Blueberries & Cream

We have a very large blueberry bush in our backyard which yields more berries than we can eat. I don't have a picture to go with this recipe, but trust me, it's super yummy. And it won this:


Pardon the cheap, yet sentimental jewelry hanging with it. And yes, I'm tooting my own horn. So without further adieu, the blue ribbon winning (just a bit more horn tooting) Blueberries & Cream:

Blueberries & Cream

First Layer:

1 cup of flour

2 sticks of butter (yes, I said 2)

1 cup chopped Walnuts.

Mix the following and cook on 375 deg. until golden brown and crust-like. Cool completely before adding second layer. If you don't it will melt your second layer.

Second Layer:

8 oz. cream cheese (slightly softened)

8 oz. cool whip

1 cup powdered sugar

Mix the following with electric mixer and spread over cooled first layer.

Third Layer:

3 cups blueberries

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar

5 T. corn starch

Place this in a sauce pan and cook until thick (like a pie filling). Cool completely and spread over second layer. If you don't cool this completely, it will melt the second layer. That second layer is a bit on the sensitive side.

Fourth Layer:

8 oz. Cool whip

Chopped nuts to garnish

Good Blogging Finds #2

The second great blogging find this past week was from Pretty Organized Palace. She did a post a few days ago about managing and scheduling her children's time over the summer so that they are not in from of a TV or video screen all summer long. I needed this post. Just two weeks into summer break and my children have lost all sense of responsibility. And so have I. So, after reading her schedule, I developed one for me and the children that will fit the summer weeks and months. I hope Fep and Moose will come to appreciate it. Right now, not so much :)

***The day after I wrote this post, we made an unexpected trip to the doctor with Moose. He's fine, but was having severe ear pain and jaw pain due to....swimmer's ear. Again, he's fine now. With a simple trip to the doctor taking 3.5 hours out of my day, we had to rearrange the schedule a bit ;) But once we got home, we kicked into gear, got productive, and the kids and I cleaned the whole house. All this to say sometimes you gotta' roll with the flow, and sometimes the best made plans will be broken. Oh, and you can find Pretty Organized's post about summer scheduling here.

Good Blogging Finds #1

I'm just putting out here some new blogging finds (because I need to spend more time in the blogging world!) and how they relate to me.

First up is Amy at Momadvice.com/blog in which she did this:

In February (I know that's 3 months ago...I just found it this week), she posted her adventures in spending absolutely nothing except what it took to live. Food (not fast food - that is a luxury) and gas for the car. That's it. No trip through McDonald's or Starbucks. No materials and items for craft projects. No movies, CDs, or books. Food and gas, People. Why does this speak to me? One, we eat out waaaaaay too much. My children and I hit a fast food restaurant at least once a week. I figure that averages out to about $75 per month....on a stinkin' Big Mac! Or in my case a Fresco Bean Burrito from Taco Bell. And the second way it spoke to me was that we don't need nearly what we think we do and impulse purchases are a downfall for me! There, I said it. I cave to the occasional kitchen or house item, the pack of gum for my children (sugar free mind you), or an item of clothing even though my laundry tells me that we all have plenty of clothes. One clothing item in particular....flip flops. I adore flip flops. Cute, little Yellow Box flip flops are my favorite. But I'll take Target, Payless, and Walmart, too. This year The Bob put us on a "No Flip Flop Purchase Summer". Why? One, he can't stand them, and thinks one pair is plenty. Two, shouldn't one pair be plenty? I still have flip flops in really good shape from last year, so I absolutely don't need any. At all. Nope, I don't. But oh, I waaaaaant some. I torture myself by looking at them in stores any chance I get. I have to tell you it's killing me. So, if I end up missing or dead, it's from flip flop deprivation.

If you have a chance, check out her posts on this. It will open your eyes, too, I'm sure to areas of your spending that could be improved.

The Woobie Revisited

I had a blog a year ago that I deleted, and on that blog, I had a post about The Woobie. See The Woobie pictured above. Before I deleted the other blog, I printed off two posts that were meaningful to me. The Woobie was one of those posts. I am going to repost that old post and then share my thoughts on The Woobie one year later...

The Woobie

Sitting on my couch is a piled up crocheted blanket called "The Woobie". It belongs to Moose, and he has carried it since he was a little baby. The Woobie is multi-purpose really. It's his trusty blanket, or its Spiderman's web when all stretched out and thrown across the room. When he was a baby, he would pick at the yarn and eat it. Odd, I know. Moose will turn 7 in just a few days. He's really getting too old for The Woobie. But I know soon enough, he'll sleep with his Woobie one last time. And gone will be the last visible, tangible reminder of him being a baby. The pacifier is gone, the bottles are gone, and thank goodness, the diapers are gone. But I must say, I will be sad to see The Woobie go.

