Yellow

"How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun."

- Vincent Van Gogh

Vor Dem Spiegel (in front of the mirror)

Pastel on paper

Degas, 1889

Happy Weekend!

Rooster Party

Barb over at Bella Vista is hosting a rooster party. There are about 200 bloggers that joined in! That's a lot of roosters! Here's my rooster. He's from Williams-Sonoma and stands at attention by my kitchen sink....always cheerful and wishing me a good morning!

Theme Thursday = Limousine

• Luxurious
• Intimate
• Mini Bar
• Occasion
• Upscale
• Swank
• Impressive
• Nice
• Extravagant

A Day of Celebrations!

Well, it's the first day of school! Yipee!

And it's also The Mister's birthday!

So what better way to celebrate than with this

awesome three layer chocolate cake! You know, the

one I made for Father's Day with the chocolate

buttercream between the layers and the ganache

poured all over the outside?

What is it about ganache? Is it the velvety texture?

The super shiny surface? Or is it the super dark

chocolate taste that just melts in your mouth?

Whatever it is, it's the perfect way to celebrate!

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Happy day boys...hope school goes well today!

Happy day to me ~ for surviving the summer with

three autistic teenagers!

Happy Birthday, to my Mister...I love you!

And happy day all ~~ we're going out to lunch and

a little birthday shopping!

My Sentiments, Exactly!

This commercial just cracks me up! I can sooo relate! Although, I did refrain from showing this much excitement while we shopped for school supplies! School starts Wednesday!

Mmmmm!

All that talk about cookies made me hungry for some fresh from the oven! We went to a little neighborhood BBQ last night and I took a platter of them, making a triple batch so there was plenty to fill the cookie jar and a freezer container. And yes, I'm having one for breakfast. :)

Cookie Memories

I rarely buy store bought cookies. I mean, I am the cookie baker!

But once in a while I'll pick Taylor up a package of something.

That way, he can eat them and I'm not tempted...usually. :)

I did have to taste these Vanilla Double Stuffed Oreos, though.

The taste immediately took me back to those vanilla sandwich

cookies of my childhood! I got to thinking about my favorites

as a kid...and they are mostly store bought..just like this 1970's ad.

They have a lot of my old favorites here...Fig Newtons,

Lorna Doones, and those sugar wafer sticks.

I'm also remembering Vanilla Wafers, Archway Iced

Oatmeal and Nabisco Nutter Butters. I haven't had

any of these in ages! The Vanilla Oreos

were quite yummy...and I ate this little stack with

a cup of coffee....Mmmmmm!

All In A Row

Spaghetti squash ~ curing on the back porch.

If you want to see how I prepare it, click here for photos

and directions. Yum~ can't wait for this favorite!

Theme Thursday = Shadow

Harry and his shadow, 2006

• Shade, silhouette, secret, stalk, suspicion
• Haze, hint
• Apparition, ambiguity, adumbration
• Darkness, dim
• Obscure
• Whiff, watch, whisper

"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it ~ the tree is the real thing." Abraham Lincoln

Black Bean Salad

The cumin and cilantro give this salad a delicious southwest

flavor. It goes great with any grilled meat or sandwiches.

I have to give credit to my sister..it is originally her recipe. :)

Black Bean Salad

1 cucumber

2 tomatoes

1/2 sweet onion

3 ears fresh corn

2 cans black beans, rinsed

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

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Chop all in even 1/2 " squares. Add dressing. Chill 4 hours.

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Dressing

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 c lime juice

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 t basil (I used 3 fresh leaves)

2 t cumin

1 t salt

Tip for the Iceberg

I don't remember where I learned this little tip, but it's a great one! To remove the core, hold the head in both hands with the core pointing down. Give it a good, strong whack on the kitchen counter.

The core should dislodge from the head and pull out nice and clean like this! I wonder if that's how Julia Childs did it!

Gratefulness

“Every morning tell him, ‘Thank you for your kindness,’

and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness.”

Psalm 92:2

The College Guy

Our oldest starts college this weekend! It's not as

traumatic as it could be. He's going to live at home and

attend our alma mater, which is right here in town.

So, I get to be mom for a little while longer....which

is just fine with me. This boy has been nothing but

pure joy. Writing that first check on the other hand...

was a little painful! LOL!

