The Harvest Table Give~Away

Harvest in June?  Yeah I know... we just set our minds into the summer mode…thinking picnics, vacations, swimming, beach time and lake time…..and NO more school for a while!!  So why am I here talking about The Harvest Table?  To shift your minds to fall….get you geared-up and ready for football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and all the other wonderful fall and autumn heartwarming things associated with one of our favorite seasons!  But why?....you still ask….. Because there is a new Gooseberry Patch Cookbook out and ready for you! 

THE HARVEST TABLE…..it is jam packed with a bountiful collection of recipes, tips, wonderful ideas and stories!  There are recipes for tailgating, football watching, snacks, and all the way to the Thanksgiving spread….and don’t forget desserts!  I went through the book scouring the pages and marking them with sticky tabs.  I found a Pineapple Cheese Ball recipe that I WILL be making for my daughter’s baby shower in June; a Pizza dip, a Touchdown Pickle dip (how fun is that?), Halloween Popcorn balls that have candy corn in them, a cornbread dressing recipe and many many more! I have tiny green tabs sticking out all over the edges!!

I even found stories, tips, and memories posted at the bottom of each page.  One such story reflecting on home gardening and canning…something I can relate to!  Here’s a good tip for you this summer:  Make your own ice packs for your cooler.  In a gallon-size sip lock bag (I would use the freezer ones) combine 2 cups water, 1 cup rubbing alcohol, and 2-3 drops of blue food coloring.  Seal, leaving room for expansion and freeze.  They can be used several times over and over!

And for you fun crafty people who love glitter, here’s one for you: Lightly coat your holiday pumpkin with spray adhesive and dust with fine glitter. Try using those odd festive colors like purple and lime green or gold!! Fun fun!

And here’s one for all you Halloween cookie bakers that like to frost the cookies:  For orange frosting add 6 drops of yellow and 2 drops of red food coloring to a small bowl of white frosting.  For black, add 2-3 drops of blue food coloring to a small bowl of dark chocolate frosting!!  Now you are ready for orange pumpkins, black cats, bats and witches hats!!

This cookbook really puts you in the fall mood….I can close my eyes and smell the smells of fall….apples, cinnamon, spices, peanuts, grilling, the turkey baking in the oven….OH MY!  So I just had to go ahead and try out some of the recipes and share my thoughts with you on them.  

For this review, I will be making Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie, Signature Chocolate Cream Pie, and Ursula’s Breakfast Danish.  Yes I like pie!  I will be making the Pineapple Chess Ball later in June for the baby shower too and many others on down the road.

First up is the Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie

This is it before the inversion....too beautiful to mess with huh?

  But the secret here is to turn this bad baby out

 onto a serving plate for the surprise:

Voila'

A beautiful array of pecans and ooey gooey goodness 

cooked underneath the apple pie!! 

Apples and pecans make a great combination!

Next I tried a Signature Chocolate Cream Pie

for all you chocolate lovers...

It is a cooked custard-pudding pie using the

microwave which makes it quick and easy.

When chilled you top it with a  fattening yummy whipped topping made

from scratch using good ole whipping cream.

YummY!!

Oh for the love of chocolate!!

...and last I tried Ursula’s Breakfast Danish

...I believe this one is going to be a favorite come-back-to recipe.

An easy cream cheese filled danish that you can make

fresh at home using refrigerated crescent rolls!

Top it off with a sugar glaze and pecans and it is so good!!

It was so easy to prepare and with a few tweaks

of my own of the cream cheese filling

I believe this one will be perfect.

So now that I have made your mouth water and have you in the mood for baking…..go order this book!!!  And after you do….don’t put in on the shelf and only drag it down in the fall….there are lots of scrumptious recipes that you can use all throughout the year!

And now for the give-away  …just what everyone has been waiting for!  Gooseberry Patch and I have teamed together to give you a chance to win this wonderful cookbook…..and as with any give away there are a few rules to follow.

SIMPLE BUT NECESSARY RULES FOR THE GIVE-AWAY

~Post a comment below on this blog post only

~You MUST provide your name and an email address if you are not posting a comment as a blogger (otherwise I cannot contact you if you win)

~Give-away is open for US and Canada only due to high postage costs….sorry guys!

