Always Busy....

It was a very nice day outside today. John and his little helper, Derek, worked outside and cemented some of the fencepost in the ground. After leveling and propping them up, John mixed up some quikcrete and poured it all around. Now the fence will look perfectly straight. Of course John can't do anything without Derek being right there to help! He really is a great helper and can do just as much work as most men!

After Supper I went outside and took a walk around the yard, I snapped a few pictures of my flowers and bushes that were blooming....here is my "snowball bush"

Red Prince Weigela

Peach gladiolas

Wine colored Gladiolas

While John and Derek were working out in the yard, I was in the kitchen again as usual...

First of all I tried another new recipe called Crockpot Chicken Alfredo.....it was very good, very easy and very creamy.......I thought I would share this recipe as well.......

3 chicken breast (boneless and skinless)*

3 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 can of milk

2 pkg of cream cheese

1 pkg of Good Seasons Italian Seasoning

put all in the crock pot and cook on high for 5-6 hours..

right before I served it I added a box of rotini pasta and served this with parmessan cheese

another thought would be to add broccoli florets

*chicken can be fresh and diced or frozen...just take out and dice before serving...ENJOY

While I was in the kitchen, I blanched and froze 2 quarts of green beans from my garden, I made 2 containers of freezer pickles, 2 huge jars plus 5 quarts of dill pickles, and 5 quarts and 2 pints of bread and butter pickles!! WOW.....I was so tired of standing! But the pickles look good!

Canning and More

Canning time again .........


For several years I have enjoyed canning, making pickles, salsa, and canned tomatoes. Last year I decided to take a break from it and I never even had a garden.....boy I'll tell you what....I REALLY missed those fresh tomatoes, the beautiful beets right when you take them out of the canner. I missed the strong scent of dill pickles and vinegar and the vibrant green color of the fresh dill pickles right after they have been processed. During the winter when I made my soups and stews I wish I had those fresh tomatoes to add for a down home fresh flavor!! And for the times when I didn't feel good...my comfort food of macaroni and fresh canned tomatoes! So this year i made sure that we had at least a small garden and with the help of John, the kids and Debbie...the garden is a success! I am venturing out this year and maybe canning a few new things. I tried pickles banana peppers and they turned out great! I'm also going to do another kind of salsa, and maybe spaghetti sauce.

Beautfiul pickled beets...

Mom is slicing onions for freezer pickles....

Sheri is slicing cucumbers

This year I got a new recipe for pickles...it's called freezer pickles and they are delish! Freezer pickles are extremely easy to make and there is no canning involved.....you really should try them!

FREEZER PICKLES

8 CUPS CUCUMBERS

2 LARGE ONIONS (WHITE OR YELLOW)

2 CUPS SUGAR

1 CUP VINEGAR

1 TEAS. CELERY SEED

1 TEAS. SALT

SLICE YOUR CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS AND PLACE IN A LARGE BOWL AND SET ASIDE

STIR TOGETHER THE SUGAR, VINEGAR, CELERY SEED, AND SALT IN A SAUCE PAN AND BRING TO A BOIL.....POUR OVER THE VEGGIES AND STIR.....PLACE IN FREEZER TIGHT CONTAINERS OR EAT FRESH....i WAS TOLD THAT YOU CAN TAKE THESE OUT OF THE FREEZER ANYTIME AND THEY ARE STILL CRISP AND TASTE FRESH!

Here is Sheri eating some....

Sheri and I think that you could even add carrots, cauliflower, peppers and other veggies for a variety....

ANOTHER UPDATE........

John finally got his bargain truck done! If you remember from previous posts, it was red and dented....after a lot of body work, lots of sanding, and some new parts and of course paint....It now looks shiny and new and is sporting a dark green paint job!

John buffing and polishing his truck

His helpers are helping too!

I hope everyone is having a great summer! We have had the best weather this summer! The temperatures here have mainly been in the high 70's to low 80's. Not normal at all for Illinois...

