Independence Day Medley

Meaningful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

So it's Wednesday again, and time for the Wednesday Medley hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.  Appropriately enough, this week's questions center on Independence Day, which we'll be celebrating tomorrow, July 4. Why not head on over to Terri's and get the the questions to answer on your own blog?   Here goes:

1.  Please share a favorite July 4th memory with us.

One year we were in Elko, Nevada, with our daughter and husband on July 4th. (There were no children yet at that time.)  I wrote an account of our day here: A special Fourth of July memory.  If you don't have time to click over and read, here is one of the highlights of that day:

"In the evening, we went to the home of friends for a cookout. We enjoyed a bountiful meal in their beautifully landscaped back yard, from which we could later have a wonderful view of the fireworks being set off at the fairgrounds. But for us, the highlight of the evening was when they brought out a "Happy Birthday America" flag cake complete with candles, and the entire group joined in singing "Happy Birthday" to our country before enjoying cake, ice cream, and s'mores. What a meaningful moment!"

2.  How do you plan to spend tomorrow?  If you are working, will you celebrate later?

Not sure yet.  We usually celebrate at a late-afternoon picnic with friends, and I think that will be happening again this year.  The earlier part of the day will hold other activities, but I'm not sure what yet.  The photo below is from last year's picnic and was shamelessly borrowed from my daughter.

Photo by Carrie at Life on a Back Road

3.  Is there a favorite food always reserved for your 4th of July celebration?

I'm pretty pathetic, I guess.   Just any summer picnic food will work for us; no food just reserved for the Fourth.

4.  In Florida, you can buy all kinds of fireworks, including some that fly high and burst into pretty cascades.  Are fireworks legal in your state/community and does anyone you know put on a display for your neighborhood?

Yes, they are legal here and yes, folks in our neighborhood often put on a fireworks display.  Not just for the Fourth; they seem to do displays for the end of school, New Year's Eve, family members' birthdays, and more.   

The folks we usually spend the Fourth with generally put on a fireworks display over a pond in their yard.  Very pretty!  We probably won't be staying until dark, though, as Mr. T has to work the next day.  Again, the  photo below was taken by my daughter (and rudely borrowed by me) and is from last year's party.

Photo by Carrie at Life on a Back Road

5.  Do you have a favorite movie that you always watch sometime during the 4th of July?

Never thought of doing such a thing.  We're usually outdoors.

6.  Share something from your week, please.

I've been busy writing and scheduling posts for  Christmas in July over at my Christmas blog, Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen.  Link is in sidebar.  I hope you'll visit!

July goals

Yes, unbelievably, it's a new month, and time for setting some fresh goals.  Here are my goals for July:
* Do a July Scripture writing challenge
* Continue reading through the New Testament
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones

* Continue our discipleship study with new believers

* Continue to  help a recently widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Continue study for Sunday School -- A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus
* Get to bed by 9 pm each night  
* Limit sugar
* Drink enough water each day

 * Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week (with some help from Clean Mama)
* Do something creative each day
* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog every day for Christmas in July!

* Get together with friends on July 4th
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones

* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items

* Work on Etsy and trust bookkeeping as necessary
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able

* Continue to encourage and support my hubby as he works through a pastoral search for our church
* Clean church and set up for fellowship time

* Continue to sort out and declutter my dad's house, hopefully taking many loads to the dump and thrift store and consolidating the remaining items yet to dispose of;  work on estate
* Spend a day helping my cousin get started with a similar task at her childhood home

* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating

 
HEALTHY HABITS FOR JULY:  Drink more water/get more sleep/limit sugar

And here's how June went:
* Do a June Scripture writing challenge --- done!
* Begin reading through the New Testament -- I've fallen behind by a day or two, but not bad, so --- done!
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones  -- not done; only learned 2 verses

* Continue our discipleship study with new believers --- done!

* Continue to  help a recently widowed friend with the challenges of life in general --- done!
* Continue study for Sunday School -- A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus --- done!
* Get to bed by 9 pm each night   -- not done
* Limit sugar -- not done consistently
* Drink enough water each day -- not done consistently

 * Walk and/or exercise at least 3 times each week --- done!

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week (with some help from Clean Mama) -- not done
* Do something creative each day --- done!
* Post in this blog as often as possible --- done!
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible --- done!
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones --- done!

* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects --- done!
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items --- done!

* Work on Etsy and trust bookkeeping as necessary -- n/a
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family --- done!
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able -- I always feel as if I could do more
* Attend wedding of our friends' daughter --- done!
* Create one (possibly 2) handmade wedding gifts --- done!

* Continue to encourage and support my hubby as he works through a pastoral search for our church --- done!
* Clean church and set up for fellowship time --- done!

* Continue to sort out and declutter my dad's house, hopefully taking many loads to the dump and thrift store and consolidating the remaining items yet to dispose of;  work on estate --- done!
* Get several large pieces of furniture from the old homestead to their new owners --- done!

* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating --- done!

 
HEALTHY HABITS FOR JUNE:  Drink more water/get more sleep -- not done consistently

So many of these projects are ongoing that I hesitate to declare them done.  They aren't finished and won't be for awhile.  Still, I met my goals in that I spent some time this past month in working on them. 

Friday five for the end of June

Time for another Friday five ... the last one for this month.  How did June ever pass so quickly?  No matter; it is gone.  Here goes with five blessings from the week:

1.  The fun of beginning a very simple cross stitch project ... a little Scripture sampler I want to make for friends.  Even though I have a number of UFOs sitting about (one of them being a large cross stitch project I've barely touched in months) I found joy in starting this and should be able to finish it quickly.  It's so simple I can work on it in the car.

2.  Seeing several bears this week -- a sow and three cubs on our property, and then a bear crossed the road in front of my friend and I while we were walking.  We decided that we would turn around and walk the other way for awhile to let the bear get to wherever it was going.  We didn't see it again.

3.  Getting to enjoy a picnic together on Saturday night.  It was a blessing to pack up some food and take it to a pretty spot by a rushing river.  The photo at top was taken by the water's edge.

4.  Hearing two good, encouraging messages from Psalm 86 on Sunday.  Our former pastor, now retired, is visiting family in our area and preached for us this past week. 

5.  Our favorite ice cream place is open for the season!  (Sign below is from our second-favorite ice cream place, which is also now open.)

And there's this week's simple Friday five!  All of the flower photos (other than the one at the top of the post)  are from either our yard or at the home I am cleaning out.

Banana Crunch Cake

On Sunday, a friend at church gave me some bananas that needed to be used up.   She is in the process of moving and does not yet have a functional kitchen in the new place.  I really wasn't sure I could find time to bake, but took the bananas anyway.  I was thinking of either muffins or a coffee cake, but was undecided (and uninspired).

I didn't get around to using the bananas until Tuesday and was just looking through recipes trying to find inspiration.  After a bit I remembered an old Quaker Oats cookbook I have.  This is a great little cookbook and I still use the meat loaf recipe from it, quite often.  I thought it just possible I might have seen a banana cake recipe in that book.

Sure enough!  In the dessert section, I found this:

Best of all,  the recipe didn't call for anything unusual that I didn't have on hand.  (If you need to enlarge the recipe, just click on the photo.  That should do it -- it did for me.)

One thing I appreciated while putting this together was that the ground oat flour was specified in an actual cup measurement.  Often, recipes will call for a certain amount of oats and have you grind them into flour in a blender.  I usually buy the Bob's Red Mill oat flour in a bag, so a recipe that requires starting with oats (and doesn't tell you how much oat flour you'll actually need) isn't too helpful.  For the all-purpose flour called for, I used the Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.  I didn't use the chopped nuts in the cake part, but did in the topping, since I had a couple tablespoons of toasted walnuts on hand.  I think another time I would use quick oats rather than old-fashioned in the topping, just to make it more attractive.

This cake was delicious the day I made it, but by the next day it was really fantastic.  Very moist and flavorful.

It was fun cooking from one of my older cookbooks!  I hope you'll give this recipe a try.  We enjoyed it very much!

Wednesday Medley for June 26

Somehow it's Wednesday again, and time for the Wednesday Medley hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.  This week's questions have to do with National Parchment Day, which is celebrated the last Wednesday in June.  Who knew? Why not head on over to Terri's and get the the questions to answer on your own blog?   Here goes:

1.  Who knew there was a day to celebrate parchment paper?!  Do you ever use parchment when you bake or cook? Tell us about your favorite way to use it, please.

My favorite way to use parchment paper is in baking cookies.  I love that I don't have to worry about cookies sticking, or washing the cookie sheet in between batches.  I used to use teflon liners, but I like the parchment paper so much better! 

I also really like the parchment cupcake papers.  They work so well for muffins and cupcakes!

2.  When Terri thinks of parchment paper, she usually thinks about special writing or artist papers. She loves using specialty papers for creating cards or other art projects. Tell us about a creative way you have used parchment paper other than to bake with!

Honestly, I can't think of any other way I have used it.  I use tracing paper (which looks quite similar) for embroidering words or names on things like pillowcases and baby blankets.  I design the words on the computer and print out on tracing paper.  Then I just embroider the fabric right through it and tear it away afterward.  The lettering on the pillowcases below was done using this technique.

3.  Terri used to be in the cake business and has piped many borders and roses and leaves and letters, etc., etc.  You can make a pastry bag from parchment paper!  Have you ever tried decorating a cake with a pastry bag and specialty tips?  Do you have a picture to share?  Don't be shy, now!

Decades ago, when I was younger and much less wise, I made lots of decorated cakes, including two wedding cakes, but have no photos of any of them.  I will say I had a lot more enthusiasm than skill. I did learn, while making the wedding cakes, that my hubby was pretty good at making roses!

I should also add that both of my daughters have designed and decorated fabulous birthday cakes for their kids.  My younger daughter has done cake decorating professionally.

4.  Tell us about something you baked or cooked in the past week or so that turned out great, parchment or no parchment.  Will you share the recipe?

A friend who was moving gave me some overripe bananas to bake with.   I vacillated between muffins and coffeecake and looked at various recipes but nothing seemed just right.  In an older Quaker Oats cookbook, I ran across a Banana Crunch Cake that sounded ideal.  Sometimes the simpler recipes are still best, after all.  It turned out scrumptious and I will plan to post the recipe on Thursday.  The Banana Crunch Cake is the one cut in squares toward the middle of the photo.

5.  The last Wednesday in June!!  How can that be? Has your June flown by or have you been able to enjoy each day and make it slow down for you?

It has flown by.  It didn't look too busy on paper, but it turned out to be very busy in reality.  Hoping I can slow down and enjoy the July days a bit more.

6.  Tell us something about your week so far, if you will.

It's dark and rainy today (Tuesday as I write this), but yesterday was nice.   My friend and I got out to walk both days, since today's rain didn't begin until late morning.  Oh!  And yesterday, on our walk, a black bear crossed the road ahead of us!  We decided to turn around and walk in the other direction for a few minutes to give her time in case she had cubs along.  They often do, this time of year.

Roses along our walking route

 And there you have it -- this week's Wednesday Medley! 

(Oh -- and the sweet illustration at the top of the post is from a 1950s calendar page.)

Out of a vintage kitchen

 Over the next week or two I'm hoping to feature some fun items that I've found in my sorting and sifting at my childhood home.  I thought I'd start with a few things from the kitchen.  Some of these are available in my Etsy shop, A New Hampshire Attic.  Some others were in the shop, but have sold.  And then there is at least one item pictured here that's not in the shop.  Enjoy the nostalgia ...

From a book called "Cake Mix Miracles"

Kitchen herbs are fun!

Any self-respecting kitchen will have recipes clipped from flour bags.

These are rice paper guest towels.  Who would ever have thought?

From a gorgeous little food coloring booklet.  These are paintings, not photos!

A blotter that came in a box of cereal.

This booklet featuring Homer Laughlin Jubilee dinnerware went to a collector.

Even a family fitness plan!

The Joys of Jello Cookbook has had many incarnations.

This glorious time of year?  Oh yes, let's eat outdoors!

Canning from the victory garden

So there you have it!  Just a few fun memories from a vintage kitchen.  Stay tuned for posts featuring the vintage sewing room, the vintage stationery drawer and more!

Friday five for June 21

Beautiful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Friday again!  They seem to come around so quickly!  It should be easy to come up with five things I'm thankful for, since three of them happened in one day -- last Saturday. 

1.  One of my cousins and her husband bought the large pine hutch my parents had loved so much.  It had been locally built and they bought it when they added onto their house in the mid-1960s.  What a blessing that this nice piece of furniture went to a home of family members where it will be loved and appreciated, rather than gathering dust in a used-furniture store.

2.  We attended a gorgeous outdoor wedding Saturday afternoon.  It had rained most of Friday and even was raining Saturday morning, but by 2 pm the weather was beautiful and just perfect for a wedding in a lovely setting by a pond.  It was good also to be at a wedding where the Gospel was clearly proclaimed.  Below you see the one and only photo that I took!  The centerpieces were so pretty and so simple.

3.  Sharing a meal and Bible study with our dear young friends on Saturday night, and getting to hold their new baby.  It made Saturday a very full day indeed, but it was such a day of blessings!

4.  A wonderful day in God's house, with His people, on Sunday.  We had several staffers from The Wilds of New England with us.  The young man preached both services, and he and the young ladies helped out with the music also by singing, and playing guitar, cello, and violin.  What a talented group of young people!  It was just a good day and we felt so very blessed.

Some of the cabins at TWNE

5.  A great Father's Day cookout with our daughter and her hubby and their four kiddos.  My hubby was so blessed later to see a little tribute to him that our daughter posted on Instagram.  He does all that he does selflessly, with no thought of reward, but it just blessed his heart to read her words of appreciation and love. 

That's the Friday five for this week!