~Give-away will close on June 25th and the winner will be announced June 26, 2012.  

 If you do not feel lucky and are not the winner or live outside of the US and Canada......don't fret!  You can pre-order  your cookbook here before they hit the shelves. 

You can go here to this link to order. Just click on this picture...it will take you to the Gooseberry website.

OR

 you can get a sneak peek inside at Amazon and a

great discount off the price for a limited time...

...so what are you waiting for.....GO!

 Get it…you won’t regret it!

Credit where credit is due:  graphics are from Gooseberry Patch and photos are mine!!

Have a great day!

Not Wanting to Let Go....

As they say… all good things must come to an end.

Sometimes I just want to take life and put it in a jar...hold onto it forever so I can pull it out and look at it again and again.  This wonderful holiday season came with laughter, tears, joy, happiness, bright shinys, warmth, ribbons and bows, family and friends, and lots of good food and fellowship. The reason for the season was felt, captured and cherished. Holidays come and go…family comes and goes…good food comes and goes…well… some of it stays on the hips after it passes by the lips!

None the less…everything has come to a screeching halt.

The house is quiet again…
But I hope happiness and love found you this Christmas and that it lingers on forever like the Christmas spirit in your heart which should never end but live within you always.

I know I have been missing-in-action through the past week or so and did not get to personally express my Christmas wishes for you…but just know; I did think of you often as I spent precious time with my family. I wanted to hold on to those moments so tight and not let them get away…well…reality set in and I came to my senses.
I let go…
Life is scattered in the living room ready to be cleaned up, put up, boxed up and readied for what the new year will bring. I know there will be challenges, big moves, happiness, sadness, new experiences, skinned knees and boo boos.

The circle has been made; 365/24’s have marched by like a parade, and we are all another year older and hopefully a wee bit wiser. I can look back on 2010 and honestly say it was better than 2009. I hold onto each memory I made, not wanting to let go but also wanting to welcome something new and fresh. I thanked God for each day that  was given to me as a gift, I accepted it when I woke each morning…I left it as a memory when I laid down to rest at the end.
I thanked God again.
Another circle will soon begin to form…the circle of life that sometimes will get out of shape and off course, but it will always make it around as time allows.
Some days I will not keep up…others I will see it through.

The circle of life…
Round and round we will go, like a carnival merry-go-round…we choose which ride we will take but sometimes we have to take the one that is left and make the best of it. To the end of this journey we have come, the music has stopped and we exit the ride, only to jump on for another round as it starts up again to begin anew…with hope, great expectations, dreams, sparkle, a song in our heart, and a purpose.

Keep it real and uncomplicated…be true to yourself with what ever life gives you, throws at you, is handed to you…Go With Faith and hang onto the Happy!

Wishing everyone the happiest New Year to come with many blessings.

Cora



The reason....

Who can add to Christmas?

The perfect motive is that God so loved the world.

The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.

The only requirement is to believe in Him.

The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.

~Corrie ten Boom

I will be spending time with my family. Holly, Richard, and their fur babies will be home later today! Jackie is off until the new year….Excitement is in the air~~~~~~~

Living more with less. Living more on love and

happiness and less on material things~

From our house to yours…Warm Christmas Wishes to you all…for a safe and blessed week filled with joy, love, peace, happiness, and Jesus!

Merry Christmas

Cora

White Chocolate and Toilet Paper

Hello….

Are you enjoying your Christmas holidays?…I am! It’s still very cold outside…everything is Christmasy and I have begun my baking and cooking. Yesterday I took a long list to the grocery store. A list a whole lot longer than my own wish list!
I bought things that I do not normally buy…cherries, chocolate, nuts, candy, dried cranberries…more chocolate and more nuts…of all kinds. I forgot the white chocolate and the toilet paper…Can’t do without either! The white chocolate is for cookie drizzle and well…you know what the other is for.

I have been sewing on some cute little treats that I will share later, because they are for Christmas gifts and some of the recipients read or rather look at my blog sometimes!  I have stuffed the stockings...even Holly's fur babies have a stocking and I have filled them with toys and treats. ^..^

Have you been good this year?

