September musings

 It seems the older I get, the faster time seems to go...do you feel that way too?  I recall when I have a kid, running around all Summer, the days were long and full of fun.  Now, I can't seem to find enough time to do all the things on my list.  But, alas, I do manage to plug along and at least get to the important things.  

This Summer has been more wet than dry.  Most of August was a washout, which was quite disappointing after spending nearly two weeks on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, enjoying the heat and sun.   The grass has simply not stopped growing all Summer long...we usually get a hot, dry spell, when it slows down and we don't have to mow every 5 days, but oh no, not this year, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I am so tired of mowing and trimming!  The rain has been good for the garden, and it has been nice not to have to drag the hose around the water all the time....so pros and cons....I can't complain about the Summer.  We had a nice vacation, we got to take the kids and grandkids out on the boat many times, and we have all been safe, happy and healthy!

 I've been quilting and crafting away in between it all, and am excited to begin Fall and Winter goodies.  They are my favorite seasons to create for.  Here are a couple of the quilts I recently finished.

Since my last post in April, the Mister has had a pacemaker put in.  It was a stressful time with all the testing to figure out what his heart issues were all about, but since May, he has been feeling great.

July, as I mentioned, was our vacation month.  We took our two oldest grandsons with us to the Outer Banks, along with our oldest son and his family.  Oh, it was a wonderful trip and such fun to see the cousins enjoying spending all that time together.

 The Great Dismal Swamp park

Lighthouse, Wright Brothers and Aquarium

Roadside Oddities (special request from Peter)

Antiquing on the way and met Bert..lol

Peter & Joey being goofy in the car

 

Hubby and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on August 13th.  The kids got together and arranged for us to have a weekend away.  They bought Yankees tickets, arranged for a hotel, etc.  That is this weekend, so here's hoping the weather is great and the Yankees win!

Boating on Labor Day

 

We've off to an open house at Ledyard Farms Morgan horse farm tonight.  They do this event annually, and show off their horses, do hay rides, and put on a huge shindig with all the food and drinks you can consume...it's a great time!  I will try to post pics soon.  We're off and running.  Please comment below and let me know how your Summer has been.  Miss you all!

Photo from last night before rain came through to put a damper on a beautiful evening.

 

Lemon-Berry Summer Dessert - No Bake!

 Good afternoon friends - Yes, it has been some time since I really sat down to chat with you all.  Life gets in the way many times of what we would wish to do, but today, after a long, hot week, we are back to cooler temps and cloudy skies, so I am catching up with a few things inside.

Once the weather gets nice, I am often outside working in my yard and gardens, pulling the weeds that seemed to grow, despite winter cold, and raking away the leaves from the oak tree, which never fall until winter.  I'm planning new garden projects, cleaning the chicken coop, clearing brush and browsing seed catalogs for Memorial Day planting.

Hubby has had some heart issues since the beginning of the year...lots of tests, monitors and appointments, and we still are not certain if he will be needing a pace maker.  Please pray for him and for his doctors.  Most of the time, he is feeling fine, so I do thank God for that, but we do need to get to the bottom of his issues.

I had three of our grandsons for most of last week.  The weather was hot and lovely.  We visited the zoo, played outside, planted potatoes and few flower seeds, went on a hike with their other cousins and our final outing on Friday was mini-golf and ice cream.  Saturday, we had our lovely friends, Paul & Eileen over.  We took another hike with them, went to a local yummy bbq place, and then came back to our house to sit on the patio and bask in the warmth.  I had made a tasty little treat for our dessert, and I would like to share the recipe with you now!  I did tweak the recipe that I found on Pinterest, based on what I had, and it still turned out very delicious.

No-bake Lemon Berry Dessert

For the crust:

2 c crushed graham crackers

4 T sugar

1 stick of butter, melted

Mix these ingredients and press into a pie plate or 9x9 pan. Reserve a little for decoration. You could also use a prepared graham crust in a pinch.

For the filling:

1 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese

3/4 c sugar

1/3 c or more of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 c milk

1 box instant lemon pudding mix

Mix cream cheese and sugar, beating until creamy and smooth.  Add the lemon juice and milk, beat til blended, then add the dry pudding mix.  Mixture will thicken up quick quickly.  Pour this into the pie crust.  Chill for one hour.

Berry Topping

Use your choice of blueberry pie filling or make your own, as I had to do.

I had some fresh blueberries and frozen mulberries.  I measured out about 2 cups berries, added 1/3 c water and 2 T cornstarch, stirring over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Let cool completely, then top the lemon filling, spreading to the edges.

Next, top with 2-3 c. freshly whipped cream or 2-3 c. of cool whip, if you are in a hurry.

Sprinkle on the remaining graham cracker crumbs and chill for another 2 hours.

This recipe went together very quickly and was enjoyed by all! 

 

Some recipes I found while browsing no-bake desserts, included double the cream cheese, but I really think that would be too much, and since I had only one brick of cream cheese, I used just one and it was very delicious!

 

 

More Spring Offerings

$14 for the set.

SOLD

#1 is available - #2 is Sold

SOLD

SOLD

It's Chick Days - Grab yours today!

 More Spring Creations!

New Springtime offerings

 Just in time for Springtime decorating - visit my Etsy shoppe, FB business page or join in my new Themed Selling group on FB...Pickle Barrel Primitives!

In the Mood for Love?

 Just popping in to say Hi and let you know about a new FB group I have created.  We will be doing twice a month sales with a themed twist!  Every two weeks we will offer goodies from several talented ladies.  Come join in the fun!

Pickle Barrel Primitive Sales

 

Here are a few of the goodies I have listed this week: