Peaches ~~ Love ‘em

 

Now I know a lot of you are Southerners and you would argue that Georgia peaches are the best.  Then there are many of you from Texas and you asked, “Have you tried a peach from Fredricksburg?”  Well yes I have and I’ll agree they are scrumptious, BUT I live in the midwest and only get a good Texas peach when I happen to be visiting my good friend Glenda in the early summer.  The Georgia peaches taste like and have the texture of a sponge by the time they are loaded onto our grocery store shelves.  Ick!  I end up throwing out more than we eat.

 

So ~~~ for us, we wait very patiently until the end of the summer when we can get our hands on Colorado peaches.  Last weekend I picked up a lug that I preordered.  I waited a few days for them to ripen to perfection and then made final decisions on what I was going to do with them.  They have not disappointed us.  Of course many are just eaten out of hand.  They are sooo juicy and flavorful.  They are so good that the juice drips down your chin while biting into it.  I plan to make some freezer jam too.

 

Thanks very much Gollum, for inviting us to share cooking ideas and recipes on this Foodie Friday.  It is always a favorite day of mine to check blogs.

 

I froze some in light sugar and then while flipping through cookbooks, I decided to adapt a recipe I found for freezer pie filling.

 

Freezer Summertime Peach Pie Filling

1 qt. plus 2 cups peaches, peeled and sliced

1 cup sugar

3 -4T. topioca

pinch of salt

1 heaping T. lemon juice

Line pie pan with foil.  Pour in filling.  Freeze then remove from pan and place in large plastic bag in freezer.  When winter comes ,defrost filling, place in crust-lined pan.  Add top crust, cut slits in top.  Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes to until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. 

 

This is so easy!

 

Next morning it’s frozen and slides easily away from the foil and I place it in the ziploc bag.

 

I’ll be ready at Thanksgiving to complete this and it will be so good with fresh summertime peaches!

 

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I’m doing a double post today.  I love joining Glenda at Tootsie Time for Flaunt Your Flowers.

 

I have decided dahlias are right up there with one of my favorite flowers.  They just almost look silk, don’t they?  ;)

 

I have an assortment of colors. 

 

This obviously is a different variety.  Would someone remind me to dig these bulbs up and store them correctly during the winter time?  Last year I dug my bulbs up, but didn’t protect them with sawdust or such from the cold.  They did not make it and I had to start over this spring.

 

This is climbing thyme I’m using as a ground cover finally approaching the garden stones.

 

 

 

Say Hi to Chester.  He came around just in time to get his picture taken! He’s such a big ham.

 

 

Please go pay a visit to Designs by Gollum and to Tootsie Time on this last Friday of August!  Thanks for stopping by 47th Street. 

Vivid Colors with Black

 

 

 

 

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting another Tablescape Thursday for all of us “dish people”.  I’m just thrilled that she presents this faithfully each week, because I never tire of looking at everyone’s dishes and how you present them.  So once again, Thanks, Susan! :)

 

The majority of my Tablescapes are casual and today’s presentation is no exception. 

 

My daughter was coming over and she has caught the dish bug and always appreciates a pretty setting.

 

 

My inspiration this week??

This deep golden sunset yellow topper.  Last week while birthday shopping I was in Charlotte Rousse.  They had a clearance bin with scarves, belts and other small accessories for 99 cents.  Of course the color and the pattern on this summery scarf just jumped right out at me.  I looked it over, fell in love with the vintage look of it and decided I couldn’t go wrong for just under a dollar.  You never know where you might run across a great idea for decorating!

 

 

Right away I knew I would use it for a tablescape or a prop for my silk floral arrangements more so than a scarf.

 

After giving my table a bit more thought  ~~~ black seemed to be a nice, strong contrast with the warm yellow.  I found these bamboo placemats and the checkered napkins in my newly organized bin.

 

 

I needed more color, so after pulling out my solid black dishes, I layered a white salad place first and then a clear glass plate on top with painted strawberries. The white allows the strawberries to show up.  Oh those strawberry dishes bring back sweet memories of my Aunt Lela.  Years ago she gave me birthday money and I found this set of four strawberry dessert plates I used with her money.  Isn’t it nice I still remember that?  She has been in heaven several years now.

 

 

 

 

 

A little bright green just seemed to be another fun color for more pop, as we like to say.

