And It's Gone

He finally did it. The Dad has been threatening for years to take down the pool. I finally agreed with him after this summer. It simply does not get used. I think the two kids home here, swam in it about 10-15 days the.whole.summer. They aren't thrilled as you can see by the (blurry) look on Danny's face. Although, Danny did tell me later that evening, "I don't care that the pool is down. I'm just going to ignore it. Anyways, it's fall." The pool is heading over to Sara and Jon's. I know their kids will enjoy it for many years!

Day #2 Macro

I am going to miss this fruit when it goes out of season. It is my go to snack.

Photo Challenge

Today I'm starting a Photo Challenge Hosted by Yvonne. 
Today's challenge is a picture of you when you were little. Wow, that was quite a challenge. To find one, that is. I cropped this out of one of the pictures my brother Brian scanned of my Dad's slides.

I got kind of side tracked as I was looking for a picture of little me. I dug out a box of goodies. In it were ALL the letters Fred and I wrote while we were dating. Yes, we had to hand write on paper, put a stamp on and mail. I read a few. They made me smile. 

Also in that box, were my journals. I kept journals from November 1972 through December 1973. I was 15 and 16 years old. It was a trying time in our faith, so some of the entries made me cry. I remember I read the journals once, many years ago. I was still fairly young because I remember being so embarrassed about how I sounded. Now as I read several entries, about "haps" and people they made me smile and it was like reading something new as I don't remember a lot of the incidents. 

Menu Planning Week 4

Thursday - Beef Stew,http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Old-Fashioned-Beef-Stew Flat bread, http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Dad-s-Flatbread
Friday - Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Asparagus
Saturday - Leftover Beef Stew
Sunday - Pick up Pizza
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie p. 142
Tuesday - BLT's
Wednesday - Easy Shrimp Stir http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Easy-Shrimp-Stir-Fryfry, 

Menu Planning Week 3

I'm loving this menu planning. It doesn't always go as planned, though. My Mom and Dad happened to come to town last week so I picked up a pot roast and did that instead of the roasted chicken. Just because. I'm also trying to try at least one new recipe each week. I actually have three new ones this week.

Thursday -Vegetable Ham Stew http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Vegetable-Ham-Stew, Vienna Bread - This is a tasty low fat and healthy soup. I skip the cornstarch and water part. I actually forgot the first couple times I made it and loved it the way it was.

Friday - Barbeque Grilled Salmon, p. 183, Garlic Mashed Redskins, Green Beans - yes, again! I've been making fish every Friday. It's just a way to remember! We love this salmon recipe so I keep making it!

Saturday - Philly Burgers - I made my sister Sarah's Philly Burgers. They were awesome! We all loved them, except Jean who didn't try it. http://amatteroftasteblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/philly-burger.html

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday - Spicy Vegetable Chili (new)  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Spicy-Vegetable-Chili, Corn Bread

Tuesday - Roasted Chicken w/potatoes and carrots, Stove top dressing

Wednesday - Pork Tenderloin (new)*,http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-pork-tenderloin-63828 Red Skins, Zesty Broccoli and Cauliflower http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zesty-Broccoli

*Pork Tenderloin Recipe- (from my friend Sue S.)  Preheat oven to 525 degrees. Bake tenderloin exactly 5 1/2 minutes per pound. Shut off oven. Do not open for 1 hour. Take out and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

I'm anxious to try the tenderloin. She said it was delicious! Notice it is a pork tenderloin. The little skinny ones. Not a porkloin. The big fat ones.

A Matter of Taste Blog

Oh my, am I hungry! I just ran through my sister Sarah's food blog. I lost her link and for some reason it just slipped my mind. She is one of my real sisters. We all pretty much inherited our mother's love for cooking. Several of her recipes I have and have made many times but I found some new delicious looking ones I plan to try soon! I put her link on my side bar so you can just click on it. http://amatteroftasteblog.blogspot.com/

Last night I had some fresh broccoli. Lately I've been roasting it in a hot oven drizzled with olive oil. I looked on Taste of Home's website and made this zesty broccoli. It was so good, I even liked it better than roasted. I did add a little of lemon juice also. Here is the link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zesty-Broccoli