pickles & popsicles

A friend of my mom's gave her a bunch of cucumbers...



Earlier in the summer I had found my Granny's pickle recipe inside one of my Nana's cookbooks, so I decided to turn the cucumbers into Granny's Crispy Luncheon Pickles.

Mary Reese helped me slice cucumbers, onions & peppers...



We added some salt & let them soak for 3 hours...



Then we drained them & packed them into jars with some fresh dill sprigs.

I boiled some vinegar, sugar & spices.  Then poured the boiling vinegar mixture into the jars...



I placed the jars in boiling water...



...to seal.  After 15 minutes, I took them out & listened for them to pop...



This summer has been a scorcher!  Just about each afternoon, we take a popsicle break.  Owen loves to see the popsicles flying out of the freezer...



...I just wish he wasn't so messy...



...but I usually just turn on the sprinkler to clean him up...



He thinks that is pretty fun too!

football & cheer camps

Banks attended a 2 day football camp at the local high school [which happens to be my alma mater]...



[Sam Smith & Banks]

He was thrilled to see tons of friends from school and baseball...but he was even more thrilled to be a football player in training.

While the brothers were learning to be football players, the sisters were learning to be cheerleaders...



[Mary Reese & Gray]

On the last day of cheer camp, all the parents were invited for a little performance.

They showed us some cheers...



...and then a dance to Justin Bieber's Baby & an Ice Cream hip/hop song...



Both Banks & Mary Reese had a fabulous time at their respective camps.  They are looking forward to next year!

Owen just wants to know when he can go?

staycation

Since Jody & Banks chose baseball over the beach, Jody had some vacation days he needed to use before losing them. We decided on a staycation at Smith Lake…



Our plans for the extra long weekend included…



Spending lots of time in & on the water.



Grilling/Smoking lots of delicious & delightful food.



Keeping cool with popsicles & summery drinks [my version of a mojito made with fresh lime juice, simple syrup & fresh mint].

We accomplished everything our short list & more!

Owen loved being the co-pilot of the boat…


 
…while other 2 like riding up front…
 

 
The favorite spot for a boat ride was the jumping cliff…
 

 
Owen watched while Banks & Mary Reese…


 
jumped!  By next summer, Owen will really think he needs to jump.

We survived a few good old summer thunderstorms…


 
…by napping, reading books & catching up on some tv.

Owen survived several slips at the boat dock…


 
Nothing that a little Neosporin & a Barbie band-aid couldn’t fix.

We ended each night with a fireworks show…


 
We had a fabulous time just hanging out as a family and enjoying the serenity of lake life!  The start of school is just around the corner...our lazy days of summer will be replace with school & extra-curricular activities!

these little piggies...

My little piggies went to the farmer's market...

Debbie came by Saturday morning and we all headed to the local farmer's market.  We found lots of fresh things all of which have to be...

locally home grown!  [The dragonfly is apart of the Dance of the Dragonflies and was painted by a friend and neighbor.  It is one of my favorites this year.  I wish it was coming to live in my garden after the exhibit is over.]

Banks helped pick out some okra for frying...

And Mary Reese carefully picked out some zinnias...



She only wanted the pink ones, so she ended up with a beautiful bouquet of pink zinnias...



We have enjoyed seeing them brighten up our kitchen.

Owen LOVES corn & was thrilled to bring some home...

We also ended up with some squash & peaches...

Mary Reese helped me make squash dressing...

...while enjoying a bowl of stewed squash!  [Squash dressing is kind of like your traditional Thanksgiving cornbread dressing with stewed squash mixed it.  It is delicious & delightful!]

I also cut our 12 ears of corn off the cob for some creamed corn...



Owen wandered through the kitchen & tried to snag an ear of corn off the counter.  Instead he ended up with just a cob...



Those 12 ears of corns yielded 8 cups of creamed corn...



While I was doing the corn, this is what was happening at my feet...



He is such a mess!

Our trip to the farmer's market turned into a delicious & delightful dinner last night.  We had meatloaf, creamed corn, squash dressing, fried okra, fried green tomatoes & a chocolate pie.  I am still stuffed this morning [& my kitchen still smells like a greasy spoon diner].

blackberries

My all time favorite berry is the blackberry.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the strawberries & blueberries we picked each season...but the blackberry holds a special place in my heart.

My Nana [my mother's mother] made the best blackberry jam [full of seeds just the way I like it]!  I remember going with her to a relative's house out in the country picking blackberries in a junk yard next to their house [I think their names might have been Cooter & Dimple].  I wish I had pictures from that day.  I bet they would have been hysterical.  I was probably in my favorite ESPRIT outfit.  I can't believe I wasn't afraid a snake would slither out and get me.  With those blackberries, she would make enough jam to supply us through the winter.

