Quick trip to Florida, away from computer for a bit. I will try and blog down there. That is if the heat doesn't fry my brain!!

YUM....YUM.....YUM

So back to the zucchini saga.... I made this zucchini cake/bar whatever you want to call it. I call it Delish!!! Recipe will follow... but I was having a hard time putting on that ohhh soooo gooood cream cheese frosting that I could literally eat right out of a bowl. See, I am trying my best to come up with alternatives to all the sweets that keep jumping in my mouth. (See previous post #6.) I will eat Zucchini Bars, that's a given, but the fresh strawberries (no sugar needed) and the light whipped cream (15 calories per 2TB.) made this a very acceptable dessert and I feel good about limiting the sugar! I have always been a "don't really care" kinda person + I can just look at food and gain weight. I know I better start watching my diet more carefully and really put forth the effort of getting this weight off. I'm starting to slow down and that's the part I don't like...




Zucchini Bars
Prep time: 15 min. Bake time: 25-30 min. Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 11x15 pan or jelly roll pan.

3 eggs
1C. vegetable oil (I used 1/2c. canola oil + 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce)
2 C. white sugar
2 ts. vanilla extract
2 1/3 C. all purpose flour
1/4 ts. baking powder
2 ts. baking soda
1 ts. salt
2 C. shredded zucchini (This should be drained and put in a cloth and wrung out. Should be as dry as possible)
I also added 1 ts. of pumpkin pie spice to my dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, (applesauce) sugar and vanilla until well blended.
*I use a fork so the mix doesn't get rubbery...
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and (pumpkin pie spice)
Stir into wet mix. Then add drained zucchini. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake 350 for 25-30 min.

recipe from Allrecipes.com

THINGS I WANT & CAN COUNT ON NEVER GETTING

I was making my list of things to do for the next week and as my mind wandered I thought of making a list of "things I want and can pretty much count on never getting". Ok, by now, you know how I roll...

1. I would love a person to follow me around and pick up after me, much like my cat follows me from room to room. So maybe I want a cat with arms to justify it's existence!

2. I want one of those big honkin' diamond rings, in yellow gold, maybe 3 carets now that I have grown out my nails because I was a nail biter for 53 years! Yes, I am sure I bit them when I was born (note to my mom... i did it, i finally quit biting my nails! and they really are much prettier grown out.)

3. I want a beach house, kinda like the one we stayed at in Galveston. It was nothing crazy fancy, just on the water and I guess I liked it because of the people that shared it with me. So a family home, right on the beach, where we can go and the kids will join us...

4. More hours in a day! or maybe more energy to use the hours more wisely..

5. My kids to live closer to me so we could have more visits.

6. To be thin again, actually working on this one.

7. A pool in my backyard, not going to happen in Illinois!

8. An empty attic, ya know, cleaned up and all the junk cleaned out!

9. a personal chef, need I say more. Oh yea,,, one that will fix eclairs for me....

10. A party with all my bloggy friends getting together for a "greet and meet". I would love to meet you all in person.....

Have a great day and just keep on dreamin'!!!

MONDAY

Well, today...... I got nothin'!!! no, really, nothin'...... I could tell ya what I am doing.... nothin', I'm doing nothin'! Well, that is after I do some laundry, mow the lawn, fill the bird feeders, oh and feed the little kitties outside. I do need to pour some cement today and I think I will clean up my glass room and take a few pics so I can show you my little space in the basement, my girl cave... Do you have a girl cave? You could do a blog on it!!!! I do need to think about what to fix for lunch..... Ohhhh, yea,,,,, zucchini, back to that stuff, anyone need zucchini? My sources are full up!!! I have a few other wind chime ideas, gotta drill some holes in stuff... and the garage, I made a mess in there with cement, gotta clean up that............ I could go on and on, I WON'T!!!! Have a wonderful day my friends........ I gotta go do nothin'!!!

KUDOS TO YOU....

Tonight I went back to my July 13th post because I had put up a pic of these glass pieces and asked for some feedback re: what to do with them. In my post this morning, I showed pics of the end product to my glass project. I do want to point out that in the comments on that 7/13 post Laura at Laura's gourds, jewelry, mosaics and wings of life suggested just what I ended up doing. I had a sketchy idea of candlesticks, but she confirmed that it was a good idea and that clinched it! Please go to Laura's site and see the beautiful art she creates in many forms. She truly is one of my inspiring people that I love to follow... Thanks Laura...

