more time at home this week than last.
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I am hearing. . .Sarah in the kitchen fixing her breakfast, David playing in the living room, the a/c running – the rest of the children are still asleep, so it is rather quiet and peaceful.
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Around the house. . .lots of blueberries to eat, bake with, and freeze for later (Jeff got them for a great price last week at Sprouts) – I’m going to bake some Blueberry Banana bread tomorrow to start with.
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One of my favorite things. . .the “Little House on the Prairie” Disney version movie (even though they completely changed history by leaving out Baby Carrie!).
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .cleaning out, sewing, ice skating, monthly Keepers Club meeting, school planning, shopping for ballet slippers for Anna, and celebrating my Mom’s birthday with the family.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Delicious homemade strawberry preserves from my Mom’s recipe.

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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy to find the August list of participants in The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy

Our Day at Six Flags

Last week Jeff and I and six kids braved the 100+ temperatures to take our annual trip to Six Flags over Texas. We had 4 free tickets from the Six Flags Reading Club and Jeff got a good deal on the rest of them at work. We might have waited for cooler weather, but the free tickets were about to expire and we didn’t want to waste them!

We drove through McDonald’s on the way and ate lunch in the car, arriving at the park about 12:30 p.m. We coated everyone with sunscreen, loaded up the stroller and headed into the park. It was hot . . . really hot. We managed to ride a couple of rides before we had to stop and buy some water bottles.

We wrote our initials on the bottles and kept them on the stroller all day, refilling at water fountains. I think this really got us through the day. We found out later in the day that free ice water was available at all of the food stands, so we took advantage of that too.

We spent the day walking around the park, taking turns riding the rides that each one wanted to ride. There were a lot of people there, which really surprised me – I guess we Texans are a courageous bunch – or maybe just not very smart! We would duck into the stores periodically to get a blast of air conditioning, and check out the merchandise. Most of the time was spent riding -

We had snacks about mid-afternoon – you can really see the effects of the heat in these pictures! Jeff and the big kids were off riding the Titan while the rest of us sat in the shade -

We were glad to get inside in a “semi-” air conditioned building to watch the Looney Tunes characters put on a show. We sat right up front which was fun for the kids (but really loud!) -

After a few more roller coasters and a pizza dinner, we boarded the train for a trip around the park – always a favorite attraction.

Another favorite, especially for the littles, was the Yosemite Sam ride – a boat ride that takes you through a tunnel filled with Looney Tunes scenes -

Jeff took the big kids to the top of the tower – the littles, me, and my fear of heights stayed at ground level. Jeff took this great picture up there in the sky -

Evening, and it was still very hot, but we were glad for the little relief that the sun’s setting gave us. David got to meet one of his favorite characters – Scooby Doo – actually it was Scrappy Doo, but noone could tell him that!

We ended up staying until closing, which was preceded by a “Glow in the Park” parade at 9:45 p.m. This was really neat with floats and people all dark except for the beautiful lights that they wore. Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of it – I was just too tired to pull out the camera at that point!

As we headed back to the van, we were tired, sweaty, and had achey feet, but we were all satisfied with the day, and have fond memories of our time there. David is still asking if we’re going back again “in the morning”.

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ August 9

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .a break in the 100 degree heat today – should only get to 98! Horseapples are getting large on the trees and are beginning to drop to the ground.
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I am thinking. . .schoolish thoughts.
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From the learning room. . .the basic plans for the school year are finished – just a few details to work out – we will be starting back on September 8th.
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I am thankful for. . .the great time that we had at Six Flags last week and that we survived the 107 degree heat while there.
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From the kitchen. . .Parmesan Chicken, Rice, Green Beans – sound familiar? – it should, it is the same meal I listed last week, which failed to happen then, so is back on the menu now.
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I am wearing. . .pink t-shirt and capris.
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I am creating. . .a blessings journal for recording thankful thoughts.
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I am going. . .to be moving books around this week – cleaning out and getting the shelves ready for the new school year.
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I am reading. . .the new Country Sampler magazine that I picked up at the store this weekend – lots of pretty Fall pictures to get me through this last hot month of summer.
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I am hoping. . .to start working on my Hobo quilt this week.
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I am hearing. . .the phone ringing, a/c running, cicadas in the trees outside.
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Around the house. . .weekend messes, stacked books waiting for the new bookshelf to be assembled, and a stack of laundry to be dealt with.
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One of my favorite things. . .pretty new notebooks every Fall.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .dentist apptmt., ice skating, dinner with family, quilt store, and a baby shower for a friend.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Fresh bread – I need to make some today.
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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy to find the August list of participants in The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy

Blackberry Cobbler

This recipe is near and dear to my heart, as it is famous in our family. It is my Grandmama’a berry cobbler recipe – which brings back memories from my childhood of summer vacations spent at Grandmama and Grandaddy’s house in North Carolina, complete with cousins, roll-a-bat, and always – without exception – berry cobbler.

On one of those summer vacations, when I was probably about 12 years old, I asked my grandmother to tell me how she made the cobbler – she explained as she went and I wrote it down. Here is the original recipe that I wrote down that day all those years ago -

No, I’m not going to make you try to read that little piece of paper! I recently pulled out the old recipe and made a blackberry cobbler for my family using berries from our yard. I didn’t stay completely true to the recipe, however, as I used a refrigerated pie crust to save time. Here is Grandmama’s recipe as I originally received it, plus a few added notations. Keep in mind that Grandmama always made this without a recipe – knowing just how much of this and that to add by sight. I asked her to try to give me measurements, so they are here when needed.

~ Dough – Mix 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, dash salt together in a bowl. Add a little (1/4 cup?) Crisco and cut into dry ingredients. Add milk until it is pastry consistency. I just pulled out my handy dandy pie crust from the refrigerator, but will definitely be trying the scratch version another time. Divide dough in half.

~ Grease 9 x 13 casserole dish or spray with cooking spray. I used (and always will use) Grandmama’s cobbler dish to make my cobbler.

~ Mash berries slightly.

~ Put half of the berries in the bottom of the casserole dish.

~ Add 1/2 – 1 cup of sugar all over top of berries. Add spats of butter on top.

~ Roll out one half of dough on flour (or lay out one of the refrigerated pie crusts). Cut strips about 1 inch wide.

~ Criss-cross strips over berries.

~ Make another layer of berries, sugar, butter and strips. Sprinkle some sugar over the top of the cobbler and add some more butter spats on top.

~ Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 400 degrees and bake another 30-45 minutes.

~ While you’re waiting, let your kitchen helper lick the berry bowl!

~ Remove from oven when golden.

~ Serve with ice cream. I always make a point to use Grandmama’s cobbler bowls – brings back good memories.

The refrigerated crust seemed to cook up thinner than the way I remember Grandmama’s. It was good to use in a pinch, but I will probably try to make it from scratch next time. Enjoy!

This makes me want to get up a game of roll-a-bat – maybe when it’s a bit cooler outside!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ August 2

Good Morning and welcome to August! I’m sorry to be away for so long – life has surely been busy around here lately! Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .hot, hot, hot – temperatures in the 100′s all week – but the Crepe Myrtles and the Rose of Sharons are still blooming beautifully.
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I am thinking. . .about my plans for decluttering, rearranging and redecorating (nothing major) the house this month.
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From the learning room. . .need to spend some focused time on planning for the new year, file away last year’s books and papers, and get the bookshelves ready for the new school year.
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I am thankful for. . .a wonderful and fun week of VBS last week – so thankful for the great time we all had and also so thankful for getting back to normal this week.
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From the kitchen. . .Parmesan chicken, rice and green beans for dinner tonight.
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I am wearing. . .my pj’s still this morning.
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I am creating. . .a more restful and pleasant home by removing the stress of “too much stuff”.
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I am going. . .to be spending part of this day floating in the pool with the kids – we haven’t swam in weeks with all of our busy days of late.
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I am reading. . .“The Excellent Wife”.
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I am hoping. . .that our planned trip to Six Flags this week won’t be too miserable in the heat!
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I am hearing. . .children talking, ceiling fan spinning, Spongebob cartoon.
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Around the house. . .much that I want to do as already mentioned, including dishes and laundry, as always on a Monday morning.
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One of my favorite things. . .time at home.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .library, swimming, cleaning out, Ladies Bible Study, ice skating, and a day at Six Flags with the kids.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Poolside lunch – yummy!
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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy to find the August list of participants in The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy