happy halloween

Happy Halloween from our house to yours!

flower love

We have just been having way too much fun over here.
I find myself sitting out in the back just watching my kids swim alot.
I love it.

The other day while I was sitting and watching, I was looking at my flowers and thought I would take a few pics for you.

A lovely friend gave me this hibiscus plant.

Did you know that the blooms only last for one day??

Ageratum. 
I love this annual because it is purple ALL summer.
Usually, I plant them in the ground, but Caroline wanted to plant it in a pot.

Dianthus.
I love, love, love this perennial.
The color is so vivid.
My sister's name is Diane, so they are even more beautiful to me.
I think of her every time I water them.

I don't know much about roses.
I have always been intimidated by them.

This bush was here when we moved in.
I just cut it back when it gets out of control and it is doing so well!
Love.

It has a million blooms this year.
Maybe because of all the rain??
So that's what happens when they get watered!
;)

Mini Petunias.

Blue Hill Salvia . . .
another favorite perennial because it has color ALL summer and is so easy to take care of.

I don't really have a lot of flower beds at our house yet.
I had so many at our other house.
I miss them.
(note: if you have ever put thousands of dollars and thousands of hours into gardens at an old house, never ever drive past the old house to see how the gardens are doing . . . sigh)
It has been just too overwhelming for me to start digging yet.
I have so many projects inside that I would like to finish first.
(like the cabinets!)
So, for now . . . I have my few little spots that I have made "my own" with the above flowers and I add more color with containers.

Thanks for stopping by.
~cheryl

Patriotic Jell-o

Since it is almost the Fourth of July, I thought it would be nice to re post this recipe.

* * *

I am not one to make JELL-O molds frequently, but on the Fourth of July . . . we just have to because we have this perfect USA mold!! (can't let it go to waste!!)

I got it free many, many years ago at a grocery store in Virginia. (it was one of those "buy 2 boxes of JELL-O, get the mold free" deal)

Even though you probably don't have a mold like this, I thought I would give you the recipe so you can make the layers in a different shape.

Layered Patriotic Jell-o

3 3/4 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (8-serving size) or 2 pkg.(4-serving size) any red flavor JELL-O

1 pkg. (8-serving size) or 2 pkg.(4-serving size) Berry Blue Flavor JELL-O

2 cups cold water

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Lemon JELL-O

1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

Spray mold (or shallow dish) with no stick cooking spray.

Stir 1 1/2 cups boiling water into red and blue gelatin in separate bowls at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir 1 cup cold water into each bowl.

Pour red JELL-O into prepared mold. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set but not firm. Reserve blue JELL-O at room temperature.

Stir 3/4 cup boiling water into lemon JELL-O in bowl. Stir in ice cream with wire whisk until melted and smooth. Spoon over red JELL-O in mold. Refrigerate 30 minutes longer or until set but not firm. Refrigerate blue JELL-O (not in mold, just in bowl) 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Spoon blue JELL-O over lemon layer in mold. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Unmold.

Wow!

Enjoy!!

linking up with:

 

a trip to Trader Joe's

Luke and I took a little trip to TJ's.
I always like to see what my friends are buying at Trader Joe's, so I thought I would share a few of the things that ended up in our cart.
Come along as we unload the groceries. . .
(note the cabinets are still brown)
By the way . . . Luke is so much fun to shop with.

This is a MUST to keep in your pantry.
If you have this and a brownie mix . . . you have a fabulous homemade dessert ready to go!
I used to make my chocolate frosting from scratch, but now I am hooked on this.
It is soooo good (and easy).
I promise.

I love this hand soap.

If you like almond flavor, buy these.
They are amazing.
My husband loves them.

I like to keep these on hand for when I am "munchy".

Throw in a few chocolate chips, and it is a real treat.

I like to buy lunch meats that don't contain nitrates or nitrates.

I just feel better about it.

They are a little more pricey, but it's worth it to me.

Luke's favorite cereal.

Caroline likes these.

At only 99 cents a bag, I always grab a couple.

Again, throw in a few chocolate chips, and you have a real treat!

