Summer Activities with the kids, Episode 2, Handmade Journals

I am in love with journals...{and scrapbook supplies}.  Actually I just love journals....period! I love the journal section at the book store!  I usually wish I could have all of them! What is it that attracts me to these pretty books with blank pages? I'm not sure...maybe it's the possibility of what is yet to be written or created. 

Since I cannot afford to buy every adorable journal at the book store, I thought I'd try my hand at making some. They are completely made from scratch...hand sewn, the whole nine yards. I up-cycled thin cardboard from another project for the front and back of the journals, used scrapbook paper to decorate, and embroidery floss to sew the pages together. The blank pages are made from plain white card stock. When needed, I used Elmer's clear school glue. 

Just a quick note here: this started out as a project with my youngest son. He was totally into it until something went wrong and he got a little frustrated. He's 10 years old and completely capable of making one of these journals...but I just don't think he was in the mood for pressing on, this particular day. However, I still wanted to keep the title to my post as "summer activities with the kids" for any of you out there who have kids that would be interested in making a journal. It is such a great summertime activity! They could make a bird journal, or a sketch pad....or just a writing journal for poems and such. Anyhow, I just thought you might be wondering where the photos of my kids were in this post....so now you know! :)

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So, you're wondering how I put it all together, aren't ya? Well, here's my secret...I watched this great tutorial
on Youtube...she does a great job of explaining and showing every detail of how to make a simple, basic, journal. Once, you get the basic idea, you can just run with it!

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I customized the inside front of this journal. Polly is my mother-in-law...I made this for her for her birthday which is coming up next week.  I used my giant foam alphabet stamps and brushed them with creamy white, acrylic craft paint. I am loving the look of it!

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And...I'm just plain 'ole in love with the cover on this tiny doodle journal I made for myself. I cut this cute little sewing machine from some scrapbook paper. It's just adorable!

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Now I'm in the mode, I've been dreaming up all sizes and styles of journals I could make. I have so many pieces of gorgeous scrapbook paper just begging to be used. Now, I must get to work...so many ideas, so little time!

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Do you like journals? 

Do you keep a journal?

I have several journals that I have been writing in since I was about 25 years old. Not to mention my diary that I still have from when I was a child and a pre-teen. Oh brother, the things I used to write! Hilarious! I intend to give all of my journals to my children when I am old and gray. I hope they will be interested in them. I try to write about daily things, but also, my thoughts on things get intertwined along the way. Hopefully they will get that it is a piece of history to their past.

Anyhow....happy journal making!!

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Giveaway Winner..and Blackberry Crumble Pie

Congratulations to Kathy 

from Kathy's Trip Through Life.

You are the winner of my 

Summer Reading Giveaway!
I'm so happy for you!

Yay!!!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Kathy, please send me an email with your address!

riffle.bonnie@yahoo.com
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And now...let's talk pie.
homemade pie...
blackberry crumble pie!
A good friend of ours, brought us a bunch of freshly picked blackberries from his back yard!

*recipe inspired and adapted from Soul Food blog.

I was so excited to bake something and found a great recipe that fit the bill!

Oh yes, this was quite delicious and I wish there were some left...

but it has been gobbled up!

This pie was even better on day 2.

I don't know how that's possible,
but I swear it's true!
It's like the sugars and the juices from the berries
just got sweeter and more flavorful!

 I never refrigerate my fruit pies.
I feel like it changes the taste.
Cold pie is for pudding and pumpkin...
not apple, cherry and berry!

I just cover them and leave them on the counter
for no more than 3 or 4 days...

if they last that long!!

Recipe for Blackberry Crumble Pie

One, 9 inch pie crust,  partially baked, in an 8 inch pie pan or tart pan

2 heaping cups fresh blackberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse berries gently and toss with the white sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. 

Set aside for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter.

It should be a crumbly consistency.

Dump the berries into the partially baked pie crust.

Sprinkle with the crumbly topping mixture.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for approx. 25 minutes.

until topping is a nice golden brown.

Let cool and enjoy!

Summer Reading Giveaway !

Oh yes...I've got that itch for summertime reading again!

When it comes to imagination and far off lands, there is nothing quite like the old classics. 

I absolutely love finding these old vintage reads at my local, used book store.

I can pick them up for less than a dollar a piece.

What a deal!

And what great stories!

