Summertime

Heeelloooo Everybody!

Meow, my person has returned from CA and I missed her!   

Francy Pants is sooo cute!  He loves getting dressed up and taking naps!

The five longest days of summer are here!!!  That is to say, the countdown till school begins is coming to an end!  EEEEEeeeee, peace and quiet at last!!!!  WOOO Hooooooo!!!!

I'm sure I'll miss these 90 degree days spent at the Waterpark and Beach; probably sometime mid February.

Taking kids to the beach has it's benefits.  For one thing, folk's give digging kids a little more space!

Of course a gal can't help it if her blanket is surrounded by holes!

The best food I have recently tasted of this past weekend is the donut peach!  I absolutely love the light peach flavor.  It's name is cool too, who doesn't like donuts? And better yet-- donuts with only good calories!!!

I found the donut peach at the European Market in Chesterton.

Between the hot 'n humid summer days and refreshing rain showers, as far as I can tell it's been a fairly decent year for produce.  I do miss having a garden, and next year I'll at least plant tomatoes and cucumbers.

I made an old fashioned popcorn cake and decorated it with a modern flare-- M&M's!   A popcorn cake is basically just one big popcorn ball.  In the olden days (early 1900's), it was a common baked good to send via US Postal Service, as it travels well.  The only trouble I had with making this cake, is BEING ROBBED by a POPCORN THIEF (Glenn)!  Rice Krispies worked out as a decent replacement. 

Another cool thing about a popcorn cake, is it's a good take along dessert for picnics. 

Summer around here is picnics every weekend!

Often, they are in our own backyard.  It's much less messy that way!  Of course, MY KIDS aren't messy!!!   Bahahahha!

I mean, picnics are fun!  Also, their is the little matter of not being able to take kids anywhere for more than a couple hours without em getting hungry!  I get where they are coming from though as a gal can really work up an appetite swimming and sand digging at the beach.  ;-)



Backyard picnics usually include food hot off the grill.  Sweet corn and whatever meat Glenn can get his hands on to grill. 

I actually have to give myself credit for this meal, as I made slow cooked cinnamon apples in the crock pot, bbq ribs, and sweet corn on the grill.  It was delicious.  The apples compliment ribs nicely and are healthy; it's only apples, water and cinnamon!

A summertime tradition for our family is making Mom a BLACK RASPBERRY treat for her birthday!  Jean gathered the berry pickers, (Gladys and Troy) this year and they picked a bunch!  She made this pie:

I made a black raspberry berry cobbler for Mom:

Both treats were delicious and tasted like summertime!