An Experiment

I've never posted a video before and I thought I would give it a try just to see how it works. This video only lasts a few seconds. I took it out the window of the bullet train when I was riding from Hiroshima to Kyoto while visiting Greg in Japan.

Tomato-Basil Pizza

Last night I made Tomato-Basil Pizza. I found the recipe over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks (I love her recipes!). It was SOOO good and easy too.

First you make your favorite pizza crust. I made my regular pizza dough except that I used olive oil instead of regular vegetable oil.

Then you spread some prepared pesto (but don't get too happy with it like I did) on the crust and sprinkle it with some kosher salt. Top with sliced fresh mozzarella, then thinly sliced tomatoes (we finally have some ripe), and finally sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake according to the directions for your crust. I bake mine at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Mine doesn't look quite as pretty as The Pioneer Woman's, (a little too much pesto and not quite enough cheese) but it tasted absolutely great, if I do say so myself. :)

Happy Sunday!

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Song of Solomon 2:12

Football Camp

Topps Football 1956
Bobby has started a morning football camp. It goes on for weeks, but only lasts about an hour and a half each morning. There's not much point in making the 15 to 20 minute drive back home (plus the cost of gas), so I usually take a book or two or run a quick errand. There are CVS and Walgreen's stores nearby, so it's been a great way to fit that in.

It's funny how much I've been enjoying that time. Yesterday I splurged and bought myself a Diet Coke at Sonic, found a strategic shady parking space (parking spaces around here are valued not for the proximity to the door of a building, but for shade), rolled my windows down and settled in to read Gracious Living in a New World by Alexandra Stoddard. I could just make out a corner of the football field through the trees, and hear the whistles of the coaches and the voices of the boys floating on the breeze. It was a perfect, restful summer morning. Who would have thought that sitting in a van in a parking lot would be so much fun? I didn't even mind that Bobby smelled like a locker room on the way home (of course he's so darn cute how could I?) . :)

Homemade Pimiento Cheese

*Edit below*
Pimiento Cheese is a staple here in the South. I especially love to make it in the summertime...no heating anything up. If you don't like pimiento cheese, you've never had it homemade. :) The store bought stuff isn't good at all.

Here's my recipe (adapted from Paula Deen's recipe):
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise (the real stuff, not Miracle Whip)
1/2 teaspoon or so of Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt
a little grated onion
a 2 oz. jar of pimientos, drained
freshly ground black pepper

I stir the cheeses together first, then add the rest of the ingredients. It's good on crackers and makes wonderful sandwiches. I usually have to make a double batch around here. Everyone loves it.

*Edit*

To make your own version of Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt (although it's not exactly the same), use:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix well and store in a shaker.

Seeing the Everyday

I recently had the opportunity to review a new magazine called Seeing the Everyday that finds "poetry in the prosaic". I knew from looking around the website that I would probably like the magazine, and I sure do! I was so excited when it came in the mail. It's a beautifully printed, high quality magazine with absolutely no advertisements (how rare is that in a magazine?).

It's not the sort of magazine that you quickly flip through and toss; it's one that you will keep and read over and over. It's full of beautiful stories and photos that encourage us to slow down the frantic pace of our lives and truly live in those everyday moments with our families. In a world where we feel pressured to do more, spend more, have more, it's refreshing to find a magazine that focuses on a gentler way of life.

Their website says:

Seeing the Everyday seeks to honestly tell and simply show the everyday beauties found in quiet and humble moments of our own homes and yards with those whom we love most. It documents through word and image real stories of the ordinary scenarios that occur in family - finding poetry in the prosaic.

Subscribe here

I know you'll like it as much as I do.

Free - My Favorite Price!

The girls and I have been re-arranging their room. They have twin beds which we had side by side with a night stand between. Now their beds are arranged in an L shape in one corner of their room with the night stand in the corner between the heads of their beds. It gives them so much more floor space.

Last night I was taking some things we had decided to throw out from their room to the dumpster (Bobby usually does this, but he is out of town with a friend) and I couldn't believe what I saw. A cute little desk and a pretty white, wooden vanity tray were just laying on top. I left my trash and promptly brought both the desk and the vanity tray in the house. The legs of the desk were wobbly, but Mike easily tightened them up. The back of the vanity tray says "Shabby Chic" and "Target".

Now the girls have a cute place to do homework and write letters. They've both already written letters to Greg and Peter on their new desk. I put the vanity tray in my drawer in the bathroom. It fits perfectly and makes my drawer look so organized. I'm thrilled!

Maybe I shouldn't send Bobby out with the trash anymore. Who knows what I've been missing! :)

Happy Fathers Day!