I especially love these quick reads, no more than half an inch thick, these books!

The writing style of way-back-when, really intrigues me.

It's nothing like today.

The language, it's so proper and charming!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of these titles pictured above . . . 

and I would love to share them with one of my readers!

* Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
*written in 1886,  first copyright 1958
A young man trying to claim his inheritance finds himself at the mercy of his wicked Uncle who wants the inheritance for himself. When he fails at trying to murder the boy, he sells him to pirates. The young man eventually manages to escape and finds himself on a very long adventure trying to seek his fortune.

* Seventeen, by Booth Tarkington 
*first copyright 1915
A 17 year old named Willie falls desperately in love with a young lady named Miss Pratt. She is his first crush and he tries so desperately to do the right thing, say the right thing and wear the right thing, all in attempts to charm the young lady right into his arms. This story has many moments of hilarity and I think we can all remember back when we wanted so much to impress someone. It was especially interesting reading the point of view of a young man...definitely entertaining!

* The Light In The Forest, by Conrad Richter
*first copyright 1953
A young boy of 2 years old was taken captive by Native American Indians. He was raised by them, just like a son, until he was 15 years old. Suddenly the white man has made a deal with Indians to turn over all of their white captives. When the young white boy is returned to his family, it is not the happy homecoming that everyone expected. Find out how this boy fares being forced back into his white family he has no memory of.

Also included in this giveaway is this set of 3 bookmarks, handmade by me!
I had so much fun making them, and I hope you will enjoy them!

To enter my Summertime Reading Giveaway, 

leave a comment below, 

I will choose one of you at random. 

Drawing will be held on 

Monday, July 9, 2012.

Good Luck!

Happy Reading!

F r i e d * * Z u c c h i n i * * B l o s s o m s

Zucchini blossoms.

They are completely edible.

I've only recently learned they were such a delicacy to the palate. 

Of course, I have always admired the glorious, gigantic blooms amongst my bountiful squash plants, but I  never anticipated they would show up on my dinner plate . . . let alone, be battered and fried. 

Fried zucchini blossoms . . . what a wonderful concept . . . yet so foreign a concept to me . . . as I have never been tempted by the eating of flora. Somehow, someway, I had the courage to try such a thing, and I am oh-so-glad I did. Is it NOT fun to step out of our comfort zone once in a while? 

I say yes!

I am ever so grateful that Kretchmann's Farm put these tender, young blossoms in our little wooden crate, as I would have never ventured forward to trying this if not given a little push! Such an easy thing really. Searching the net, I found a simple recipe for batter . . . laden with beer, that is . . . well, just a 1/2 cup of beer . . . not so much laden . . . just enough to give a magnificent, yet subtle infused flavor. 

Well, it was now or never. Another day contemplating the eating of flowers would have surely been the demise of the blossoms! I gently wiped each with a lightly dampened towel . . . careful to not tear. I whipped up the creamy batter, scooped many a dollop of Crisco into my cast iron skillet over a medium high  flame....melting it down and rising it to temperature. I plucked the stamen from the center of each flower,  then dunked each into the batter. Gently, one at a time, placing each coated blossom into the sizzling oil . . . cooking a minute or two on each side.  Once they were light golden and crisp, I plucked each blossom from the hot oil and let them rest and drain on a torn piece of paper grocery bag. A sprinkling of salt and pepper and wa-laa, they were ready for devouring. 

Wow, don't they look delicious!! 

I let them cool a couple minutes and then bravely . . . well, brave for me . . . took a bite.

And . . .

I really liked it!

I found most of the flavor to be at the base of the flower.

It tasted just like zucchini!

I will  definitely make these again!

I am hooked now!

If you find yourself eager to fry a few of these babies . . . you may find them at  farmer's markets or your own garden, of course. There are male and female flowers and both are edible. You'll want to pick them when they are tender and young and have barely blossomed. Just be careful you aren't picking female flowers before they've had the chance to bear fruit. The male flowers are safe to pick because they will not bear fruit. They will have a thinner, longer stem. The female flowers will have a thick stem and a tiny bulb at the bottom of the flower . . . which then grows into a zucchini. I have read that once the zucchini is sufficiently growing, it is safe to pick the blossom without worry of halting it's growth. 

I hope I have inspired you to give this summer-time delicacy a go! 

Some of you may be old pros at cooking zucchini blossoms.

