Bits from my summer kitchen.

Dried flowers. Red onion from the farmer's market.
Heirloom beans from the garden. Homemade peach butter.
The one who shucked the corn and mixed the cookie batter.

I'm not ready for summer to end.
Usually I look forward to fall...but all I keep thinking about are the things I still want to do!
The beach, the garden, the walks, the tomatoes, the warm sunshine....

*Don't be alarmed if next week I write how excited I am for scarves and boots and applesauce ;) *
Happy Summer to you.
XxOo

We're not sharpening pencils here....

....at least not for another two weeks. ;)

There was a warmer shift this end of August...90's all week long!
Were we not just wearing sweaters and layers in July?!

So while everyone else is sharpening pencils and waking early and feeling fall-ish,
we'll be swimming and bike riding and eating popsicles and drinking lemonade and picking tomatoes.
Summer is short..we like to stretch it as long as possible around here.

Happy Monday, Happy First Day of School to those going back and Happy Summer by the Pool for us!
XxOo

It was a summery spread.

Spinach. Cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden. Peaches we ordered from a farm in Michigan. Apples and avocado. Sun-dried tomatoes slowly baked in our oven all afternoon. Grapes. Toasted Almonds. Cheese {aged 10 years} brought home by my cheese fanatic son from a farmer's market. Organic chicken seasoned with olive oil and spices. Bacon from the local butcher.

It was make your own salad night. Take what you like, leave what you don't.
My kids loved it. They thought it was fun.

P.S. This post has nothing to do with redeeming myself after that whole Taco Bell thing.  ;)

Have a great day.
XxOo

Flattery is not always a bad thing.

Last Thursday I was out shopping with my mom and 15 years-younger-than-me sister Gianna.
The lady at the store checking us out - okay, I'm sort of stretching the truth here.
We were shopping, but this story actually takes place at Taco Bell in between stores. But since I am always promoting health food and telling everyone how bad gmos and hydrogenated oils and msg is and how I make everything from scratch (which I mostly do)......
I really didn't want to mention the Taco Smell part.

But you see...every once in a while a Baja Chalupa sounds really good.
Which was the case this particular day.

Sorry about the semi-lie...but I came clean! Phew...I feel better getting that off my chest.
Okay, moving on.

So the lady comes up to the counter at TACO BELL :) to take our order and says...Ready for this?

"Oh..mother daughter?"
I felt so bad for Gianna...I didn't think she looked old enough to be my mother.
I told the lady this..she didn't catch my sarcasm.

Not So Nice Lady at the Counter : "I meant you were the mother."
"Super Young" Looking Me: "I know, I was just joking."

Gianna is I think five foot two or three inches tall.
Obviously she mistook her for my above average in height seven year old daughter instead of a young lady in her twenties.

{I also may have mentioned to Gianna once she has children I will not be going out with her for fear of being mistaken as my niece's and nephew's grandmother! Youch!}

Key points of this post?

1. Don't assume just because someone is shorter that they are seven.
2. It's okay to flatter. Telling women how young they look is not the bad flattery the bible talks about.
3. A chalupa from Taco Bell is not only bad for you physically but also your ego. Don't eat Taco Bell.

Happy Tuesday.
XxOO

I hate canning peaches.

Monday was consumed with peaches. I decided NOT to can them like usual.
(and by "usual" I mean I haven't done it for like 9 years! I pretend in my head I do it each year when really I just freeze a bushel of peaches for smoothies and oatmeal and muffins instead.)

I don't like the sticky and the mess and the long day....and once again, this year I just wasn't up for it.
So instead we made peach butter. Which made my kitchen sticky and messy and took all day long. ;)

I'll be honest..I actually hate canning peaches. It's the worst!
I'd rather buy them or not eat peaches at all if I have to can them....
that's how much I really don't like canning peaches. I really, really don't like canning peaches.
Not to be mistaken with I don't like canning...just not peaches.

But peach butter...well that's a different story.
Oh how I love you peach butter...
You tasted so good on my 8,000 calorie piece of homemade pound cake I spread you all over tonight.

Sammy spent the whole day in the kitchen with me. He worked as much as I did.
50 million hours later, 11 pints and 4 jelly jars full of oh-so-delicious peach butter were cooling on the counter. The recipe came from here should you want to give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

Hope your week was off to a good start.
XxOo

They said I've gotten bad....

...at blogging.

 ..things like inconsistency and wanting to see more pictures of the grandkids and
using iphone pictures I've already posted to instagram and no fashion tip Fridays.....yada, yada. ;)
These were things said.

So here's my attempt at getting better. and here you will see me being more consistent.
and more pictures from my "real" camera.
Here we go. :)

~~~~~~~~~

We (my family) sell vegetables and corn at Farmer's markets all summer long.
Sometimes it's just corn, sometimes just vegetables, sometimes both. I'm just corn for now.
Rain or shine we have to be there.

Because even in pouring, soaking,
run for the Ark kind of rain, dedicated customers come to buy our corn.
They are thankful we are there...and I am thankful they come under umbrellas just to see us. :)

Some of our markets are in parking lots, some on a street and
sometimes one can be in a pretty old area downtown along the river.

This is where I spend Friday evenings. along the river. Alex comes with me each week.
He is a hard worker and lifts all the heavy crates and tents his mom can't lift on her own. ;) 

Moving on...I love to bake. I bake {almost} daily.
However, I am horrible with a rolling pin. No matter how fabulous I can bake cookies, breads, cakes...I will never ever, ever ever, never ever  be a good pie crust maker.
and this too is okay. I've accepted it.

{See! I didn't even weave the crust together the right way!
..it tasted good though, I guess that counts for something}

I'm reading the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker.
This is the book trailer.
It's a great book, I want to sit all day and read it, but I have to go sell corn instead.
You may find me blogging about only 7 foods I'm eating, or 7 articles of clothing I'm wearing...
we'll see how convicted I am by the time I get to the last page. ;)

See you soon. Because I'm working on being a more consistent blogger. ;)
and I know today is Friday, and I know I should have a fashion tip...but I don't.

Here's to a wonderful, wonderful weekend.
XxOo

Happy Monday.

How was your weekend? Ours was actually a little less busy than usual.
It was really nice, we've been running a lot lately.
Today I will be catching up on housework and my garden.

I have been following a series on this blog called Motherhood Around the World.
It's been neat to see how dads and moms around the world parent.

Here's a song to kick off your week.

Happy Monday.
XxOo

What I wanted but didn't buy.

Summer has us busy. Many hours are spent at farmers markets.
From Thursday to Sunday our family sold around 14,400 ears of sweet corn!

Two times a year we sell at a flea market. I Love this market...
I wrote true story about it here .

Happy Monday.
XxOO