and.....last night's dinner

Totally enjoying a variety of fresh salads these days!!

*spinach with strawberries, blueberries, finely crumbled cauliflower and chopped pecans

*dressing: raw organic apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, honey, salt and pepper, and a bit of water 

I love this dressing!
It is soooo good!
 I'll be creating a few other dressings this week.
Homemade dressings rock!
Do you have a favorite homemade dressing you love to make?
I would love to know about it!!

Monday's Lunch

A wonderful assortment of fresh veggies...

 leaf lettuce, celery, red cabbage, tomato... 

  tossed together... 

then drizzle with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, honey, minced garlic salt and pepper

Fresh and delicious!

the list is long, but not complete

When I think back to all of the jobs I've had in my life....wow...goodness the list is long!  Really, though, I wouldn't trade the experiences for anything. 

16 different companies,  23 different  positions! 

Lord, that must really sound so bad!!

It actually makes me laugh though...because I know who I am..and it's not that way.

Take a look.

1) weight loss counselor/sales of weight loss programs

2) ice cream stand/ make various ice cream treats and hot foods

3) manager at same ice cream stand

4) pizza shop/ pizza maker

5) manager at same pizza shop

6) front desk hotel

7) lifeguard at same hotel

8) housekeeper at same hotel

9) Disney store/ greeter and helped customers spend their money

10) major department store/ cashier

11) service desk at same dept. store

12) pizza/pub restaurant at the airport/ cashier, hot foods, tend bar on occasion

P.S. I totally sucked at bar tending!!! I could barely mix a drink, didn't know the recipes for the drinks, but I totally mastered pouring a beer from tap into a glass....that was actually fun!!!! 

13) manager at a sub sandwich shop

14) receptionist/data entry at a collection agency

15) supervisor at the same collection agency

16) receptionist at a factory bakery that made biscotti

17) part time customer help at a craft store while working full time at bakery

18) the cook at an assisted living home for elderly people/ cooked lunch and dinner for 120 people

19) activities director at same assisted living home

20) short order cook at golf course

P.S. I totally sucked at being a short order cook! Like really bad. I could handle about 2, maybe 3 orders at at time...no problem, but when those tickets started lining up in front of my nose and I had stuff in the fryer, stuff on the grill and stuff on the flat top cooking.....OHHHH NO! Mamma could NOT handle it! Nope!! It's hilarious now that I look back at it! Do you know how many hot dogs I have burnt to a crisp! How many eggs I broke the yolk! How many fries I burnt, grilled cheese I burnt...flames higher than my freakin' head on the flat top!! customers at the bar seeing through the kitchen door, looking at the sudden burst of grease fire flames shooting up higher than my head and collectively saying "WOOOOOOHHHHHH!" Oh for real people, that was me...short order cook.....EPIC FAIL!! 

21) JoAnn Fabrics/ cashier, fabric counter

22) receptionist for an interior decorating company

23) Pier 1 Imports/ cashier

The long list makes me look flighty and un loyal. 

I know!! It totally looks that way! 

But really, it's not as bad as it looks!!
~~~~~~

Jobs 1 through 5, I was just a kid. Also, sometimes I had to quit a job because of particular circumstances....college courses, lack of hours on the schedule, needing higher paying job, moving out of state, moving again, having a baby, working part time after my first child turned 1, having another baby and back to being  home full time, then holding a part time job after my 2nd child was born so I could get out and earn some money and my husband could actually spend time with the kids while I worked...otherwise he would have been out working a 3rd job to provide (not always....just sometimes in the beginning, when things were tight) then,  moving out of state again, being a stay at home mom again, then deciding to go back to work.... then realizing I wanted to be a stay at home mom again, and was able to because the hubster was making big bucks... sooooo... stuff like that.   

Oh, by the way, I only got fired once! hahaha! No, it wasn't the short order cook job, it was the supervisor position at the collection agency. Trust me, it was a slap in the face! Like totally dumfounded! I have always been the "goodie- two shoes" at work, the one that followed all the rules, the one that got promoted....and ya, this was a whammy! I am telling you the truth though.... the owner of this company fired about 6 people during the 1 year that I worked for him...he was just one of those people...you'd show up to work, he'd call you in his office, and fired you. I always watched the people walk out with smiles on their face, but tears in their eyes, trying to act like it didn't bother them, but it did....and there I sat, at my desk, thinking I was one of the safe ones...well, I guess I wasn't! 

So, why did I want to share this with you guys? I don't know. I'm sorry, that is not an answer. So let me dig deep. It's not like I'm proud that I've had 950 thousand jobs in a course of 20 years...but in a way, I think it's kind of neat. I have learned to do soooo many different things in a variety of businesses that I would have never learned or experienced otherwise. The friendships with people I have worked with, from all walks of life, from different countries, varying personalities and backgrounds.... have been priceless. I have learned a lot and gained a lot from working with them.  

All of my work experience makes me who I am. 

True, I don't have a degree in anything....that does stink...cause I know I could have done much better had I a degree in something. I struggle with that so bad sometimes! Like really bad! So many times I have felt like nothing. So many times I have felt embarrassed that I didn't have a college degree. It has made me feel less than others at times. But now, really, I am over that. Like, really, really over that. I did go to college a couple of times and I actually did very well...but I didn't finish. :p  (making raspberries sounds with my lips)

But what can I say?

I am who I am.

I am me.

Bonnie.

I got married, I had kids, and I'm a mom.

That's who I am. 

I don't have an education, 

I don't have a fancy, good paying job, 

but....I do have an important job...

raising 2 boys that may become someone important one day.

Maybe they will invent something great or help a lot of people in some way. 

And I will be the mom that nurtured them.

And...if they don't invent anything or helping lots of people....

they will always be awesome and important to me.

So, 

I'm a mom, 

that's raising 2 boys, 

keeping house and home for my hubby and the kids too, 

and maybe some day 

I'll do something too. 

In fact, I really think I will. 

It's in there...

it's in me...

I know it is. 

I really do. 

I'm far from done.

Honestly, I've only just scratched the surface.

sailboat quilt, com.....plete!

Well...I've been going on and on about my sailboat quilt for some time now. 

I've been talking about it here on my blog...and on my facebook. 

Well....I have finally completed it! 

Finally! Yay!!  

I will talk no more about it....I will just show ya a couple of pics and then we can move on. hee hee!

Wait...I have one thing I have to say...pay no mind to the cut off points of my triangles!!! I totally messed up on this quilt! Years ago, when I started this quilt...I wasn't concerned about perfect points and all...if I was piecing this now-a-days....I would not be liking this and would rip out stitches and re-sew...anyhow, just sayin.

Curious about the fabrics? They were all purchased at JoAnn Fabrics about 6 years ago. I haven't purchased  any fabrics on  line yet....but  I am oh so ready to do so!! You just can't  get awesome quilting  fabric at stores  anymore. There IS still some out there....but, it  seems like the fabrics that make me drool are all available through the internet....these on line fabric shops totally rock! 

Have a great day!

Peach Butterscotch Pecan Pie...oh ya baby!

Oh baby! 

This is the mother of all peach pies!

I am really loving how it turned out!!

Sooooo delicious! 

So the basic ingredients....

beautiful juicy peaches!

freshly chopped pecans!

smooth and creamy butterscotch!!!

Major yum!

I tried something different with the top crust. 

This is the first time I tried this design....

and I like it!!

I always brush my top pie crusts with half n half cream 

and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Goodness....it's a thing of beauty.

And, it tastes fantastic!! My husband had 2 slices.

That is always a good sign!

****

PEACH  BUTTERSCOTCH  PECAN  PIE

4 cups sliced peaches {peeled and pitted}

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 Tbsp. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp. lemon juice

pastry for 2 crust, 9 inch pie

Dump sliced peaches in pastry line pie pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of peaches. In a saucepan, mix brown sugar, flour, salt and butter. This will be your butterscotch filling. Heat until well incorporated and the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Pour this butterscotch mixture over top of the peaches and pecans. Top your pie with the second pastry. Make sure to cut slits to allow steam to escape. You can do the above design I chose by cutting slits into the dough before you put in atop your pie.

Brush your top pie crust with milk or half and half and sprinkle with sugar.

Cover edges of pie crust with foil to protect from burning. Remove foil 10 minutes before done.

 Bake in 425 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Bake pie on a cookie tray pan to prevent spillage in oven.

no smoke and mirrors here

Hello readers and friends! It is Saturday and it is so beautiful outside. Today I am planning on quilting, baking  pies and making tomato sauce. I have so much fresh fruit and tomatoes on my kitchen table right now...the fruit flies are having a lot of fun, I tell ya! This morning I changed my bio on my blog. An anonymous commenter noted that my pepperoni rolls are in complete contradiction with my profile description of myself.   My simple recipe  for pepperoni rolls is made with frozen bread dough, jarred pizza sauce, and shredded cheese from Wal Mart.....but....my bio stated that I believe in making everything from scratch. It's funny, because, for a very long time, my bio stated that I make meals from scratch, "but not everything", and I said "I'm not perfect ya know". Well, when I was updating my blog not long ago, I decided to re-word my bio a little bit and I dropped that part.  Well, I don't want to give anyone the false sense that I make my own cheese, or that I make my pasta from scratch or that I grind wheat berries to make my own flour. Although, I would totally love to do all of that because I find that stuff completely awesome!! So, I would like to say that
I DO NOT make everything from scratch....BUT...
there are many things I make from scratch.
I do have store bought pasta sauce in my pantry...BUT...
I do make homemade tomato sauce as well...cause it's awesome and oh so yummy!
Also, I love, love to bake most of my cakes from scratch....
pretty much about 99% of my cakes are from scratch.
I do on occasion bake a cake from a box mix....yes, it's true...I know...what can I say.
I do bake my pies from scratch...always, always, always, always, always!!!!!!!!
Every single pie crust I make is from scratch.
I rarely buy pre packaged food...it scares me all the crap they put in freezer food.
I have definitely bought many freezer pizzas....
but I have also made pizza from scratch many times....and it is soooo much tastier!
I buy Oreos and those mini powdered sugar donuts and put peanut butter on top of 'em....
cause it's a sickness I have....
peanut butter and powdered sugar...
I like it way too much! LOL!
I do sometimes make prepackaged flavored rice....although, I do feel guilty about it when I do...
because I know I can make it with the ingredients I have in my pantry.

On a last note, I know that my faithful readers and commenters already know this about me. I want to thank all of you guys out there. You have been so awesome with your support and faithful reading. You guys keep me going. I often go back and forth on whether or not to continue this blog. I do enjoy it, but it does keep me on the computer a little more than I would like. For some reason, I am not a quick blogger. It takes me a lot of time to make a post....sometimes. The best thing that I have gotten from this blog is the friendships that I have made with some of you. It is so awesome to be able to share interests with others that enjoy the same thing as me. I've gotten to know about your families and I care about what happens to you guys. I always think of blogging as modern day pen pals...I think it is pretty cool.

P.S. I don't want you guys to think that one comment has really disturbed me to the point of making a big post and all this stuff. I'm not mad or hurt or anything like that. I kinda have a dream of one day publishing a book....recipes, family life, Pennsylvania....stuff like that....and if I am going to ever do that, I better make sure that I am coming across real and I don't want to be misleading at all.

Love you guys!!
Have a totally fantastic weekend!
I know I will!
Lots of baking planned!
And.....by the way, I am in the home stretch with my sailboat quilt! Last night I starting attaching the binding/the edging that goes around the edge of the quilt!! I am so happy! It WILL be done today! Yay!!

from my viewpoint

Have you ever wondered what it looks like where someone else lives? 

I have often wondered this about my long distance friends and relatives.

I thought maybe you might like to see what it looks like here.

And maybe...you might find it neat

 to see what I see everyday.

Am I the only one that thinks of such things???

I really hope this is not like, the most boring-est post I've ever done!

This kind of stuff interests me...but who knows if it interests anyone out there?

haha!

So, do you ever wonder about things like this???

Bye for now!

Have a blessed day!

Stan the man, Stan my man

You are looking at the angel of all husbands here. 

There is nothing he wouldn't do for me.

He is smart, talented and creative.

When I say smart...

I mean that he retains knowledge, details and facts.

He can figure out any problem

be it structural or design.

He can build anything.

He has a keen sense of intuition which always blows me away.

More often than not, he is right on the money.

He has the clever knack of discerning bullshit from reality.

He's pretty much a no nonsense kinda guy.

But...has the sense of humor of a comedian.

He has kept me laughing every single day of our marriage. 

Seriously, it is pretty much non stop shenanigans every day around here.

He knows everything there is to know about 

biking, hiking, backpacking, and survival skills.

He served as a United States Marines for 4 years and fought on the front lines of Desert Storm.

Oh, I almost forgot.

He is strong.

Like, really strong. 

I've seen this man lift a 15 foot palm tree by himself.

How he even got it into the truck by himself is an oddity in itself.

I'm telling you, he's an ox.

He has endurance like no other.

He can hike the highest mountain with ease.

He can bicycle the highest hill.

His lung capacity never fails to impress me.

Oh, he even has the most calmest heart rate I have ever heard.

When I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heart,

I wonder if it's ever going to beat again!

haha!

It's totally slow and steady and strong.

Mine is fast and hyper and no wonder I tucker out so fast.

Another thing, 

he is my rock.

Like, serious ROCK.

He is the calm in the storm.

Especially my storms.

hehehe!

He doesn't get frightened.

He doesn't get worried.

He can handle stress.

He can handle emotion.

He can manage problems.

He finds solutions.

Even hurricanes do not unravel him, I tell ya!

Thank God for him!

When I am sick, he is caring.

When I freak out, he is calming.

When I am worried, he is practical.

When I am scared, he is understanding.

There are some fun things as well.

He teases me, picks on me, and goofs with me.

I tease him, pick on him and goof with him.

This is all the fun kind of teasing and picking, mind you.

No mean stuff, just silly, goofy stuff that keeps us laughing!

Every day laughing!

He can't stay mad long even if he tries.

He is generally upbeat but in a calm way.

He has his grumpy moments.

He has his dorky moments.

He is the best father to our children.

I tell him he is a better father than I am mother.

He says no, that's not true.

I would not pick another man to be my children's father.

His example to them is strong.

He has always played with the kids more than I have.

He wants to do all the fun boy stuff with them

like build ramps for their bikes

and tree houses

and rope swings.

  So, ya, he's pretty much an angel.

Does he ever make me mad or irritated?

Well, ya, now and then,

but it quickly passes.

I don't know how.

It just does.

I am so happy I have Stan.

He is my man!

A very blueberry crisp, A very quilty quilt, and Some very crazy chickens

Man oh Man!! 

We've been blessed with some REALLY good blueberries in our CSA this summer.

Not to mention they are organic. Double bonus there! 

I made some blueberry pancakes a couple of times, and they were heavenly. 

These blueberries are not tart at all.

They are perfectly sweet.

I love blueberries. 

Yesterday, I made a very yummy, blueberry crisp. 

I was happy that the recipe used the remainder of my blueberry stash, as I didn't want them going to waste. 

The recipe for the awesome crisp will be at the end of this post.... so DO check it out.

I finally got myself going on my sailboat quilt again.

Yay!! 

I have really been putting the hours in on this thing.