I have Crock Pot Candy going and it smells so heavenly…YuM YuMmY! Next I will crack open my pumpkins from Thanksgiving and toast the seeds for the Nutty Berry Mix that I make and gift in cute little jars. Busy busy…but I still have to find time to come here and be with you!
I also have to find time to snap a few photos~swoon~my love.

I hope you are having a wonderful season, making, baking, giving, sharing, honoring our king and just trying to stay warm and cozy where ever you are. Please pray for and remember others that are less fortunate than us, those who are fighting for our freedoms, all little children and the elderly.
They are all precious in His site.

Blessings, Peace, Hope and Joy be yours!

Cora

My Some What Grown up Chistmas List

Baby its cold outside…and we actually had a few snow flurries in south Alabama a couple of days ago.

Yes, Virginia it is beginning to look, feel, and sound a lot like Christmas. The heat pump is running and running…The halls have been decked, wrecked, and prepared. Menus have been thought out and planned. The sweets have been pondered and drooled over. A few cards were written and sent to loved ones…some of which are far far away in an unknown unfriendly place. Beds have been freshened for my little family to return home for the holidays! The stocking are hung…although they may fall if something is stuffed inside them…! The heat is running. Baby Jesus was laid in His manger. Music is being played, hummed and sang to. The chestnuts are roasted for the dressing…Cozy Christmas blankets have been strode around the room for cuddling up. Christmas movies are watched over and over and over… The holidays have been wrapped up…in pretty papers, big fluffy bows, handled with love and placed under the tree in honor of the special guest who is having a birthday…the Great I Am; the Holy One. The heat is still running… Brrrrrrr….its cold!

Now I sit and reflect how fortunate I am and think of others who are cold with no heat, hungry with no food, lonely with no love, and lost with no Jesus. My heart cries and prays for them.

I know everyone has their very own Christmas wish list…I hope you get everything you desire, deserve, and hope for and that you have a blessed, special and happy Christmas as you celebrate with your loved one. Here is my list:

My Grown Up Christmas List

…well some not so grown up…

To hear and see peace

To have Christmas here in Dixie… at Home

To see the end of all wars and fighting in our world

To feel the spirit of Christmas flow within our hearts and let it sing

To be filled…with warm and healthy thoughts

To laugh and have others laugh with me even though we may not know what we are laughing about

To see Christmas through the eyes of a child again

To feel that flutter of sheer excitement in my stomach, the one that takes my breath away

To give whole heartedly with love

To have snow on Christmas day…

To have family surround my table enjoying fellowship

To steal a kiss under some mistletoe

To sit in wonder, watch the twinkling, hear the jingle, and BELIEVE in things I cannot see.

To have my faith grow and burst wide open so that my little light might shine brighter

To have compassion for others first, to offer blessings, and give them hope and joy

To build a snowman and throw snow balls

To be able to pay the electric bill when it comes…the heat is still running

To entertain angels

To remain in awe of that miraculous birth which occurred many many years ago, in a cold stable with only the sweet animals to bare witness of its glory. To think that they knew who He was at the time…To look at the heavenly stars above and remember that first and brightest one that sent the wise ones on their way…

For everyone to know Jesus

Simple Christmas

Christmas is not a holiday, a date on the calendar, or a week off work.

There is no need to get flustered, stressed, and bent-out-of-shape.

Christmas is a feeling...

One down deep inside the heart; an emotion that expresses love and kindness.

It cannot be found in the lights, the tinsel, or in all the hoopla of shopping and running around.

It’s a celebration of a gift that was given to each and every one of us.

It was the best gift that could be given and one that cannot be matched or out done.

It was wrapped in a swaddling wrapping, tied up in a bundle of joy and hope.

It did not cost any amount of money but remains priceless to this day.

It can be opened by anyone just for accepting it and is offered with no expectations only that we share it with others.

We only have to receive it, open our hearts, and let it fill us with its spirit…

The Christmas Spirit.

The love that came in a small package is such a great and simple Christmas pleasure. The simplest of pleasures given and seen and even felt at Christmastime.
As simple as…

A mother’s joyful tear as she watches her child
Colorful twinkling lights that shine in the night
The warmth that removes the winter cold from our hearts
The pure innocence of a little child
Believing without seeing
Homemade gifts, stitched, baked, crafted, loved
The wonder, excitement, and jingle
Carefully thought out Christmas lists and wishes
The unwrapping of love
Aromas that make the heart warm up
The reason for the season
A peace that passes our own understanding
Giving with no expectations
The gift, the ultimate gift

May you find that gift, not under your tree, but in your heart this Christmas!

