Strawberries and Rhubarb

Last weeks hot weather brought out the best in everything, including the strawberries.We are starting to gather some wild ones but for now the tame ones are ready and juicy.

We picked Friday before the heavy rains came, and in the evening after HB went to work we settled in for the evening we began to take on the chore of getting the berries done up and made some jam.

While we were out picking we walked pass the rhubarb patch and decided to pick there as well.

The weeones came home with their arms filled with Rhubarb (they looked like they were carrying kindling)
The girls were very helpful and cut up all the rhubarb for me.

Please excuse the mess of my island. (cleaning it off is only once a week lately and it was not it's day)

We made up a double batch of  stewed rhubarb and decided to make a strawberry Rhubarb pie

It was as good as it looked as we had it last night for desert after our roast chicken supper.

I still have a bit of rhubarb in the house after doing some more up into 2 cup bags for the freezer,and I will take what is left tonight and make up a batch of muffins for breakfast, as we will be busy packing for our trip to bring our trailer to the camp ground. We will only be staying over night as the weather is so wet this week and we will go there on the weekend again. ( I will not be posting Monday and Tuesday but check back on Wednesday for a post about our adventure taking the trailer.)

If any of you have any great Strawberry or Rhubarb recipes please do share as I am always looking for new ones to add to my cookbook.

Summer Season Treats

The weather here has sure changed. Last week and up until Wednesday we had very hot and humid temps. High 30's and soooo very humid.
Then the air changed with 2 days of thunder and lighting storms,and a bit of rain.
It has cooled down without the humidity now,BUT!!!! it is coming back for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend. BONUS!!! It is also HB's weekend off. YEAH!!!!
A couple of weeks back HB had built a new set of stairs leading up to the pool deck. The old ones were steep,had no railing, and were in a bad place. But the new ones are perfect.

Great Job Hubby!!!! I had to just show them off.

With all the great warm weather the weeones are living in the pool. They are so much enjoying their Summer Vacation. They sleep till 10 or sometimes even later,have brunch made either outdoors or in the trailer. Then laze around and play outdoors in the PJ's then change into their Bathing suits and send their day in the pool. Eat late lunches,do some sort of craft around 2 and then back to the pool. WHAT A GREAT LIFE!!!!!
As for me I am enjoying my summer so far. Besides nice weather I am getting a lot done. I have been cleaning out my studio,the potting shed and am no working on finishing my back porch.
I am also lazing by the pool reading up on my favorite blogs, magazines,and getting ready to start a new book that Jayne got for me.
Yes Life is good right at the moment.
HB has begun the hay cutting for this year, and even though we have had such a late spring and with not so good weather until now the hay is ready for cutting and it is even a couple of weeks early.
He has just cut one field and is hoping to finish it up tomorrow.  Thus making it a busy next couple of weeks.
We took a couple of days and picked the 2 fields in front for Strawberries. We had a strawberry shortcake

MY GRANDMOTHER'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
2C. flour
4t. baking powder
4T.shortening
2T. sugar
1 egg
2/3cups of milk. Beat egg and mix in with milk.
Roll out on floured board about 1/2" thick. Bake in round pan. Put butter in between layers and bake for 20 mins.
Layer with strawberries mashed with a little sugar. then with whipped cream. Repeat and build.
Top with whole strawberries for a pretty finish.

 and I made some jam

. I also made 1 pie. I would like to get back out today to get some more. I also need to freeze more rhubarb before the rest goes to seed. I made a few crumbles for the freeze and 2 rolls as well. I also had a rhubarb roll for desert last evening. One of my families favorites.

RHUBARB ROLL
Mix together
2c. flour
2t. baking powder
1t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
add 1/2c. of milk mix together. roll out and spread butter on top of dough. Add 2 cups of finely chopped rhubarb, 3/4 cup of sugar, 3t. flour. roll up like jelly roll.and cut in pieces 1/2 " thick. place in pan. combine 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup of boiling  water and pour over roll. Bake 45 mins at 350.
Very good warmed for Breakfast( MY FAVORITE !!! growing up and still is.)
also very good with whipped cream on top for dessert.

It is so nice to see things going back into the freezer again. As it was just about empty from last seasons goodies.
Well I should  go and hang some laundry out on the line. (Another blessing to Summer)
Take care and I wish you all a great day!

For My Love Of Flowers

I have always enjoyed the beauty, colors, and completeness that flowers bring us. I have always found that a yard was not complete unless it had flowers growing. My Grandmother,Aunt and great Grandmother were and still for my Aunt, amazing Green Thumbs. I do believe that gene has carried on to me and will continue to carry on through my Children.
On my Birthday my Children picked me the cutest little wildflowers. I found them so cute and love them so much.

These are the little things I will remember forever.