Luke's favorite drink.

The other kids won't touch it.

The funny thing is that Luke is our "Mr. Picky."

It is really good . . . it just doesn't sound like it would taste good.

I like to keep these on hand for when I need something to feed the kids fast. (like when it is 5:30 and the kids say, "What's for dinner??")

And I like to keep these on hand for when we have a little extra time (time??) and can grill some delicious salmon.  They are frozen and keep "fresh" for a very long time.

My favorite pb and j.

These peaches are AMAZING . . . better than any dessert I could ever make.

My kids love when I have these in the freezer for a little something different in the morning.

These are handy to have for a high protein snack for kids.
Just throw them in the microwave, stick toothpicks in each one, and serve them with ketchup.

And last, but not least . . . we LOVE this orange chicken.
I always buy two bags (I quickly figured out that our family needs more than one to make a meal).
Jake especially likes it.
I serve it with rice, orange slices, and steamed broccoli.
Easy meal and the kids enjoy it so much (even Mr. Picky!)

Thanks for helping me unload the groceries!!

~cheryl

my father's day gift to my husband

My husband has wanted to cut a certain tree in our backyard down since the first day we moved into our home.
I have not wanted him to cut it down.
He has been so unwavering with his desire to cut it down . . .
so for Father's Day, I gave him my blessing.

It will make me happy to let him cut it down even though I really like the tree.

I am actually kind of excited to see what I can do with the empty space.

I don't have a great "before" picture.

Here is one . ..  the tree is on the left of the pool.

I'm sure the tree will be coming down very soon .. . before I have a chance to change my mind.

Not that I would do that . . .

:)

gluten-free cookies for my dad

I wanted to make my dad a special treat for Father's Day.
He only eats gluten-free food, so I made these peanut butter cookies.

I don't usually think gluten-free food is delicious, but these are delicious!!
I promise.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's Organic creamy)

2 cups white sugar (I used 1 cup white and 1 cup brown)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional ~ I used walnuts and they tasted great!)

1/2 cup coconut (optional, but highly recommended!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet. (I highly recommend using parchment paper instead)
2. Combine sugar with baking soda and salt. (dry ingredients)
3. Beat eggs with vanilla.
4. Combine peanut butter, egg mixture, and dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Mix in coconut and nuts. (mix by hand, not a mixer)
5. Roll into balls (not too big).  The dough will seem very gooey, that's OK. Put some sugar in a bowl and roll the balls in the sugar.
6. Put balls on cookie sheet and press down with a fork to make a criss cross pattern.  (After this step, I also sprinkled the cookies with a little more sugar ..  . can never have enough sugar, right?)
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before placing on cookie rack.

Enjoy!!
Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

kitchen cabinet inspirations ~ white or cream?

I am ready to start painting our kitchen cabinets!
Here are some of my inspiration pictures.
The big question for me is white or cream??
Even though I love cream so much, I think white is winning so far.

my sweet savannah

source

the lettered cottage

source

centsational girl

What do you think?

White or cream??

i love summer

Happy Monday

Lots of this going on lately . . . and I do mean lots.

I'm not complaining, though.

I love to watch my Jake and I love the excuse to sit and talk with the other moms.

The kids don't mind it either . . . they get to play with great friends at the games.

There is also a lot of soccer.
I love that, too. :)

The kids are out of school for the summer and I couldn't be more thrilled.
We have been so busy and I am looking forward to . . .
lazy days in the pool,
fun days with friends, and
creative play days in the house. 
I'm also looking forward to getting rooms organized and doing a few other projects (like painting our master bedroom and the kitchen cabinets).

I LOVE this summer list that Amy wrote about here.

 The kids and I will be sitting down to make one of our own today.
Oh . . . and by the way .  . one of my favorite bloggers, Val, from ValSoCal is hosting a giveaway in honor of her one year "blogiversary". 
Stop on over there and enter to win. 
She has the best recipes . . . I have tried many and have never been disappointed.


Have a great Monday everyone!
thanks for stopping by!
~cheryl

~Happiness never decreases by being shared.~ go share some happiness!!