Christmas Blessings,

Cora

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~ Dr. Seuss



What Lies Ahead

Posting for the 30 days of gratitude has come to its cessation. I have spent the last month expressing thoughts and photos of things that I am thankful for. I pray my gratitude does not end here. I pray I continue to constantly be aware of how I am so blessed each and every day of my life. I look forward with anticipation and much gratitude…forward to a special birthday celebration we call Christmas; and forward to a brand new year. I also look back and try to count my many many blessings, as if it were possible. I am so thankful for each day and all that they have brought to me, whatever reason, good and bad. God is in control and He knows best!

The past, the present, the future!

I also count each of you that have read my somewhat insignificant writings, when I am counting all those blessings. Thanks for hanging with me, visiting, sharing and leaving all the sweet comments.

From the past to the present and forward we go…together. We cannot go forward without leaving the past; but we should never forget the journey that got us to the present...the present which leads our next steps into the future.  Come walk with me!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, God Bless, Sweet Dreams and Jingle all the Way!

30/30 Today I am grateful for what lies ahead and what has been.

My word for 2010~Experience

I have experienced much gratitude

Days of Blur

On my 23rd day of gratitude I was thankful for the busyness with my family. Boy am I tired! Now 5 days later and I am behind on my posting for each day…where does the time go…?
Day 24-27 I was busy counting my blessings and trying to shove a ton of things into a few hours. Did I fail at doing the 30 days of gratitude…?  No,  I just got caught up in life…with my family…so important too.

So to recap the last few days…it went something like this:

Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving~ we had my parents and niece over for a Low Country Shrimp Boil. For those of you who do not know what this is…It is awesome and involves some yummy shrimp! We had a sort-of Cajun Thanksgiving feast… outside on a beautiful day.

It’s a really simple shrimp boil with all the trimmings cooked in the same pot. Holly brought the shrimp fresh, straight from the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. Cooked along with the shrimp, were potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob, mushrooms, garlic, onions, lemons, spices and we even added raw peanuts. Once done we spread this whole concoction down the center of my picnic table…no plates, no forks…just lots of napkins. Yum~YuM~YumO! Clean up is easy and no dishes to wash….well almost. We also cooked some Portobello Mushroom Fries, hush puppies, and fried okra! That we had to clean up! Psst…the mushroom fries were to die for; thanks to the Neely’s recipe.
If you would like to try a Low Country Boil, visit Skip To My Lou for the step-by-step instructions.
Now do you believe we actually had dessert after that feast…yes we did! Let’s not even go there!

Richard and Holly

Thursday Thanksgiving Day~ the big bird was prepped Wednesday night, ready for the Big Easy* Thursday morning! Other items were readied to take to Nannie’s~ my husband’s mother. Most all of Jackie’s family was there, plus a lot of food! And yet again we pigged out and were stuffed…with more desserts too! The guys went hunting after a while and Holly and I made it home later that evening for a rest before hitting the shopping! Black Friday began at 12:01 am Friday! We set out at 11:30 pm Thursday…starting with Wal-Mart and Old Navy with only one purchase. We then waited for Kohl’s to open at 3:00am. Now this is where I found some good deals plus we had an additional percentage off the total purchase coupon! Love it! After the sun managed to come up through the light rain…we ate some breakfast at IHOP and boy was it hopping! I have never had to wait for a table at IHOP! Haha…so funny! After more shopping we finally made it back home at 10:30 Friday morning…no sleep since Wednesday night! Man-O-man! Can you say nap-time!!?? I don’t remember much after that………………except a big blur………

Friday-Black Friday~ see above, as these 2 days run together. More napping, Christmas movies, Oh and the much awaited famous football game between Alabama and Auburn, our state's two rivals, with undefeated Auburn taking the win 28-27! War Eagle and Roll Tide! I support them both.

Saturday~ we rose early for a trip to Panama City Florida to take Holly and Richard to the airport for their flight to Las Vegas to have an early Christmas with his sister and their whole family. Richard’s sister is in the Air Force and is being deployed the first part of December for Afghanistan with a medical team. We left home in time for them to be at the airport a good hour before flight time…only to arrive at the airport and it was closed down…yes closed-shut completely down. It looked like a ghost town! Not a soul in sight. It was the old airport…unbeknown to us, they had built another one on the other side of Panama City Beach… Have you ever done 80 mph in a 45 zone? Not a good idea! A reckless driving ticket kept coming to mind as we maneuvered through the traffic with Holly on the phone with her FIL as he tracked us all the way to the airport…mile by mile, road by road. We literally threw them out at the terminal door with their luggage and quick hugs with only 20 minutes until flight time… We left, but we did not go far. We pulled over on the exit and waited for the phone call and watched the plane taxi down the runway and take off with our children high in the sky! They made it! But their luggage was considered checked in late and they were told they may not get it until the next day! They connected in Houston TX and flew on to Las Vegas with no problems…luggage and all! Thank you Lord for being the pilot and using angel wings.

Jackie and I went for a ride to the beach, just a short distance down the road. It was a beautiful crisp cool day. We parked and took a walk on the beach…funny; I had never worn tennis shoes on the beach before!

After our walk we rode the “strip” as it has always been referred to, recalling many memories from high schools days and trips to the beach. Oh my! The motel where we always stayed was no longer there, a victim of a hurricane. But the old Goofy Golf and its animal structures were still in tact. It was a wonderful trip down that path through our memories. We had some lunch at Sharky’s, a blackened grouper sandwich and a shark attack platter!
Then home…Nap time again while attempting to watch another Christmas movie…another blurrrr.

Sunday~Today…all is well. I now know why God rested on the seventh day from all his work. Today is a day for praising, worshipping, and also for resting! Thank you! Now I just wish my Christmas decorations and tree would jump out and put themselves up! I also have to figure out how to keep some kitties from climbing that tree…hummmmmmmmm.

So for today this 28th day of 30 days of gratitude I am thankful for rest!

I hope every one of you had a beautiful and blessed

Thanksgiving with all the trimmings including lots of love.

*A Big Easy is an oil-less cooker that roasts with inferred heat.

Happy Holidaze

Holidays are special times for us to be thankful, celebrate births, remember those long gone, rejoice, make merry, honor, party, and be happy. It usually involves a lot of good food and eating. Sometimes there are presents, egg hunts, candy eating, balloons, noise-makers, praising, and giving. Regardless the event it is so…least we forget.

Participating in the 30 days of gratitude makes me more aware of just what all I have to be thankful for all through the year. Thanksgiving is a time for us to reflect and be truly thankful for everything. Christmas allows us to remember the birth of Christ our Savior. We count down the end of one year and ring in the beginning of a new one. There are holidays for famous people so we can honor them and their contributions to our nation. At Easter we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the tomb and His ascension into Heaven after He gave His life for all of us. There are memorials and labors of love and those special people who have dedicated their life to fight for our country. There’s a day to commemorate the birth of our great nation, and a time to dress silly, eat sugary treats and play fun tricks. To me the spring season is a rebirth, summer a fun frolicking time, fall a time of change and winter a time to be still and think.

It is good to have these days and seasons set aside to celebrate, observe, remember, and enjoy ourselves.


I am enjoying this season of holidays the most…from the smells, colors, and coziness right up to the birthday celebration and a new year!

15/30 Today I am grateful for the holidays.

!HaPpY HoLiDaZe!

Some Gave All

How many of you have ever visited a veteran’s hospital?  It is a real eye opener…there is a sense of sadness, respect, and honor found within its walls. The people found there are the ones that allow the rest of us to sleep safe, worship at our free will, and permit us the freedoms we enjoy without thought each day. They often do without, have suffered loss, are sometimes shamed, and are sick. Did you thank them…did you offer them help…did you pray for them? Without them and the sacrifices they made and are making…we would be without the wonderful liberties our great country has to offer. Yes some of them had a choice…others did not, but that choice and that commitment is what gave us our freedom. Our thanks and appreciation is due to them with the highest regard…those who served, those gone, and those who are serving today.

