Carnival: Summer Treats

I was quite excited when I saw this topic for our July 6 Carnival Blog! Something I surely didn’t have to give much thought to either. Each year as summer approaches we are all fortunate to have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables to choose from. When the first signs of summer approaches, each year my children request this reciepe: Blueberry Cobbler.
I was fortunate many years ago, long before I even had children, I was invited to a friend’s house to dinner. His girlfriend who came from Georgia, cooked a most delicious dinner of Southern cooking, but it wasn’t until she brought out the dessert that we were completely taken. Annette (her name) was sweet enough to share this receipe for Blueberry Cobbler that had been in her family for years; and, although we are not Southern up here in NY, I do admit that this has become a “Summer Favorite”. So I am happy to share it with all of you! This will definitely feed your whole family, unless you have a few like my boys who sneak in during the evening and take a little extra taste here and there!
Southern Blueberry Cobbler:
 2/3 cups Sugar
 2 tbsp Cornstarch
 ¾ cups water
 3 cups fresh Blueberries (washed, of course)
 1 tsp melted butter
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 2 tsp juice of freshly squeezed lemon
 1 cup sifted flour
 1 ½ tsp baking powder
 ½ tsp salt
 1/3 cup milk
 3 tsp melted butter
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, slowly add water. Bring to boil for about 1 min until it starts to thicken. Add Blueberries and mix. Pour mixture into lightly buttered 13x9” baking dish. Sprinkle blueberries with cinnamon, 1 tsp melted butter and lemon juice. Let stand a few minutes while making topping.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl add milk and 3 tsp melted butter. Stir mixture until moistened and forms a ball. Drop spoonfuls onto the blueberries, sprinkle topping with a small mixture of sugar and cinnamon (to your own taste!) Bake 425 degrees for 25-30 min. Serve warm.
In our family, we like to top each serving of the cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy! Can’t wait to read all the other delicious summer recipes that I can include to our summer feasts.

Blogger of the Month: LazyTCrochet

Tricia, know to us as “Lazy T” for her shop on Etsy: http://www.LazyTCrochet@etsy.com has been promoted as our June “Blogger of the Month”! As one who does a lot of crochet work myself for the past 40+ yrs, I am also in awe when I see some of her pieces that she displays in her shop. Her love of creating modern and original designs in crocheting and knitting, as well as some “old-world’’ styles in her shop. Besides just using yarns and wools, Tricia can proudly display her sign “Hand-made” as she likes to also used recycled fabrics and fibers, which allows her to sell some of her pieces as affordable to the comsumer.
Well, now one can add TV star to Tricia’s list of credits. Not only belonging to our “Blogger” team, but she is also a member of Etsy’s Cleveland Handmade Team. They will be making an appearance on Fox 8 News in the Morning tomorrow! They will be showcasing the many talents of “Lazy T” and her Handmade friends . If you miss her on TV, you can find “LazyT” at her following sites. It was hard to chose just a few pieces to show from her shop, as there are so many wonderful items – but you will have to find those yourself!

http://lazytcrochet.blogspot.com/
my destash shop at http://LazyStuff.Etsy.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/LazyTcrochet/32716500715
and Twitter at http://twitter.com/LazyTcrochet

Wordless Wednesday: A Father's Love

Little Ava's Christening Day

Carnival: Summer Memories

I am the one with the braids!

It really is hard to pinpoint one favorite summer vacation that I enjoyed. I think if you asked any child who just spent 10 months sitting in a classroom, they would say that every summer would be their favorite. Looking back on the many summers I spent during my childhood, I can say that one regret I have for children today is that they really don’t know the true joys of summer. Today, everything has to be scheduled – from “play dates”, to camp (and now it is just not any camp, there are sports camps, dance camps, space camps, etc) nothing of which allows a child to use their own imagination. Fortunately for most of us in our generation, summer was a time to explore, learn new adventures, swim in our own backyard pool, daydream – all of which our imaginations were put to the test to learn more about life, nature and ourselves. What a shame that children today cannot experience these silent pleasures that a summer brings to life.
I remember when I was young, waking up about 6am with the sun just coming up in the East, I would quietly to next door to meet my best friend, Taffy. We would go out and get lost in whatever adventure we might find until our parents would call us in for breakfast. We would catch tadpoles in the stream (which were never welcomed in my home); climb on the rocks and each day our imaginations would take us to many different places. Taffy’s family owned a huge summer home in Branford, CT, which was one block from the beach. I think those were my favorite summers as I would stay with them most of the summer for as long as I can ever remember. We could walk down to the water and dive off the rocks – who cared if there were jellyfish in the waters – we would just swim around them. Her older brother who might have been about 13 at the time, would take us out on his sailfish or rowboat, and take us far out into the sound where we would fish or just try to catch the fish in our hands. We would climb the highest tree we could find until someone finally came to get us down; ride our bikes to explore many places unknown. As the day began to wind down, dinner was always something special. As Taffy and I sat in the beautiful sunlit dining room of their summer home, we would be eating the most delicious summer vegetables from our garden that we had just picked that day. There is not a summer that doesn’t go by that I don’t think of those adventurous summers spent in Branford, where a child could be a child. I tried to bring those adventures to my own children when they were young; as we would head up to Cape Cod for a few weeks each summer. I would have the car packed on the last day of school, and as they said goodbye to their friends, I would pick them up and off we would head to the Cape. Our friends we stayed with had no (and still don’t) have aTV, radio, etc. So each day they would be out early in the morning planting bulbs and seeds in the garden. One summer they even planted clam seedlings in a bog in the bayside of the Cape. They would spend hours gathering little seashells then come home to wash and paint them. I truly admit that my summers were always something special to look forward to, and I am glad that my own children were able to have those same experiences of enjoying a summer vacation filled with imagination and memories.

