Apple Annie's Again

It just seemed wrong to drive past Apple Annie's on our way home from NM and not stop. I told Shane how cool it was, what great adventures we were teaching our kids even though it was almost 100 degrees. He relented. So we made our way there to pick fresh peaches and what ever else was in season and ready to be picked. The peaches smelled so good even as you walked up to the trees. We grabbed ourselves some yellow squash, jalapenos, and okra too.

We had cooked the veggies last night with dinner and I am sold...fresh is the best! All our peaches are sliced and in the freezer ready for smoothies at any moment. Oh how I long to live where farm fresh is not over 3 hours away. (sigh)

 14lbs of peaches

 Nathan was our most eager "picker"...I had to stop him just to get a picture...and it's only his hand.

 That is the biggest cucumber we have EVER seen!! We didn't pick it, but used Samantha's hand for reference.

 Okra is a Self family thing...so I had to get some for my father in law!

And, why not burn off some energy running in the fields before we head home??

Ba-Boooom, Crack, Snap...

 We took a mini road trip to Lordsburg, NM to shoot off fireworks. Shane has a co-worker who has done this every year for the past ten years and once Shane got wind of it you know we were 'all in'. We stopped at a rest stop just outside Benson, AZ with amazing scenery and took a great family photo.

 The place were we stopped and purchase the majority of the fireworks is about 5 miles inside the border of NM and they were all decked out in their holiday red, white and blues too! I love the clouds in the background.

 We also discovered that Herbie retired to Lordsburg, NM. He was a little worn but still offering the love to those of us to enjoy!

 Jacob earned money for the past 6 months to buy his first R/C car and this was a great opportunity to break it in. The boys had loads of fun while we waited for the sun to set.

 The rest of us played a game of Washers...which we were introduced to by friends earlier in the year. It is a fun game we can all play regardless of skill level.

 Me and my snuggle bug as we watched the game.

 Check out that sky!!! I thought we were going to get hit but it skirted right around us. It made for a beautiful picture and made me feel like moving to the mid west...that was only a brief thought as I remembered things like tornadoes.

 Getting set up...yes they are wearing sweat shirts. Our AZ thinned blood doesn't work well when it is in the upper 6o's with a pretty good breeze. I was in hog heaven though, and actually, no body complained about being cold since we all know how hot it is here!

 Shane and Carlo shooting off roman candles...

 Sparklers!!!

 People in the town as well as vacationers like us come and do exactly what we were doing. There were blasts going on in a 360 radius around us! It was amazingly cool I do have to admit!

 These were some of the canon shoots Shane and Carlos were shooting off. They would explode literally right about our heads.

We made a stop at Apple Annie's again on our way home...those pictures for another post. All in all, it was a blitz trip, a fair amount of driving but totally worth it to be up close and personal with this amazing holiday.

Happy 4th of July

I ALWAYS associate this amazing holiday with the obvious...our country's independence, but in the last few years I began adding food to my list of great ways to celebrate. There are some fun, creative things to make food special and festive. I enjoy the doing part of the cooking/baking and I hope my kids look back fondly at my efforts in creating awesome memories for them.

Red, White and Blue Strawberries...could these be any more fun?? I melted white chocolate chips, dipped the strawberries in the chocolate and then waited until it almost formed a hard shell then dipped them again in the blue sprinkles. So obviously festive and incredibly easy!!

 4th of July cake!! It requires a white, or in my case vanilla, cake mix. Separate one cup of batter into a small bowl, add red food coloring. Repeat only blue food coloring. Carefully pour into your pan and bake per directions. Then with the ready made tub frosting, separate into thirds, heat each bowl for 15 seconds, add red and blue food coloring to the frosting. Pour in into three separate small ziploc bags, snip the small corner off and drizzle. Lastly, add sprinkles!! This cake idea has endless possibilities for every holiday...can't wait for Halloween!!

And when you cut into it...WOWZERS....this is the fun you get! 

And of course no holiday would be complete without a fancy hair do for my girls. Hannah's style has worked awesome with all the swimming she is doing. Add a bow and band and bam...it is festive to the max. She is just tickled today with this style. I have other stuff for the other girls...more picture to follow.

Have a blessed holiday!!! God bless America!