I have a Daddy that served in the United States Navy, a son-in-law that is currently serving in the United Sates Coast Guard and many friends and acquaintances that have and are serving. Think about that young soldier in a land unknown to them, war all around them, living sleeplessly, dirty, and scared. Then think about how safe you are, comfortable and living in your own home. What a blessing they are to give us such a gift!!

There are only two defining forces have ever offered to die for us, Jesus Christ and an American soldier; One died for our soul, the other for our freedom.

No… freedom has never been free…they gave it all…

Please honor and pray for our soldiers.

11/30 Today I am grateful for everyone and anyone

who has served our great nation! God Bless Them and Our America!

I’m Ready

Got the pumpkins

Got the candy

Got the candles

Got the mums

Got the Jack-O-Lanterns

Got the batteries

Got the gourds

Got the wreath

Got the bales of straw

Got the cool weather

I’m ready…bring it on you little ghosts and goblins, witches and weirdoes, pumpkins and princesses. I’ve got lots of good treats for you all.

Is your sweet tooth yearning for some sweet chocolate?

"Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much

sweetness as one can possibly want and hold." 

  ~Judith Olney

Halloween is such a fun time for dressing up and going out and about to collect all those sweet treats!  Sometimes you might even get a little tricked! I remember getting home from my night out and pouring all my sweets and treats onto the bed and sorting them...and trading them...and hiding them...and saving the best, trying to make them last. Here's some good advice from Linus "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker." Picture that!! Did you watch “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” last night?  I did...So cute!
And some more advice from Shaggy in Scooby-Doo: "Don't go near any place with spooky, haunted, forbidden, or creepy in the name."  Bahahahhahaaaaaaaa.......

Yesterday it rained. Thank you Lord. And I had a nice lunch with my parents and niece.
Oh and I got homemade chili in the crock pot for tonight, double, double, toil and trouble …yummy~ yummy could be tummy trouble! hahaha

Be safe my friends and have a little fun this weekend!

We Went Junking

"Summer Zinnia"

Yep…Me and the bestie! We made a whole day of it…an adventurous road trip. We set out on a mission to the Santuck Flea Market in Wetumpka, Al.  It was huge, but much to our disappointment it was not the type of flea market we were looking for. No old junk!!!! It was mostly cheap new stuff from China in boxes…anything from hand tools, rope, and plastic jewelry to bras. Yes I said bras…tons of them, new in clear packages! I found myself more interested in the baby goats, rabbits, ducks, chicks, and pot belly pigs!
They were too cute!

After walking around in the heat and sun for a good while and not buying one single thing, we decided to leave. After lunch we had a conversation with “Surely”…Becky’s GPS…asking her where thrift stores and such were in the area. Bingo! Wetumpka Flea Market was in the direction we were headed. It’s a large-inside-air-conditioned-flea-market! I was in heaven. Booth after booth of glorious junk! After making purchases of clamp lid glass jelly jars, books, old tins, and various other cool items, we were on our way to the next destination…Eastbrook Antiques and Flea Market. Now this place is huge and pricey!! Three levels of great shopping but our momentum was wearing down fast. With the purchase of only two items, an old Dr. Seuss book and a vintage syrup dispenser, we headed off again. This time it was a thrift store….found more small clamp lid jelly jars and books. They had an old Brownie movie camera that was in very good condition and actually worked, that I really would have loved to add to my collection, but I just could not bring myself to pay the $35.00 for it! My loss!
The next place on our list was closing in 10 minutes so we didn’t even go inside. But it’s on the list for next time! After a nice supper in Montgomery, we headed south again toward home, chatting all the way. All in all it was a fun day…

Of course a day spent with a friend is always good!

Last night I purchased these on E-Bay!

They are so stinking retro cute! I love them. I think I was obsessed with jelly this weekend!
Now if I could just find some jelly spoons…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are having our 4th of July celebration today. My parents are coming over and the 4 of us will be doing the grilling thing…baby backs, chicken, seasoned potato halves, and corn all cooked on the grill. Cucumber salad, peas, and fresh slices of red tomatoes are among the extras with the red white and blue dessert to top it all off!

Holly and Richard are celebrating today since he had to be on duty all weekend! We are together in spirit though many miles separate us on this wonderful holiday.

I hope each and everyone of you had a blessed weekend!