Lantana

Years ago my daughter and I removed the grass from the little strip between our yard and the street. We waited til school let out for the summer, but the heat and humidity was already brutal. It was a labor of love, though, cause here's how it looks today:

  

I love how it spills out over the sidewalk and curb.  It's very drought resistant, but there are a couple of sprinkler heads in there, watering it every 3 or 4 days even so.  It will bloom and be absolutely beautiful through the Fall, and when it dies, I just cut it down to the ground, and it comes back the next Spring.

And it makes a nice backdrop for cute teenagers.

Gina

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Things I have to stop putting off

I took Scout to band camp, walked for 30 minutes, then came home to eat a bite of breakfast and check e-mail.  That was about 40 minutes ago and here I still sit, with so much to do it boggles my mind.   For starters I need to find The Girl a place to live in Waco.

I also have to work on get her student loan paperwork, seeing how tuition is due on the 31st.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right? I am also dragging my feet on all I need to do, including laundry and back to school shopping.  

Guess it's time to make a glass of iced coffee and get going.

Gina

Scout is our budding photog

I made an inexpensive Kodak photo book for Scout recently with some of his photos that are my favorites:

He recently bought a Fuji XP series point and shoot and has been all over the place taking pictures which I will share on the sidebar as he shares with me.  And maybe he can teach me a thing or two!

Gina

My cute bunch - 10 years ago

Summers have been some of the best times with my kiddos - so going through old photo albums in preparation for scanning them all in to my computer, I come across some summer pics that I love.  

This one in particular:

Summer 2001 - Volente Beach

They were 11, 9, 5, and 2.  This was at one of our favorite summer destinations: Volente Beach.  We would pack a cooler with drinks and sammies, grab our towels and sunscreen, and head out to this waterpark on Lake Travis.  Coming home, we'd swing by Wendy's for a frosty, then they would all lay on the den floor and watch a movie while I made dinner.  Makes me nostalgic for the good old days!

Gina

Bowling

I took the boys to Dart Bowl last week for some delish burgers and enchiladas, followed by a game or two of bowling.  Bubbie was pretty disgusted that there were no bumpers.  But he's 12 and is getting better at it.  No need for bumpers for the big kids!

 

What he lacks in form he makes up for in energy level!

It was nice and chilly in there, did not smell like an ashtray as many bowling lanes do, and you can't beat the food they serve in their little diner.  And since it has the added benefit of something they can use large muscle groups on and doesn't involve electronics. I'd say we'll probably go again real soon.

Gina

Homemade popsicles

Last summer I jotted down some popsicle recipes hoping to spot some nifty plastic molds in a thrift store or even the grocery store.  All I ever came across was the super flimsy cheapo ones.  Fast forward to yesterday and look what my thrifty eagle eye spotted at the Big Red Ball:

OK, for 98 cents I will give it a go.  I got a recipe for creamy peanut butter popsicles from Homebody and I made the slight variation of adding a little Nutella:  Boil 1/2 c. water with 1/4 c. sugar for 3 min.  remove from heat and stir in 1/4 c. peanut butter and 1 c. milk.  Freeze til set.

These didn't fit exactly over the bars on the freezer shelf, but they were pretty steady and didn't tip.  I had to run some warm water over them to get them to slide out of the molds, and the creamy peanut butter separated a bit.  I think next time I will freeze the mixture halfway, stir up the slush and and then add to the mold - just to make sure it's a little more homogeneous.

My taste tester enjoyed his and asked that we try the Cafe Au Lait recipe next. (:

Capital of Texas zoo trip 2011

Last Wednesday I took the boys to the Capital of Texas Zoo.

It's basically an animal sanctuary out towards Bastrop.  Very rustic, and it was fun to take the boys on what may be one of our last field trips together as they are getting older and less interested in these activities.

  

  

 

 

This was actually a huge bird enclosure that you could walk into.  

No thank you for me, but the boys liked it.

 

 

 

It was hot, but it was relaxing and a nice thing to do in the middle of the week. 

Gina 

Blueberry Cake

Wanting to make a chilled dessert as a send-off for the boys, I came across an oldie but goodie given to me by my late mother-in-law - Blueberry Cake.  Now, there's nothing cakey about it.  It's more or less like a blueberry cheesecake - sorta pie-like.  Creamy and blueberry-y and delish!  I relaxed my 'no oven' rule for just 20 minutes...

 See my vintage recipe card?  (:

Crust:
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 finely ground nuts (I leave these out)
1 stick butter, melted

Combine and pack firmly in 9x13 dish. 

Then mix the filling til smooth and creamy....


Filling:

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened 
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. lemon juice (not pictured above)

 ...and pour over the crust.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes and let it cool.  Then spread a can of blueberry pie filling over that...

 ...and lastly, top with two prepared envelopes of Dream Whip (or sub in Cool Whip, if you like) My MIL was a Dream Whip fan.  I think it tastes better since you make it with milk. There are some yummy recipes on the box, too. You find it in the same area as the cake mixes, etc.

 

Chill for at least 2 hours.

Layers of yum...this was the perfect summer dessert!