My dad planted some vines to the left of the strawberry patch at his house.  This year they produced a bumper crop...



They were the delicious & delightful...



He gave me 16 cups of those berries and I put them to good use!

With 4 cups of the berries...



I made a Blackberry Cobbler.  I basically use the recipe from the Cobb Lane cookbook [a famous Birmingham restaurant].

Cook 4 c. berries, 1¼ c. sugar and ¼ c. water over medium heat until the berries are soft.  Mix 2 T. flour and 4 T. water to make a smooth paste.  Add to berries to thicken...



Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Pour the berries into a baking dish.

You can make your own pie crust, but I cheated and used a refrigerated pre-made one.  Brushed it with some melted butter then sprinkled it with cinnamon & sugar.  Cut the crust into strips.  Top the berries with the pastry strips...



I did a lattice design but you could just throw the strips on top.  Bake at 400˚ until the crust is lightly browned.

With the other 12 cups of berries, I made...



Blackberry Jam [it is almost as delicious as my Nana's].  Hopefully I canned enough to get us through until next blackberry season.

the fourth

We spent a nice relaxing 4th of July weekend at the lake.  We headed down Friday morning and stayed until today.  After we unloaded our car & got our stuff settled, we headed out for a little boat cruise...

My two favorite brothers enjoying the ride [sister was propped up in the front of the boat].

We have some friends with a cabin about 15 miles away [by boat & by car], so we ended up swinging by for a visit.  Mary Bradford was thrilled to see someone her her own age...

Banks was equally excited.  Between their cabin & ours, we had 7 kids under the age of 7.  Somehow the kids talked us into a little kid swap.  Jody and I ended up with short end of the stick and with the 3 five year olds and the Waller cabin ended up with the 2 seven year olds [the 2 toddlers stayed in their respective cabins].

Jody & I headed back to our cabin with Owen, Mary Reese, Gray & Jack around dinner time.  Jody grilled us some delicious steaks & the kids some hot dogs [we offered them steaks but they preferred the dogs]...



We made it almost to bedtime when Jack decided he need to go back to his cabin to see his mommy.  We all loaded up in the car and headed to their cabin [which was thankfully only about 15 minutes away].  Gray decided she could make it through the night and came back with us.

I got up the next morning before everyone else and enjoyed...

...a nice cup of coffee with a fabulously peaceful view [my favorite time of the day at the lake].

Once everyone got up, we hit the boat dock for the day.  Gray & Mary Reese loved having each other without their older siblings to aggravate them...

They are the best of friends who love to boss each other around...they never fight, just boss.

They also loved having some teenagers to hang out with.  Gray loved riding the jet ski & the tube...



Mary Reese not so much.  She was content just watching or riding in the boat.

Later that afternoon, Jody swapped the 2 five year olds for the 2 seven year olds.  Mary Bradford & Banks were thrilled when they got back to find some teenagers to take them on canoe rides to the waterfall...



...and tube rides.  Mary Bradford loving it...

...way more than Banks...

He rode it...he just wasn't thrilled about it!

Guess who else rode the tube?

Yep, that is Owen on the tube with Daddy.

He loved it.  We went slow and we were right by our cabin [not in a main channel].

Owen also loved playing with his best friend in the baby pool on the dock...

Those 2 are the best of friends [mostly because Owen shares ALL his food with Camp].

He liked to swim in the lake but hasn't quite mastered his life jacket...





He just rolls.  It is hysterical.  If we but floaties on too, he can balance himself.

Finally it was the 4th!  We always enjoy a big stack pancake breakfast on the morning of the 4th...



After breakfast, we swapped Mary Bradford back for Mary Reese.

Then Popsy got this beauty back in commission...



...and took Mary Reese on the first ride.  [The pontoon boat is 23 years old and holds so many memories!]  They came back with "Caberta" [one of the girls from Popsy's office who was at a cabin just across the lake].

Later in the day, they loaded it to max capacity and went cliff jumping.  They took my camera but no one took any pictures.

We all worked up a healthy appetite after playing on the water all day.  We enjoyed a fabulous 4th of July BBQ...



Jody smoked us a boston butt & some ribs.  I make potato salad, slaw & corn on the cob.  It was delicious, delightful & Owen approved...



We ended the night by watching a fireworks show given by all the cabins around us.

[Click here to get a recap of what the kids did at the other cabin.]