Some of you may even have fond memories of your grandmother cooking these.

Whatever the case, let me know.

I am very interested to hear about it!

Recipe for batter:

1/2  cup water

1/2  cup beer

2  beaten eggs

1  cup flour

Mix well and dunk blossoms in batter and fry in oil.

Drain and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Summer Activities with the kids, Episode 1, How to play Trash Can, a card game

Recently, my youngest son taught me how to play a card game called Trash Can. I pretty much fell in love with this game, because it is easy, requires no deep thinking or massive brain power, and it's fast moving. 

Here's the object of the game: Be the first person to fill in Ace through 8 {Aces are considered 1} in consecutive order, in the spaces of the face down cards in front of you. You accomplish this by drawing cards or using opponents discarded cards.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

First deal the cards out, just as you see below, placing the remaining cards in a stack off to the side.

Think of  your cards as numbered in consecutive spots of 1 through 8. 

{In this game, you will use Aces for 1's.}

The first player draws a card from the deck of remaining cards. He draws a 9, which cannot be used. He puts the 9 card in the discard pile. His turn is now over. What the player is hoping to draw is cards numbered Ace through 8 so he can fill in the appropriate spots in his set of cards in front of him.

Player #2 decides if he can use the discarded card, or to draw a new card. The top card on the discard pile can be used by the next player if possible. If not, he must draw a card.  He draws a King.

The king is a wild card and can be placed anywhere the player chooses.

In it's place, the face down card is now revealed. An 8 card.

The player can use the 8 card in the 8th spot...now revealing the face down card in it's spot...a Jack.

The Jack is discarded since it cannot be used. His turn is now over because there is nothing more he can do.

Back to Player #1, he draws a new card since Jack cannot be used.

He draws a 3.

Player puts the 3 card in the 3rd spot.

The face down card is now revealed...it is a 6.

Player puts the 6 in the 6th spot.
{By the way, if you draw or reveal a card that you have already filled in a spot, you obviously can't use it again...the card is of no use to you. Discard it and your turn is over. For instance, if this player had just drew a 3...he already has the 3 spot filled...so he doesn't need it...he would have to discard and his turn would be over. He does not get to draw again.}

The face down card in that spot is revealed and it is a Jack.

Boo! Jacks cannot be used. Player discards the Jack. His turn is now over.

Player #2's turn. He draws from the stack since he cannot use the Jack.

He draws a 9. The 9 cannot be used. He only needs cards Ace through 8, or another King for a wild card.

He discards the 9 since he cannot use it. His turn is now over.

Ok, now you get the idea of how this goes. The game continues until each of your face down cards is replaced with the corresponding card using Ace through 8. Remember, Kings are wild and can go anywhere.  As long as you are picking up cards that can be placed in the correct spot, a player can keep going during his turn until he gets a card that cannot be played anywhere...then his turn is over.


If you are playing with very young children, you may want to end the game when a round is over. However, adults and older children will want to continue. Once a round is won...you shuffle the cards and re-deal...only, this time the winner of the game just played will be dealt one less card as shown  in the photo below. Now, this player will only have to fill spots Ace through 7 to win this round.

*Another thing...when a round is over and you are re-dealing the cards....any cards that have not been turned over in your hand, should remain where they are...get rid of the cards that are face up, and re-deal.



As rounds are won, players will have fewer and fewer cards....until finally, one player only has just the Ace spot to fill. Once that happens...the game is over and he is the winner.

* A WORD ABOUT KINGS: As I mentioned, Kings are wild, and can be moved into any spot. If you should happen to draw a card that can go into one of the spots in your set, but you have already put a king there....you can pick up the king, put the appropriate number card in it's spot and then move the king to any other spot you wish. See below photos for example.

Here you see the King has been used in the 7 spot. 

The player then drew a 7 and is able to put the 7 in the correct spot, now freeing the King to be placed in any spot the player chooses.

Aha! The player can use the King, wild card, in the 5 spot. 

This move has won him the game! 

{or "the round"}

The End!

Please feel free to ask any questions...I hope I  was able to convey these instructions clearly.

Have fun!

P.S.  IT'S BEEN A  WHILE SINCE I HAVE POSTED SOME GOOD RECIPES!! 

LOOK FOR MY NEXT POST OF SOMETHING DELICIOUS....VERY SOON!!

:)