Wordless Wednesday: "The Rose"

One of the beautiful Roses growing on my Terrace

Wordless Wednesday - Little Ava

Sleeping Beauty

Wordless Wednesday: Part II

7 newborn kittens, at least 3 marbles, sexes undetermined. During her labor she was frantic to have her mother, Mollie, near her, but Mollie is nursing 4 babies herself.

Wordless Wednesday: Childbirth

Oh the pain of "Childbirth"!!! Bengal Cat seconds before delivering her kittens

Carnival: Symbols of June: The Rose and Moonstone

June has always been one of my favorite months for so many reasons: Weddings; the beginning of Summer; the end of school; warm days; long walks in the Park; sitting by the water daydreaming. Oh, I could go on and on with the endless possibilities that June can bring. I just named a few which always seemed to make June a special month for me.

So when I read our new “Carnival” topic by Shell I thought of so many possibilities to write about. Thanks to ShellMitchell, I also learned a few new things about June, that being the Pearl or Moonstone as June’s birthstone’s; and of course the Rose as June’s flower. In fact, as I am typing on my computer in front of my terrace window, I am looking out at my beautiful roses already in bloom on my terrace (the pictures above are from my terrace)! I will also share with you my favorite place that I look forward to going on a warm sunny day, Manor Park in Larchmont NY. It is one of the most peaceful places I have found – the Park is located on the ocean sound where you can climb down the rocks to the water and sit and watch the sailboats floating by and also have a beautiful view of the NY City skyline. As I climb down the rock there are many little caverns (of course, I will not tell where one might find me) but I can sit for hours looking at the peacefulness of the water and always bring my journal to write my thoughts which seem to flow in this beautifully hidden Park.

I seemed to have gotten a little distracted with my own thoughts of June; but Shell did mention June’s own symbols are the Pearl or Moonstone, and represented by one of God’s most beautiful creations – the Rose! So with this newfound knowledge, I have discovered that my own shop is filled with some of June’s own symbols. One of my pieces which I named “Moonshadow” is a Carnelian Moonstone. Although I quoted in my description of this piece from Cat Steven’s song “Moonshadow”; he says “see life as it is and don't compare it to others' lives. Every moment in life is rich and unique. This connects with the true meaning of a Moonstone as being a very person stone and is a reflection of the person who owns it; the moonstone is said to perceive that which “is”. It is said if you give your lover a moonstone necklace when the moon is full you will always have passion with each other.

In honor of June’s flower, the Rose, featured in my shop, is one of my favorite pieces, called “The Rose”. A rose has always been associated with beauty, romance and perfection. One of Shakespeare’s most favorite quote from Romeo and Juliet: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”.

So as we begin our Summer, let us walk among the Roses, smelling their sweet scent, and hope we find the passion when a lover gives us a beautiful Moonstone!

May Blogger of the Month: CreateAThought

When I first looked at this shop, besides the beautiful and interesting items in this Shop, what really struck me was her “Creative Thoughts”. As one who loves to write my thoughts down in a journal, I found this quote to be one my favorites: “Everyday you are creating thoughts. Thoughts that are interesting and beautiful, profound and deep, silly and funny. Whatever your thought style is, they should be recorded.”

CREATEaTHOUGHT's mission is to help you do just that. As she states in her bio, her shop provides just such items that will fit your personal writing and recording style. As each journal is created to be unique and one of a kind, CreateAThought is willing to create a personalized journal (or item) to fit your personality. I want to be able to provide you with something that is not mass produced. You will not have to worry about someone saying "I have that same journal" !

Besides the unique and personal journal in this shop, she sells many other fun and unique items. As one who likes to experiment in various crafts, she also states that “I like making things, and like to try making new things at least once!” As you browse through this interesting shop, you will also find cards, purses, magnets, frames, prints, any of which can be personalized to your own style. As she is constantly adding new items I suggest you mark this shop as one to keep an eye on!

Another interesting quote from her shop which I love “Life is too short to have boring things in your life, welcome to my shop full of color and things for you to enjoy, and make your life bright! It was hard trying to choose which items to showcase in CreateAThought's May Blogger of the Month article.