My new favorite lunch

Goat cheese, basil, tomato on bagget slices...YUMMY!!

Weekend Project

I have been wanting to put new curtains up in my family room for a while now. I took down the all brown ones after Shane and I discussed that he would prefer it be a bit brighter. (He is not a fan of the warm, dark colors...but I LOVE them, so I was desperate to find a compromise)

I was checking out Joann's online about 2 wks ago and discovered they were having a huge sale on outdoor fabric...60% off. The sale took the price from $25 per yard down to $10. I ordered six yards of the fabric and waited for it to arrive. I am thrilled with how it tuned out. It is a heavy fabric so it hangs nice, but it is still breathable so it doesn't look bulky. Below are some before and after pictures. I made six panels or three windows and I believe I succeeded in brightening up the space!!

Before...

After...(And yes that is brown duct tape on my couch...a few more years and the kids will be old enough for me to feel ok with getting new couches!)

Do your husband a favor and try this...

I made this off yet another Pinterest recipe link...if you haven't signed up, YOU HAVE TO!! It is a wealth of information and of course recipes.

Mozzarella Stuff Meatballs
2lbs of ground beef
1 package of fresh basil
1package of fresh oregano
1tbl Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 small can tomato paste
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

First I put the herbs in my food processor...and you are going to wish you have smell-a-vision! I love cooking with fresh ingredients...smells so good!

Move the rest into your kitchen aide mixer with the exception of the bread crumbs.

Mix together, then add bread crumbs

Cut your mozzarella...I cheated and used cheese sticks because I ALWAYS have cheese sticks on hand...part of the life with 5 kids!

Take a decent size of meat, flatten in your hand, add cheese and 'wrap' the meat around the cheese to form a ball. Remember...most of the time the meat cooks down so they will be smaller once cooked. Layer them on a tray or glass dish...I used a small amount of cooking oil in the bottom of the pan to help get a crisp outside, but this is totally optional.

Cook at 350 for approx. 20 min. I just kept checking to see if they were done. This is also the time that I started my spaghetti noodles and sauce cooking and it all got done at the same time. You can also use these meatballs to make a meatball sub...which is what I intend to do with the leftovers!

Melted cheesy goodness...and they delivered on taste too!! Get creative...make them into just about anything or eat them plain.

Enjoy!

I didn't DO anything...

 It is hot here...like 110 degrees, melt anything, burn my buns, HOT! This is the part of the summer I dislike the most. (dare I say 'hate' the most) All I want to do is get all my errands done before 9am and then lock myself in a quiet, cool house and wait until sunset, which seems to take the edge off the heat. Of course that is not possible every day...today was one of those days. I found myself out running a quick errand in the middle of the day. As I drove into the parking lot I saw a man, with a sign saying "Homeless Veteran, please help." My heart sank. Who, on purpose, would sit out in this oppressive heat? Or was is completely out of necessity? As I drove past him I noticed he was clean shaven and groomed fairly well. My mind went straight to judgement. I thought, "Oh, you are one of those who sit here and prey on the hearts of others in hope to get money from them for your inappropriate reason." Ouch...yes, I just wrote that because I actually thought it and I am overwhelmed with sadness at my own judgement of this man. I have no place to make such a harsh judgement. Do I really believe a man would purposely sit there, in the 110 degree sun, just to make money? (Lord, I hope not!) I had to stop and take a good look at myself. God in his grace brought to mind the following verses...(from The Message)

^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.'

 ^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

I am sad to say I kept driving past him, not offering this man anything from my surplus and I feel terrible. I feel like regardless of his reasons or intentions, God has blessed me abundantly. I have WAY more than I could ever ask for and yet I didn't even stop to offer him a few water bottles which I had in the truck. Thankfully, I serve a gracious God, one who hears my confession of judgement and forgives me. I will stop next time...because God knows the hearts of all men regardless of what I see with my human, sin-filled eyes. I am praying this afternoon that someone, anyone, will stop and offer this man water, food, or what ever he needs. I pray He gives me more conviction every day to reach out to the least of these, because frankly, we are all the least of these in the eyes of our Savior. 


Today, in this moment I am thankful to a God who can in one moment change my heart, turning it more towards His path, so I can give to others from my abundance.