I am hand quilting, so it does take some time. {but I machine pieced it together} 

Anyhow, I am proud of myself, because the quilt is starting to really come together. 

I am hoping to be done with all  hand quilting by tonight, 

and then I can start making the bias tape that goes around the edges. 

Call me crazy, but I love sewing on the binding. 

It is so fulfilling!! 

I attach the binding edge with my sewing machine... 

and then when you fold it over the edges and tuck in under, I hand stitch it to the back. 

For some reason...I love this part. 

I think because it is just stitch after stitch and it's almost mindless. 

It's just good.

For now, I will leave you with a couple photos of my crazy chickens. 

They look dead, don't they?!

Don't worry, I assure you...they are very much alive!

They are sunbathing on the hot wooden deck.

I have read that chickens don't like the heat and the sun...

so what's wrong with my silly chickens???

They have always done this....this is nothing new....this is a normal thing for my chickens.   

They apparently love the deck because the wood is so warm. 

Sometimes there's 3 or 4 of them all doing this together. 

In the rare occasion the chickens do this when we have a visitor, our guests will look out on the back deck and say "OH NO! I think something's wrong!!"  

I'm like, "oh, ya, they're fine, just get a little closer to the glass and they'll notice you and be up and running." 

My chickens don't do this all the time, but they do it a few times a week. 

Mostly, they do this in the cooler months when the sun is out and warming the wood...

but they do it once in a while in the summer too.

To me, chickens are a constant source of interest and entertainment.  

Too funny!!


A VERY BLUEBERRY CRISP

3 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
pinch of salt
4 Tbsp. softened butter

Toss blueberries with white sugar, corn starch and lemon juice
Dump into 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, oats, salt and butter with a pastry blender of fork.
Sprinkle mixture evenly over berries.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.

TODAY'S HEADLINES: Stay-at-Home-Mom wastes too much time and doesn't even enjoy the summer sun!

My goodness, I don't have any photos of yummy food to show you....nor do I have any photos of cutesy craft projects.  I've been in a semi funk all summer! Like, not a bad funk, just a little funk. I don't know what my deal is. Of course, I have absolutely no good reason to be in a (semi) funk...I am blessed beyond measure and God takes care of our family constantly. He is so good to us every single solitary day. So why the funk? Hmm? I don't know. I sound spoiled and ungrateful! But I promise you,  I am very, very grateful!
One thing I thought about the other day....it totally just made sense! I haven't been outside very much this summer during the heat of the day in the direct sunshine. I was thinking I might be lacking vitamin D from the sun. I totally get this way in the winter....and I get blah. This has been the most I have stayed inside during the day, during any summer I can ever remember. I have to make myself catch some rays today.

On to other things...I am going to attempt some time management for myself. It's not that I don't have enough time to get things done....it's the opposite. I have too much time! And......I need to be utilizing that time to my advantage!! I have so much time and I am letting it slip away to nothingness!

Oh look, it's a picture of me! 

LOL!

People.....this is me this summer!! All June and July...but hopefully not August. 

Must. Reform. Myself. 

!!!

At this time in my life, I am blessed to have the time to get chores done, be a mom and wife, annnnndddd, also have plenty of time to do my hobbies. There are some quilts I started that I would love to finish....and I would like to get back into scrapbooking. I've got the time....I'm just not using it right! Days go by and I think, sheez, what do I have to show for it! I made a list of things that "kill" my time and I am evaluating whether I really need them in my life....is it something that adds quality to my life? If not, cut it out. Some things I'm going to try to eliminate and some things I'm going to just cut way back on.

My first order of business (after housework and children)  is to get working on those unfinished quilts....and I will show you guys when I complete them. If I actually finished these quilts, I cannot tell you how proud I would be of myself!! But, I have to be careful to balance the time and not let the quilting time get out of control or then my housework will slip! hahaha!

Okay guys, that's all for today! I'm going to get moving! I have already promised myself time in the sun today...then I'll do some touch up housework....then I will pull out the first quilt top to be finished!!! Please send some energizing, motivating brain waves my way!