GLUE DAY

Yesterday I went to the City Wide Garage Sale just to look around, not really looking for anything in particular. It was a few minutes after 8 am. and I went past Friends Candle Shed on my way to West 2nd. I thought, That's funny... the light is on and the door is open. Thinking Sharon was dropping something off or whatever, I drove around back and Piper's car was there! Wow, now that is odd. She usually doesn't go in until closer to 11am. She was in the garage so I hollered at her,,,,, she was bored at home and thought she would get an early start on the day!!!! So I decided if she was willing, it would be a gluing day!!! I ran home and got all this glassware that I had been collecting and brought it down to the shed. This is what Piper put together with all that glassware. I helped a little!!! Pip always has a creative eye and I had stacked and restacked this glass til I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't decide what would look nice where. So she did it and got it done!!!! You can pick these cuties up at Friends Candle Shed. It was a fun project and I even think Piper liked it too!

(No, I never hit a single garage sale, had more fun gluing).

LUNCH... AND I'M COOKIN'

A couple of weeks ago, a few friends and I went to a Farmer's Market in Davenport, Iowa, along the river. I was in love, food, fresh fruit and veges, and whatnot. I picked up several things along with this Focaccia. I never had this and the sample was just delicious. I brought home 3 kinds and stuck 2 in the freezer. This one I took out yesterday.

After cleaning out the fridge, encouraged by a blog I read, can't remember whose, these are the ingredients I found for lunch. I had a recipe that Bunny's Warm Oven had posted for Beef Teriyaki (and I will try that another time), but I decided to make hot roast beef sandwiches instead. I sauted the onions and mushrooms, made a beef gravy with some beef broth and corn starch and drizzled it over the roast beef. I put the bread in the oven and toasted it, then sliced it in half, assembled the sandwich. They were delicious! The bread is what made it so special. Thanks all my bloggy friends who have inspired me to become a better chef in my house and my husband thanks you too!!!! If anyone has a good Focaccia recipe, please share with us on your blog. This bread was delicious and others might love it too...

BOUNTIFUL PUMPKINS AND GOURDS

BEFORE
This slab of cement used to be where we had the cattle feeders, it's about 12-15ft wide and 25-30 ft. long. Someone told me if you plant pumpkins on the edges and let the pumpkins grow on the cement, they will be easier to pick and they don't rot as much. SO THAT IS WHAT I DID! and this was the perfect spot!

AFTER
From fence on the right to posts on the left is about 25-30 ft.

Remember how I said I might have planted too much zucchini, here is a pic re: that situation, along with gourds.

These fence panels are 20 ft. long.

Soooo, I think I will have enough pumpkins and gourds for fall decorations, which was my intentions, plus plenty to share with friends and neighbors...

A LITTLE HIDDEN TREASURE

I was up in the attic, a huge room, which has been stuffed full of, well,,, stuff,,, forever. Many generations of things/treasures up there. Once I found my father-in-law's 4th grade school papers in a deep corner (he would have been 91 this year!) I just put them back in the box they were in and shoved the box back in it's little spot for someone else to discover some day!!!
Anyway.... I did find another flat box that came from my side of the family shoved in a spot, and found this dresser scarf set. I think that's what they were called. They were all starchy stiff and a little stained. I threw them through the wash with some Spray and Wash, ya know, what do I have to lose! I did put vinegar in the water to help the colors from fading. They turned out beautiful. I ironed them with a little spray starch and they are a fine addition to the dresser and nightstand of our spare bedroom (my daughter calls it "her old room" after all, it was hers for 18

years!)

These I believe were my paternal grandmas. Her 1st birthday picture, 1902, sits on this dresser. The dresser came from her also and Sharon from Sweet Repose hand painted it. (Check out Sharon, her work is awesome!)

Janet Steele, 1902, 1 year old.

This is all hand stitched and the colors match the Geraniums perfect!

I got this little nightstand from Sharon and she painted it to match the dresser. The little scarf fits perfect tucked on the shelf. (It was made just for that spot oh so long ago)

RAINY DAY

See that chair on my porch? This is my favorite spot to sit when a gentle rain is falling down. I love to sit here in the morning with my cup of coffee, sometimes a blanket and just stare at the world around me. This morning is one of those mornings! It started raining just a bit ago and it is chilly, 62 degrees. It is 8am and I'm not in a big rush today for anything. I'm actually happy with the rain because that means I don't have to drag a hose around my yard and garden to water plants AND I need to stay inside and get some cleaning and laundry done. Plus I have a stepping stone to get cut. Staying inside in the summer is like punishment to me! So excuse me while I go listen to the rain!!!

YOU MIGHT BE ADDICTED TO BLOGGING IF..........

1. You might be addicted to blogging if..... it is the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you go to bed.

2. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you check your blog throughout the day, just to see a new comment.

3. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you can brush your teeth while you read another person's blog.

4. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you do a happy dance because another person has just joined your follower list.

5. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you check your blog and it has only been 10 minutes since the last time you checked your blog.

6. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you realize you just burned supper because you had to check your blog for anything new.

7. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you ignore your husbands' questions and just keep typing (well, actually that could just be a normal everyday occurrence).

8. You might be addicted to blogging if..... you are really thinking about naming a new kitty, Dash, short for Dashboard.

9. You might be addicted to blogging if.....
YOU FILL IN THE BLANK!!!! I WANT TO SEE HOW CLEVER ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS ARE!!!!

GARDEN WALK

This was the announcement of the Garden Walk. Laura passed these out in church and said she wanted to get Illinois City on the map and what better way than to start a Garden Walk. Now, Illinois City is not big, but we do have a post office and volunteer fire department building and a huge festival of sorts in August called Illinois City Days. We also have Hilltop Greenhouse. You will meet the owner towards the end of this post. (I do believe Laura also advertised the walk through a few other local newspapers.)

This is Laura, the instigator of this Garden Walk. She is on her front porch of the cutest log home I have seen. She and her husband, Randy, built it back in a woodsy setting and the inside is just adorable. Everything is log cabin-ish and her collections are just to die for. Every inch of this house was well thought out and decorated perfectly. One collection of hers is old wooden ironing boards. The pic is in her garage, the boards are displayed on one of the walls. Her talents are endless and her thumb is oh so green!





Antique ironing boards in Laura's garage

This is Judy. I just met Judy a month ago when I went to the greenhouse in search of Coral Bells(favorite flower of that week). We hit it off right away. She is the type of person you feel you have known forever even when it has only been a half an hour. Judy collects glass globes of every kind. Most all of them are solar lights and she has them displayed throughout her plant beds. Every color, size and shape. They added so much life to her flower beds. She said "You should see it at night!!!" I bet it is quite the sight!

This phlox really caught my eye!

Judy's glass globes

A solar fountain. Too bad it was cloudy so it wasn't working.

Bee Balm, this was a huge plot!

This is Sue. I did not know Sue at all until the Garden Walk. She walked with us around her yard explaining names of flowers and what she did to get them to grow so wonderfully. Her talent along with gardening, is painting (She did the mailbox she is standing by). Her work is just beautiful... She also paints on agates. She took time to show us some of her work. Amazing! I saw she had some of Laura's ironing boards that she has lined up to paint. I didn't take any pics of her artwork, I guess because I was too busy listening to her, she is a very interesting person to talk with.

Wildflower bed

shade garden

This is a zinnia, wow, the color is beautiful

And this is Maria. She and her husband own Hilltop Greenhouse. They started the greenhouse at their own house and expanded on this piece of property. This property was a 100+ year old dairy farm that was originally homesteaded in 1900. The original barn and sheds are still there.

I fell in love with this place as I walked through the gardens. You can tell that this business is a commitment of love. The grounds are so well kept and as you talk with Maria, she just has such a passion for what she does, plus, she loves stained glass too! OH,,,,, you can imagine how excited I was to hear that. She makes stepping stones too!!! Well that just excited me even more...

The old outhouse, with a fresh coat of paint, love the pink!

5,000 mums and asters planted for fall. This is amazing to see!

Maria spent so much time talking with us, you could just see how passionate she is for flowers and the greenhouse.

I just want to personally thank these women for inviting us into their yards, gardens and homes. Each of these women work at the greenhouse during the planting season and each has their own talent in other areas. It was such an enjoyable day and I felt like I met 3 new friends with the same passion for flowers as I do.

THIS GREENHOUSE IS SEASONAL ONLY.

If you would like more info email me at: lrick4444@yahoo.com

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