So, that's it. Just as it was written one year ago with the same picture at the top of the post. Moose turned 8 this past Friday, and he still has The Woobie. When I posted that a year ago, I just knew somewhere between 7 and 8 that he'd give up The Woobie. Nope. He doesn't even act interested. Fep is starting to get almost repulsed by the fact he's a blanket toting 8 year old. She's telling him that kids are going to start making fun of him. Fep, she's so tenderhearted toward Moose. A year ago, I was going to be sad to see The Woobie go. Now, I just think it's time. My 8 year old is obviously not a baby anymore, and try as I might, I can't keep them babies forever...except in my heart. And I do think it's time for The Woobie to go, but I'm not forcing it either. I'm not going to be the one who strips him of it. Fep, maybe. Sooner or later, The Woobie will be gone (at this point it's looking like later), and sooner or later my babies, my children will be grown up and gone, too. I know it's going to be sooner than later. And those are the thoughts that makes a mamma's heart ache.

Cartoon Classic

I saw this cartoon at HSingmama's blog. I just thought it was a classic. When I showed it to The Bob, he said, "You know there's a lot of truth in that." And he thought it was funny, too. I have to admit, I've had a conversation or two somewhat similar to this. I don't bake my own bread, we've seen our fair share of Disney movies, and instead of Batman or Power Rangers, you can insert Spiderman and Star Wars. I don't know why we try to measure ourselves up against other people's standards and convictions instead of just following our own? Why don't we just pursue what the Lord has for us and not what the Lord has for our neighbor? Anyway, I do love this little cartoon.

Finding the good...

The past week was pretty crummy to say the least. I won't even bore you with all the details. Really, why bother? Shouldn't our focus be on finding the good? Yes, in the midst of a not so great week, each day had a treasure of it's own.

Monday - Memorial Day. Remembering self-less sacrifices of others. Time spent with The Bob and the kids.

Tuesday - a quiet day at home. Just me and the kids. Front porch swinging. A special young lady comes over to announce she's engaged, and asks Fep to be a bridesmaid! Awesome.

Wednesday - A rainbow. A reminder of God's unfailing love and always kept promises.

Thursday - a loved dog that likes to lay with her rear end sticking out from under the bed. I'm not sure if she thinks she hiding or what?

Friday - Moose turns 8!! Swimming with friends. Opening some birthday presents. What gets better than that?
Saturday - Missing dogs give us a scare, but return safely home.

Sunday - Moose's official birthday bash. Swimming. Hot dogs. Hamburgers. And lots and lots of friends. He got to spend time with his friends, and I got to spend time with mine...

Might I mention that the lovely blonde haired lady on the left is 50 years old and has 9 children. Yes, I said nine. She is amazing! I heart these ladies.

And I heart Heathahlee. Oh, I do.

Yep, it was a good week after all. There's just no telling what treasures I'll find hidden in this week....

The Other Dog

You've met Dixie. You might as well meet this dog, Rupert. I'm a bit miffed at Rupert, because he ran off with Dixie last night and I thought they were gone for good. It was very distressing, and so he's not made it back in my good graces yet. You see, Rupert is a wild man.

He is a wild man, and that is why I could not get him to sit still for one measly picture. His love for roaming the streets and the neighborhood has landed him in a dog pen. We hate it. We really do, but it's for his good and ours. Before his life confined to the pen, he'd roam the area and would pick fights with other dogs. Or neighbors would call and say, "We have your dog." But we take pity on him and let him out to romp from time to time. Dixie loooooves Rupert. She is always up for a good wrestling match with him. It's like the WW Smackdown...not that I watch that stuff....

Is it me, or is Dixie looking like something out of a horror movie in this picture?

Ooooooo. Scary. Anyway, right after this picture was taken Rupert and Dixie made a mad dash around the house, and when Fep and I went to follow them they were gone. Poof. Disappeared. The reason it was so unsettling is that we live in a rural area where any animal can very easily become road kill, and Rupert and Dixie did not come back until after dark. So, I have vowed that it will be a long time before I give Rupert another romp. The Bob has vowed he will work on his obedience training some more. That's probably the better option.

The Magnificent Corgi

Dixie. She's a corgi, and she's magnificent. Really. Just look at her... that tail-less rear, those large pointy ears, those little legs. Magnificent.

Her fox-like appearance. Magnificent.

Her love for people........

simply magnificent.

Grown Up

Is this the young girl that walked in my kitchen at 14, just a teenager, to keep my children for me? Is this the young girl that kept my children for me for years and was the best babysitter you could ever ask for? This is the young girl who taught Moose that he didn't need to be pushed to swing, and he could do it on his own. This is the young girl that gathered sticks in the yard with Fep and built a real tee pee. This is the young girl that modeled godly character to my children and loved them. She loved them and still does. But now...


this young girl is all grown up. And she's getting married. Man, she still looks so...young. Congratulations, Jarah. We love you!

Nothing is everything.

When I started this blog, I didn't do it to become "big" in the blog world. There are others far more worthy than myself for that. I did it because blogging makes me really notice things. It makes me very reflective. The blog was to be my little online journal. My little online scrapbook. My Reflections. I would say that for the most part, I've stayed true to that purpose.

Last week I didn't link up with Emily and Tuesdays Unwrapped., but I could have. I realized that every other post I have could be linked. This whole blog, for the most part, focuses largely on the simple little things that my family does that brings me joy. Things that would be largely overlooked if I didn't put it out here on the world wide web. Not for the world wide web and it's audience, but for me. So, that I'll remember.

I want to remember these faces,

these times,

and goodness knows that I would not want to forget this dog.

To most this blog is nothing, but to me it's everything.