Although we have enjoyed this spring like weather...I do miss some of the hot days and spending every waking minute in the pool. It has been so cool that we haven't been able to get in the pool much! I'm sure we;ll have a run of hot weather soon!!

On Saturday, July 25th, was the Guiter/Danner Family 2009 reunion...There were several generations present and all of the Guiter siblings were represented.....They are: Evelyn, Eleanor, Cecil, Earl, Clara, and Edith. Another Sister, Bessie was remembered in pictures......
A very nice Shadow box was presented in Memory of Cecil Guiter. I believe it was made by Janet(Lewis) and her husband Jim. Jim gave a very thoughtful presentation in remembrance of Cecil and the sacrifices he had made by serving in the armed forces.
There were several family members present from each one of the Guiter siblings....Some who haven't been to our family reunions for many years. It was so nice to see everyone and talk about when we were all younger and crazy!! The food was all very delicious!
In wondering what to take, I think a lot about Grandma Tinkham who LOVED going to the family reunions or any family gathering for that matter. She so enjoyed entertaining all of her family with food which was her natural talent. So I decided to take one of Grandma's dishes she was known for....her seven layer salad.
Seven Layer Salad

1 Small head of lettuce
1/2 bag of frozen peas
1 small onion
2 stalks of celery
Miracle Whip (about 2 cups)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
5 strips of bacon

Clean and dice up all the vegetables. Layer in order above.....spread on the miracle whip (you may use more or less depending on personal taste) then sprinkle with cheese and crumble crispy bacon over the top!

I guess I made the right choice because it went fast!! I think I heard positive remarks from everyone about having a great time! I can't wait to go back next year!! I have uploaded some pictures from the family reunion....starting with one of my immediate family...

Front Row (L-R) Derek, Emily, Sharayah
Middle Row--Ieshia, Me and John
Back--Crystal



Sharayah and Sheri
Crystal down at the Lake
Wayne, can't remember, Nancy, and Mr Courson?

Danny and Sue (Beverly)


Emily and John and in the background is Teri and Jim
Julie, Janet and JoAnn


Ieshia and Crystal


Me and John
Sheri, Me, Teri and Mom


Charlotte and her girls



Lane
Ieshia and Sharayah
Aunt Clara

Alliyah
Connie, David and Teri

Hallie and Sharayah
Evelyn (Guiter) Andersons' Family
The Coursons

Ieshia and Alyssa (sp)

Danny, Connie and Emily
Julie and Lane

Jim and John

Mom and I

Front row (L-R) Sharayah, Libby, and Ieshia
Back Row- Hallie, Teri and Crystal

Horse Camp and more....

This past week was awesome for Emily. She attended summer horse camp for the first time. The kids learn to ride horses, care for horses, clean the tack, do crafts, learn about the horse breeds, and at the end of the camp, the kids put on a cute performance . Emily has super time and wants to make sure she can go back next year! Here she is posing with Sassy....and the following pictures are from camp...







During the little performance that the kids put on, Emily rode a pure white horse named Stormy....I think she looks adorable here in her riding hat!



Lucky was a very friendly horse that Emily had a soft spot for and I think he really took to her also. When Emily was around, Lucky pretty much ignored everyone else...



I recently found a great and easy recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls. Since I had never baked using yeast, I was nervous, however you can see by the picture below that they turned out scrumptious!!
In other news.....We have been doing a lot of yard work! We've done some landscaping, and just picking up the yard in general, getting rid of weeds, cleaning up sticks,and planting a few more perrenials. John is building a big doghouse for Walter..I'll have pictures of that on here soon. Over the next few days, we will be 'overhaulin' the garage..haha. Kind of a spring cleaning in the middle of summer, however, the weather is like spring so I guess it all works out. Hopefully soon, we will be able to get back in the pool and enjoy some much warmer weather.