lookie what we can do!

penny and dallys

 and i 

got together this past week and in the stupid, bloody, hot weather and 

did these lovely things...

dallys' table before...

after...

mom and matt and maddie were also there...

my table before...

 this is the paint we used.

learn more about it here...

it was fun but hard too...

 after...

i love it so much...

thanks you guys:)

when we were done we needed this so bad!!!!

bye...

more later...

baked beans and bountiful beer bread

maple mesquite barbecue baked beans

we had a bbq and made these along with the most delicious beer bread you have ever tasted...

any barbecue sauce can be used in this recipe but this is what i used:

chloe and sean gave it to matt for father's day and it's from 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/

so is this recipe:

10 oz. bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, optional

1 large yellow onion, diced

3/4 cup maple mesquite barbecue sauce

3/4 cup water, plus more as needed

4 cans (each 15 oz.) beans, drained and rinsed (choose a variety of beans-pinto, kidney, navy, black,etc)

salt and pepper to taste

in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until golden but not crisp,

(i actually used pre cooked bacon)

about 5 minutes. add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.

stir in barbecue sauce, the 3/4 cup water, and the beans. bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

season to taste with salt and pepper.

uncover, stir the beans and add more water to achieve desired consistency. continue to cook, uncovered for 5 minutes more.

serve warm.

this recipe is delicious and super easy:)

 i also like these baked beans:)

so much...

~~~~~~~


bountiful beer bread

this beer bread will be the hit of your bbq

i promise...

it is so good and you have never made anything easier...

of course, i cheated (which i do often)

and used this mix from

http://www.tastefullysimple.com/

http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/bountifulbeerbreadmix155108.aspx

all you do is add 1 bottle of beer...

i know what you are thinking about the beer but all the alcohol cooks out and the yeast in the beer is what makes this so wonderful...

i always order the value pack that includes 3 mixes.

this is what i gave both mom and my mother in law for mothers day and both of them were so excited about it!

(tastefully simple has a lot of great stuff. the key lime cheese ball is fantastic with animal cookies or vanilla wafers)

ask my mom and sisters about how great and easy this is, it will be the hit of your bbq!

(and it cooks up so pretty:)

this is the end of our bbq/patriotic recipes for now...

what we have coming up is going to be fun i think...

we've got witches, werewolves, ghosts and angels going on for the next 4 months...

it will be a fun end of summer/fall and i am looking forward to my favorite time of year:)

i hope you will join me...

august

http://deborahharkness.com/

september

the wolf gift

october

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thirteenth-tale-diane-setterfield/1100329442

november

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6487308-fallen

i love fall:)

bye...
 more later...

~~~~~

pineapple upside down cake

making my baby 

happy for his birthday:)

ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 20 oz can of sliced pineapple in juice (drained)

1 box betty crocker® super moist® 

french vanilla cake mix

vegetable oil and eggs

according to cake mix box

• 1Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
• 2Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
• 3Bake 42 to 48 minutes (44 to 53 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

this is matt's absolute favorite

 and

it only took me 29 years to perfect;)

he likes it with real whipped cream with bits of banana

mixed in...

(i tell ya...

that caramelly brown sugar topping is so delicious...you will die!)

  

we aim to please...

bye...

more later...

~~~~~~~~

"did big foot take it?"

national treasure

"who wants to go down the creepy tunnel in the tomb first?"

A man sets out to steal a lost fortune in order to save it in this adventure drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. 

Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is an archeologist who is from the eighth generation of a family who has shared an unusual quest. 

As Gates-family legend has it, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin hid a massive cache of gold during the waning days of the Revolutionary War and left clues as to its whereabouts in the original drafts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. 

With no firm proof that it actually exists, Gates sets out to crack the code that will lead him to the fortune, which, as a member of the Gates clan, he is sworn to protect from wrongdoers. National Treasure also features Sean Bean, Harvey Keitel, Justin Bartha, and Jon Voight.

check out this trailer

"you're treasure hunters, aren't you?"

"we're more like treasure protectors"

want to have some some fun?

watch this movie:)

new wednesday word:

bye...

more later...

weiners of wayne county

every year we try to go to torrey for the appledays 

celebration.

they have one of those awesome small town parades that really just make you happy and this year was no exception...

except the "wieners of wayne county" float...

no tiko:(

grandma and grandpa actually teared up when we saw this float...

it was sad because tiko has been part of this float for for a very long time.

the kids used to take turns being in the parade with her.

if i am not mistaken, i think it was beau's turn...

we missed her:(

however, the parade and torrey were fun this year.

they have a new place in torrey called 

"the saddlery"

and it is really fun...

it is a cowboy bar that looks like something out of 

"urban cowboy".

so neat.

you will all have to go there when you visit

grandma and grandpa.

they even went there with us...
(at 10:00pm:))

we also went to "the lodge" for breakfast.

my kids have a apparently been there before but matt and i were first timers.

it was delicious and beautiful and 

we dined with buffalo...

we also stopped by 
"the robbers roost"

and saw an outdoor concert...

one of the highlights of the trip
were penny's
bacon and egg muffins..

they were fantastic with maple syrup

(don't grandma "j"s

dishes look beautiful)?

i also added powered sugar...

~~~~~~

as my handsome husband would say

"a good time was had by all"!

when you guys post pics on instagram,

it allows me to put them on here

so thanks!

~~~~

so it looks like i might be getting me

one of those "grand babies"

you all keep talking about:)

i am thrilled...


also if you will notice for the month of august i have changed the book to "shadow of night"
the sequel to "a discovery of witches".
it just came out and we loved that book so much, we could not wait until october to read it so,
if you have not read 
"a discovery of witches"
this would be a great time
to do so and then read the sequel...
check it out here

deborah harkness

bye...
more later...

"you play ball like a giiirrrrrrrrl!"

                

the sandlot

the film is told through the perspective of scotty smalls, who is reminiscing on his first summer in los angeles.

in 1962,

     scotty smalls moves to a new neighborhood with his mom
                            and stepdad,
                  and wants to learn to play baseball.


smalls struggles to make friends beccause of his awkward

shyness but decides to try to join a group of boys who are playing baseball on a vacant lot they call the sandlot...

the neighborhood baseball guru Rodriquez takes Smalls under his wing, and soon he's part of the local baseball buddies.

 they fall into all sorts of adventures and trouble involving baseball, treehouse sleep-ins, the snooty rival ball team, and the travelling fair,

the desirous lifeguard at the local pool,

the best scene in this movie this one...

                                  

when michael "squints" decides to fake drowning
in order to get wendy the lifeguard to give him mouth to mouth...

 beyond the fence at the back of the sandlot menaces a legendary ball-eating dog called "the beast",

and the kids inevitably must deal with him.



when they do they meet james earl jones, who just seems to belong in a baseball movie,

and some of their questions are answered about

"the beast"...

this movie is so much fun for summer...

it just reminds you of what it's like to be a kid in the summer...

one of the things i miss most about having young kids is seeing movies like this in the theater...

we went to them all the time...

if you want to watch something fun, give this a try...

it is hilarious...

since we are talking a little baseball here is a

look at my nephew

wil "dawg" thomas

he is on the little all stars team and they are in the finals tonight...

good luck guys!

new wednesday word...
sandlot...
bye...
more later...