 

 

Now you may have thought my water pitcher and glasses were black, but when you look closely, you can see they are actually a very deep red.  I chose these to bring out more red and the red/black just seems to tie in with the overall look.

Oh!  My same aunt gave me this pitcher.  The red glasses were purchased at a grocery store in Enid, Oklahoma back in the early 80’s for $1 a piece.  I think I have 10 or 12.  A few are chipped, but I still love ‘em.

 

 

You know what I might do differently next time?  Place a white tablecloth beneath the yellow topper.  It would give it a more finished look, but for now this won’t stop my daughter and me from having great conversation over a casual lunch.

 

I hope you’ll join me by stopping by all the others who have participated in this very, very fun event.

 

Thanks so much for visiting me on 47th Street today.  I love it when you stay awhile and say hi.    :)

Getting Organized

 

 

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is a constant inspiration for many of us with her decorating abilities and getting projects done to make her home a constant thing of beauty.  Today I’d like to share a project that recently helped me on this Met Monday.

 

 

I try to participate in Susan’s Tablescape Thursday as often as time allows and I always enjoy setting a pretty table.  In my constant quest to be more organized, I realized that setting the table beautifully would be much easier if my napkins, dishes, napkin rings, etc. were more organized, so I went to work.  Organization unfortunately is not second nature to me and this should have been done a long time ago.

 

I have a little nook off my dining room that I call my “Butler’s Pantry”.  Yes, I know it isn’t really a Butler’s Pantry but I like the sounds of it.  LOL!  It has a pretty, lighted cabinet up above and then drawers and storage beneath.  I’d hate to show you all the things I’ve stashed in there from time to time.  Often times it was totally unusable because of chaos! 

 

 

 

 

 

I emptied out the bottom storage as well as the drawers in my hutch and other random places I had stashed napkins, rings and all sorts of things that seemed needed to be paired together.

 

 

My hutch drawers were really in need of a makeover!

 

 

No rhyme or reason, I’m ashamed to say….

 

 

Magnolia was just appalled and watched carefully until the job was completed.  To be quite honest, this took me about three days!

 

 

First off, I placed many of my salt and pepper shakers together in one drawer.

 

Of course I have many, many candles of all shapes and sizes, but decided to keep my tapers and votive candles together in a drawer of my hutch.  Oh, it’s feeling better already!

 

 

This is the area beneath my Butler’s Pantry.  All of my silver that I chose to store here was nicely polished before being put away.  I also made the decision not to place too much in here.  It’s easier to get to things when it isn’t overcrowded, plus I learn that I break things when an area is over filled with dishes.

 

 

My napkin rings and napkins were placed in plastic bins for ease of pulling out and going through to decide what I needed for a particular tablescape.

 

 

I found I had so many white and off white napkins that they earned a drawer of their own.  They were all ironed too before being put away.  This project forced me to iron a laundry basket almost FILLED with napkins!  I actually enjoyed doing this.

 

 

I hope that I have perhaps inspired some of you to take hold of your linens and dishes in anticipation of feeling more prepared for company or even setting a nice table for your family.

 

Before I close this post, let me say how excited I am that I won a giveaway Susan sponsored in honor of her one year blog anniversary!  I’m THRILLED!  Thanks Susan!!  And thanks for your excellent blog that inspires me in so many ways!

Wanna Come See my Flowers?

 

 

 

It’s Flaunt Your Flowers Friday sponsored by our friend way up North, Tootsie at Tootsie Time!!  If you haven’t been over today to see her flowers, get ready to be totally inspired with all her colorful, totally fertilized all summer, simply gorgeous flowers!  She is the Queen of Flowers in Canada, I feel quite confident!

 

 

OK, now on to flowers in my backyard.  The calendar still says August, but we have had such a cool summer that my geraniums still look impressive.  It is up there with one of my favorite flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice my Boxwood Basil?  I did a post on this little cutie in the early summer.  I had never seen it before.  It IS cute and smells great, but I’m not sure I’ll plant it again.  The leaves are so tiny to actually use.

 

 

 

 

Because of this ~~~~~

 

 

And these ~~~~~                                                             

                                                                       We have a yard FULL of goldfinches.  They actually strip the cosmos and hang upside down from the sunflowers.  I don’t think the sunflowers have really had time to mature, but the birds don’t seem to mind.  I hear them all the time and there colors just look so tropical being about the same color as these cosmos.  Do you know their song sounds like “po ta to chip”.  Listen for it sometime.

