Food, Flowers and a Book

This Berry Lemonade Slush is outstanding. Especially if the strawberries you use have already been sliced and sweetened for strawberry shortcake. Damn, that was some sweet nectar!

lemonade flavor drink mix (dry)

1/2 cup water

3 cups ice cubes

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Add all ingredients into blender container; cover. Blend on high speed 10 sec. Turn off blender. Stir with spoon; cover. Blend an additional 5 sec. or until smooth, using pulsing action.

Serve immediately. Store leftover slush in freezer.

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I made biscuits last night, using Bisquick Light, to use with the strawberries to make strawberry shortcake. Except I forgot to tell anyone that's what they were for. I grilled hamburgers, which we ate with the macaroni salad and deviled eggs I made. All that food was on the counter in one area - dinner buffet-style. The biscuits were on another counter. There were 4 kids here so after they fixed their plates, Steve and I went in the kitchen to fix ours. Half of the biscuits were gone! Good thing I made a double batch. I have to admit they were mighty tasty right out of the oven. They are basically regular biscuits, with a touch of sugar added. Have I mentioned this family has a definite sweet tooth?

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I didn't accomplish what I intended yesterday but I did lots of other stuff instead. I figured out a way (hopefully) to keep the squirrels out of the buckets of birdseed I want to store on the deck. Reggi has been a bit derelict in her duties, because previously I found the hard plastic white bucket with little teeth marks all over it. I now have the two buckets in a larger hard plastic tub. I'm cautiously optimistic that will help.

I bought a pack of flowers to plant in a couple more containers - and finally planted the coleus I bought a week ago. The morning glories are just reaching the trellis - at least the 3 out of 5 that survived.

I trimmed a tree near the deck. I brought a table and candle thing outside. Filled all the birdfeeders.

Made new nectar for the hummingbird feeder. There is nearly always a hummer around every time I look at this feeder. They even buzz by when I'm watering plants right next to it.

While I was sitting, waiting to take a picture of the hummingbird, I took a picture of this window box. The geraniums and those yellow trailing whatevers have really filled out nicely in the last week or so.

I know, I know, I keep showing you this same box of petunias over and over. I've never had such nice looking petunias, I can't help loving it so much!

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I also read Gretchen's book, Prairie Points. It's the edited version, I never read the original copy because I wanted to read it once it was published. How cool would that be, reading a real live published book, written by my sister about our family? (You know I'll be shouting it from the rooftops when it's been published and she's on her national book tour!) It's a memoir, connecting our grandparents to her current life. It's well known that I'm fairly emotional, right? I teared up at the dedication! I had to stop at page 7 and compose myself. Gretchen warned me the last chapter would really get to me, but she promised me she would reimburse me for Kleenex expense.

I cried through nearly the whole damn thing. No one else will, I don't think, just me and Gretchen. It's not sad, it's not happy, it's just emotional - because I know the characters so well, and I love them all so much, I guess.

So I read page 8 straight through to the end, stopping only for dinner. I called Gretchen but she had company so I told Paul to tell her I loved the book. (Gretchen, could he tell I was crying?) Then I went and hugged Simon, who was thoroughly confused and I wasn't explaining it very well. "I love you so much" was about all I could say between sobs. Then I went downstairs and got a hug from Steve. He's a very good hug-giver. A few deep breaths and I was good again. Thoroughly exhausted, but good.

Gretchen, I don't know what more to say. I cried, I loved it. You'll not get a better review than that. (Mom is now shaking her head at us, "You girls!")

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So today, after making sure my weekly mail and all paperwork is up to date, it's back to the basement for the re-org. I'm moving things around so I can use a full set of shelves for my Pine Tree Designs stuff. It's been in a bit of a disarray since I brought it back from Celebration Gifts. My intention was to finish the bathroom this weekend but I need to get the basement space cleared so I'll have a place to work. I'm going to paint the bathroom cabinets white, I've decided. I'll take the doors off and paint them downstairs. I'm taking next Friday off - to get started on painting our bedroom - but I may have to use it to finish the bathroom at the rate I'm going.

It's been a very nice, productive, fun weekend - and it's only Sunday morning!

Happy Father's Day!