As for my greenhouse everything is now out,and in the yard or garden. All the flowers I had stared this year from seed,did very well. I am super proud because we had such a slow start to Summer that everything just would not grow and fill out. But with a couple weeks of warmer temps and loads of sun they are where they should be.

These 2 are my favorite hanging baskets this year. The red ones are my favorite. I picked up 2 tiny little humming bird feeders at the dollarstore earlier this year and stuck one in here. The birds really love these and I am filling every few days.

They all have filled out so much. These were the 2 old deck boxes made out of slabs that HB made for me years ago when Jill was a baby, so that she would not fall through the bottom crack. They have rotted over the years and I thought I would have lost them this year. HB did some patch work and they are as good as new, but with the old rustic look that I am looking for. The only problem this year is that my shrubs are getting to high. (I never had my bleeding heart grow so big) I am already making changes for next year to move some of the bigger stuff around, and to take pieces off and stick them other places.

This is my odd window box. It is located on the side of the house off of a tiny window. I use this window in the winter to hang a large bird feeder from and a humming bird feeder in the Summer. I bought this window box in a yard sale for $2 a few years ago and stuck it here. I use my left overs every year to fill it. But it always seems to turn out really nice, no matter what I put in it.

Remember back this Spring when I was so excited to get out planting and adding a new bed to the front of the house after planting some petunias into the ground and adding a new bird bath,and Hb adding a fence to keep the dogs out of laying in it.  they looked so skimpy (In better words)  I thought they would never amount to anything.

THIS WAS BEFORE !!!!!!!!!

NOW LOOK AT THEM!!!!!!!!

They have grown so much! The Golden Glow that was in there also grew too!

My love for flowers goes a little further, as Jill has taken more of a green thumb this as well. All my children have always loved to work in the garden. From a very young age. They have all love to plant in the green house and help water daily and transplant. They all grow there own veggies,and the girls love flowers. But this year I noticed that Jill wants a little more as well. She has been by my side gardening from the time she was only a year old in the green house in her stroller, till now.
This year she planted a lot of plants and decided to start her own garden at the back of the house.
She has done very well for her first year, and I am sure she will expand more in the years to come.

These little stools were something I picked up in the "big garbage" on the side of the road. I had no idea what I would do with them, but just loves them. Jill knew what to use them for.She has also added her patio tomato   here as well.

She had planted more shrubs and a Mum  that was given to my Mother from a cousin while in the hospital. She dug out my old faries and placed them there too. She has the eye for this stuff.

Walking past here everyday to put Laundry on the line makes me smile. She reminds me so much of myself.

Our Camping Trip

We went Camping about 2 hours away for the Canada day weekend.We stayed at

Mount Carleton Provincial Park

http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/product.aspx?pid=1373

 Our family and friends of ours. We took our trailers,and had a great weekend. It was hot on Saturday and we got to enjoy a lot of what the park had to offer.

The girls went swimming at there beach.

The views are amazing. The boats were all out as well in the lake.

The girls just could not stay out of the water.

Jayne had loads of fun being buried in the soft rocky ground by here friends.

A little boy next to us watched and decided he wanted to bury Justin as well.
To cute!
We all had a great time,and ate way to much.Can't wait to go again.

Our New Travel Trailer

We finally were able to find a new Fifth wheel like we wanted. It has room for all of us and it hauls great. We went camping for the Canada Day weekend and had a good time with it, no problems.

We are back to blogging

I know I know, it has been awhile. To long......... I said before I was going to try to blog more and everyday,but it has been busy busy here as usual.
Mom is out of the hospital and we are having our hands full trying to keep her with someone at all times as she really still needs it.
We had our first family camping vacation the long weekend. It was great. (I will post pics later) and oh ya we also got our new (well new to us) fifth wheel.
The weather has been great here. Nice and warm. The weeones have been in the pool everyday,every chance they get from morning to dark.
The gardens are doing great, everything is coming along up so well.
My flowers are finally looking good.
Today is my Birthday..... Yep another whole year older.
Well that is all for now. But I promise I will be back.....

2 Weeks Left

Yep, only 2 weeks left then the weeones will be off for 10 weeks. (can you believe the summer is finally here) They are getting so excited and so am I.
We have started the pool. I have been working cleaning it up,and getting ready for some heat,lazy days sitting by the pool watching the weeones while I sip on my lemonade and reading a good book or magazine.

The next 2 weeks are going to be busy ones. The weeones have field trips and I (the stay at home Mom) have said I would go along and help.
Monday Jill is going into the city bowling and then to the park for lunch and play time.
Thursday Jayne is going into the city to the Pool,and then to the park for a take out lunch.
Friday I have been asked to go to the school for 3 sessions (Friday, Monday and Wednesday ) to teach Scrapbooking to 18 children. WOW!!!! I am not even sure yet what we are going to do. I am looking for ideas and if you have any I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM!!!!
I was thinking a little book or 2 page layout!
How do I get myself into these things.
Take care everyone and enjoy your weekend.