Isn't he handsome? The girls are gonna flip! :)

"To love what you do and feel that it matters ~ how could anything be more fun?" Katherine Graham

Theme Thursday = Festival

Umbrellas from the Temple Festival, Bali. James Green

• Fair, fete, feast, fiesta, fun
• Entertainment
• Spree, street fair
• Treats
• Inauguration
• Vacation, vendors
• Anniversary, amusement, affair
• Laughter

Betsy's Burger Buns

I don't always make my own, but sometimes I do!

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Hamburger Buns

1 c milk

1 beaten egg

1 T melted butter

3/4 t salt

2 T sugar

3 1/4 c bread flour

2 t rapid rise yeast

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Pull all ingredients into your bread machine in the order given.

Set for "bread dough". After kneading is complete,

remove dough before it rises. (that's about 30 minutes on

mine and it beeps at this point). Lay on floured

surface and divide into 9 balls. Rest 5 minutes.

Place balls on parchment covered cookie sheets. Flatten to 3-4

inches, depending on size of burgers. Cover and rise 30 minutes. Brush with egg white beaten with 1 T water.

Bake 375 for 12 minutes.

Yum.

Current Favorite Veggies

Besides sweet corn, we have been enjoying these veggies that are

in season! Even Alex has been enjoying it!

I saute onion and garlic in olive oil.

Add chopped zucchini. When tender-crisp, add chopped tomato,

salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Heat through and top

with shredded Parmesan. Very fast....very yummy.

Alex, How Far You Have Come!

For any typical kid, this lunch look pretty average.

But for any mom dealing with kids with autism and all of their

crazy food obsessions, this roast beef on whole wheat sandwich

and fruit salad is amazing! There was a time when Alex ate

only yogurt and potato chips.....really...every meal...and

nothing else! He's doing better than his brothers in this

area and usually will eat or at least try everything I make

for dinner. It's so easy to look at how far they still need to

go and not look back on how far they have come!

Freezing Berries

I love freezing berries while they are in season! These

huge blackberries will be wonderful this winter!

If you freeze them laying on a jellyroll pan before putting

them in a Ziploc, they will be separated instead of frozen

in a big block. They're instantly ready to toss into muffin

batter or on top of pancakes.

Mr. Pig

I have fond memories as a little girl looking for Mr. Pig in my great grandma's china cabinet when we would go for a visit. For many years now, Mr. Pig has been in my china cabinet, looking dapper as ever in his bow tie and umbrella. Maybe one day I'll have a granddaughter that will seek him out among the tea pots and sugar bowls, too!

Theme Thursday = Kiss

• Killed production from 1942 to 1949 due to the rationing of raw materials during WWII made the aluminum foil for the wrappers a scarce commodity!
• Inserted paper plume started in 1924, as the registered trademark!
• Soley made of milk chocolate originally in 1907, the kiss now comes in a variety of flavors!
• Smooch ~ yes, the sound of the motion of the chocolate being deposited during the manufacturing process is how the kiss got it's name!

Rain, rain!

We certainly have had a lot of rain this summer!

I have only watered the garden 3-4 times!

And The Mister cut grass twice last week...like you do in the

spring when it's cool and wet and grows fast....a first in 25 years

for July or August!

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So, in honor of our wet weather,

here's a little history on the umbrella~~ No one is positive who invented the first umbrella, whether it was the Chinese or the Egyptians. Only the wealthy owned umbrellas and they were used to block out the intense sunlight. Slaves held the umbrella over the head of a king. The larger the umbrella, the greater the wealth of its owner. Eventually the Chinese waterproofed the umbrella with wax and people around Europe caught wind of this amazing invention.

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When the umbrella was introduced to England, however, it took awhile to catch on. Men were hesitant to walk around with what had formerly been viewed as a women’s fashion accessory. In 1830, James Smith and Sons opened London’s first umbrella shop and is still in operation today.

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And don't you just love the HUGE umbrella in the picture?

And didn't they used to call them bumbershoots? googleimages.com

Mysterious Footprints

• Me ~ "Taylor, what are those weird looking footprints on the floor in your room"?
• Taylor ~ "I have poison ivy on the tops of my feet and I've been spraying them with that calamine spray before I put my socks on."
• Me ~ "Maybe it would be better if you did that on the bathroom rug. Then I could just toss it in the wash when I do the laundry."
• Taylor ~"Oh."

Just an ordinary day in Momdom...

It's multi-tasking, right? LOL!