'Happy Father's Day'
Happy Fathers Day honey! I don't know what I would do without you. Thanks for working so hard and being a good example. We wouldn't have such great kids if you weren't such a great father. I'm so very blessed to be your wife.

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Proverbs 23:24

Easy Homemade Salsa

Moralia requested the homemade salsa recipe that I mentioned in my last post. It's not really a recipe, but I'll try to share with you how I make it.


I start with one large can of diced tomatoes. We do have some tomatoes growing in the garden, but they aren't ripe yet. I also include onion, garlic, a jalapeño pepper (fresh from the garden), cilantro (from the store, my cilantro plant isn't big enough yet), and salt.

I don't chop everything up before putting it in the blender. Cutting the pepper and onion in a couple of large chunks works just fine. I dump the tomatoes in first, then add about 1/4 to 1/2 an onion (I didn't use all of the onion you see in the first picture), a whole jalapeño (seeds and all), a small handful of cilantro, and garlic and salt to taste. Today I used minced garlic from a jar, but fresh garlic works well too. Just be careful not to overdo. Fresh garlic is STRONG! Also be careful not to touch the pepper and then touch your face. I've learned that lesson the hard way!

Then blend everything until it's the texture you want. Super easy! I'm pretty sure it will keep in the fridge for several days, but I don't thinks it's ever lasted more than 24 hours at my house. My husband nearly drinks the stuff. :)

Enjoying the Summer

Little Swimmer
I'm still here and I haven't abandoned blogging. I'm just enjoying the long, lazy days of summer and frankly I haven't turned on the computer much at all in the last week.

The grandparents bought the kids an above ground swimming pool. It's 15 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep. We are loving it. They had offered to buy the kids a membership at an area public pool, but the kids said they would rather have a pool in the back yard. Between the new pool, the trampoline, and the porch swing, we are outside most of the day and going through sunscreen by the gallon. I've been making the girls wear hats when they are outside and they don't seem to mind too much.

At my house today, the clothesline has a row of dripping, grass covered beach towels on it, I need to wash the sticky Popsicle drippings off the porch, and the girls have been trying to sell lemonade to an empty neighborhood. We have some jalapeno peppers ready to pick and I'm going to make homemade salsa this afternoon. Just an average summer day.

I wish I had a laptop so I could take it out on the back porch with my iced tea in the evenings, but I don't. I'll still be around this summer though so don't worry. :)

My Beachy Souvenir

Instead of buying something during our trip to the beach, I decided to bring home some sand and the results of my beachcombing. I found some pretty little shells and seaglass. I double bagged them all and stuck them in my suitcase. It was a good thing the sand was double bagged, because the inner one split out! I wonder what the people at the airport thought when they searched my bag. :)

When I got home, I bought the glass hurricane candle holder at Wal-Mart for less than $3. I put the sand in the bottom, added a candle I already had, and arranged the shells and seaglass around the edges. I think it turned out really cute and fits in well in my guest bathroom. Now, every time I look at it, I will remember how much fun we had on the east coast with Greg and Peter.

Easiest Cake Ever

This is a tried and true cake that I have been making for years. I'm not sure where I originally got the recipe. I think it may have been something I had at a ladies Bible study and thought it was just wonderful. It truly is the easiest thing in the world. It doesn't even require a bowl to mix it up in.

It's great for times when you've straggled in from vacation and want to make something yummy and homemade, but haven't finished all your laundry or unpacking. :)

There are all sorts of variations of "dump cake", but this is the one I make most often. It's a Cherry-Pineapple Dump Cake.

Just gather the following ingredients:

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1 package white or yellow cake mix
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped nuts. I usually use pecans or walnuts.

By the way, cans of Cherry Pie filling are on sale right now at Wal-Mart for $1.

Spread the pineapple in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.


Top with cherry pie filling.


Sprinkle cake mix evenly on top of fruit. Melt the butter and drizzle on top of cake mix, then sprinkle with chopped nuts.


Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

It smells absolutely wonderful. I was thinking that it would be the perfect thing to pull out of the oven right before an open house. I usually serve it warm with ice cream, but it's plenty yummy (and full of sugar) all by itself.

Marcia was telling me last night that "Cherry-Pineapple Dump Cake" isn't a good enough name for it. She thinks it tastes too good for such an ordinary sounding name. She suggested it be called "heaven on your plate". :) I won't disagree.

We're Home!

We had a wonderful trip! It was over too soon, but I must say, I'm glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight. :) Greg and Peter looked SO good and we just had a ball with them. They were perfect hosts and tour guides. We did lots of sight seeing all over the area where they live. One day was spent at the beach and we enjoyed it so much. Where we live is a long way from the beach, so it was a rare treat.

I have lots of laundry to catch up on, email to read, and groceries to buy, but I'll be back to my regular posting soon.