 

 

Have I told you I’m done with wave petunias?  I have them in another pot, but prefer these old fashioned, full bodied beauties.

 

 

 

These are another favorite.  Looks like I love yellow flowers. 

 

 

 

 

Last year my mother gave me a start of her Moon Flower but it didn’t take.  This year I planted a packet of seeds and they are gorgeous and FULL.  I didn’t take this picture when they were in full bloom.  I’ll have to do that next week.  They are fragrant and so impressive with their size.  I read where you should really plant these close to a sidewalk so evening walkers can enjoy or near your patio so they can be noticed at dusk when they are opened and full of their beauty.  There’s nothing like a white flower when it’s dark and the moon is out.  Oh, how I love summer and pretty flowers.

 

I had no clue the plant would get so big.  Here they are fighting for space with my zinnias.

 

I LOVE zinnias for their cutting flower ability.

 

Yah!  It’s back!  Remember my cardinal climber on a trellis from a few years back that blew down?  Well Mr. Brown Socks put up a new one for me and FINALLY I have flowers on this plant.  They are a very slow grower and don’t really start to flower until late July.  They will be gorgeous til frost. 

 

I love their wispy vines…reaching out for something to grab hold of.  They look pretty just blowing in the summertime breeze too.

 

 

Our yard is full of hummingbirds too.  I can look out most any time and see one or more hanging around this tubular flower.

 

 

 

Let’s go back to Tootsie’s and see what others have shared today! Thanks for stopping by!

Random Things on this Wednesday

 

 

I’ve never played along with Wordless Wednesday, but have certainly enjoyed looking at everyone’s pictures.  I had one I wanted to share today.  He’s cute, isn’t he?  This is grandson number Three ready for the pool.

 

AAhhhh!!! I got this post ready and now I can’t find who sponsors this!  Can anyone help me???  Thanks!!!

 

Can we talk even if it is Wordless Wednesday?  I don’t want to get kicked off the first time I play along with this. :)

 

 

Can you see me up here?

 

 

How about in here?  Close the door, Quick!

 

 

 

 

 

Recently we were sitting for our Granddogger, Val.

 

 

She looks sweet enough, doesn’t she?  Yes, she is a chocolate lab who belongs to our daughter and son in law.  Well my little girl, Magnolia did not appreciate a house guest in the form of a dog.  Quite comical because our dog who she hangs out with is much larger than Val and she doesn’t even budge if he walks by.

 

We did have a scare while Val was here, however.  Mags used up one of her nine lives.  She jumped up on the top of our opened garage door.  My husband, not knowing she was up there of course went to close the garage door.  She squealed to high heaven and Mr. Brown Socks quickly stopped the door.  He went over to see what had happened and she was no where in sight.  We looked for her for three hours, afraid she was hurt and hiding somewhere.  Thank the good Lord up above she came home, ran in the house and jumped up on the very top of the kitchen cabinets.  I had a cute picture of that but it got deleted.  We actually lost a cat who had the garage door come down on him years ago, so I was very frightened that Maggie was injured.  Val never had a clue what she put sweet Magnolia through!

 

 

Thought I’d share yesterday’s project.  This is going in someone’s bathroom on their toilet, so I placed it on mine to see if the fit was good.

 

 

 

Or maybe I should try it on this toilet………

 

 

 

Don’t go away without leaving a comment even though it is Wordless Wednesday!

This guy was in our front yard and by the time I grabbed my camera he was already at the neighbor’s headed for the woods.  These wild turkeys just crack me up.

 

Have a good Wednesday everyone.

Special Day

 

 

Why, it’s a special day for Mr. Brown Socks and me.

 

 

We were married 39 years ago.  THIRTY NINE years!  Wowzers!  We were actually married on a Sunday afternoon.  We chose this day because it was my parents’ Twenty Fifth anniversary.  It was fun to always have that wedding date in common.

 

 

Then….

 

 

and Now….

 

 

 

We truly have had a good life.  I have followed him around the country and back again during all our Air Force days.  We both know we have a very blessed life and are so thankful..

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary, My Dear One