Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Peaches!

Peaches have finally arrived to the Niagara Region!  I have been away for a couple of weeks up north and now I'm home to find that the fruit stands everywhere have peaches!!
I think this is my favourite item that grows in Niagara...I think we usually get a good 4 weeks of all the different types of peaches before they are done. It usually doesn't matter what kind they are, they are just all delicious!!

Source


One type that you should try are the White Flesh Peaches...they have lighter flesh and taste, more like a honey taste to me...they are lovely. They usually look like this...

Source

So I brought home our 1st basket yesterday and we've already gobbled half of them...this is the little fruit stand that I like to buy from, it is closest to our house and they are always good!



I have been thinking about Peach muffins that my boss used to make at the cafe I worked at in highschool...it was a basic muffin recipe and then she would use what ever fruit was in season, plums, peaches, you name it...she always had delicious treats to serve!! I will try to locate it and share it with you!

I just found this recipe and think we may need to try it!!

Peaches and Cream Popsicles

What kinds of treats do you make with your peaches??!! Email me your favourites!!
muskokabailey@gmail.com



Monday, July 18, 2011

Garage Sale Transformation!

A few years ago my Father in law offered me this old desk that he had gotten from the College he works at, because he knows I like to paint furniture white!  Now, he is a carpenter (an awesome one too) and I'm sure he cringes each time I light up when I talk about 'painting' something. Anyway,  last fall when he came for a visit, he brought up the old desk for me!!!

So...now I had this desk, but no chair to sit on! One Saturday last fall while garage sailing, I came across this chair for 50cents!! It was pretty plain looking, simple lines and tatty old material on it. For 50cents, it was perfect!!



I found some pretty material in the colours that I wanted my 'office' to look like (the pretty pinks and greens that Lilly Pulitzer are famous for) and got busy sanding! Taking the old material off the seat was easy, some of those staples were really in there, bought a new piece of foam at Walmart for under $10 and used some primer and white paint that was left over from the bedrooms.


I used the old foam to trace around on the new foam and then some sharp scissors to cut it out...I also used the old material to trace onto the new material and left some extra room, as my new foam was thicker than the old one.

After the chair sanded, primed and painted, I worked on cutting out the foam and material...I quickly searched the web for recovering a seat ( I think I might have looked at a Martha Stewart one) and then got out the trusty staple gun!

I will not lie, it did not happen perfectly the first time! I had to pull numerous staples out to make sure the material wasn't puckering in places or stretching more on one side than the other...I even enlisted Hubby to help me a few times to staple while I held the material in place. I am new to the whole reupholstering thing, but I guess you learn as you go!  It was actually fun working with him....he was a very good listener!  Ha, ha

I was so excited to put the seat on the painted chair and add it to the desk...but my Mom reminded me, if Little Miss was going to be 'crafting' there at all, I would be wise to Scotchgard the seat first!!  Mother's are always right. ;D

So I sprayed the seat and left it to dry in my laundry room over night. The next morning I screwed the seat back on and ..... VOILA!!  My 50cent chair had been transformed!!



I will show you the desk soon!




I found this little saying on another blog that I follow and I thought it was so...awesome, that I had to share it too!!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Beach Glass

I'm not really sure when I started collecting beach glass...it's just something I've done since my Mom introduced me to it!


Some of you may not know what beach glass is...well here is a cute story...

The weekend I met my husband in Atlantic City, we walked the beach one morning and I was looking for beach glass...hubby said to me that he thought it was so nice of me to pick up glass so others wouldn't cut their feet on it. hee, hee  At the time I giggled and then explained how with the motion of the waves and the glass rolling around in the sand, polishes it and softens the edges and gives it a frosted look.


I would have to say that the 'blue' shades are my favourite...with the colbalt blue being my most fav. It is also one of the rarest to find.  You can always find the white, green and brown because they are the most common bottles that have been thrown away. But the dark blue can be Noxema jars, Milk of Magnesia bottles and other old medicine bottles. Even more rare are the reds, oranges and yellows!  I have been lucky enough to find a few red and I think 1 yellow in the past.



I always like to imagine what kind of bottle it was before it was smashed into a million pieces...a friend brought back a white piece from the Bahamas one year and it still had half the word 'Coke' on it!


I have now started Little Miss on collecting...she is learning how to spot them on the shore where the waves crash, you kinda have to train your eyes to find them.  So she has a little milk glass bowl in her room, with the pieces of beach glass that she has found.

A couple of weeks ago, Hubby, Little Miss and I went to a local beach we hadn't explored yet, just to check it out and it was like I hit the MOTHER LOAD!!  There was a LOT of beach glass...mostly in the white, green and browns.  I did however find 3 fairly large pieces of blue!  I couldn't believe it!  I was so excited to show my special finds to Hubby and Little Miss...this is them sitting, playing on the beach while I was walking down the shore!


I love the sound of the crashing waves and the smell of the water...not a stinky algae smell, but  that fresh water smell...anyone who spends time by the water (fresh water) should know what I mean.

Oh!  I found this link online for a 'glass beach'!  I can't wait to go to San Francisco again and take a drive up there!




What great beaches have you found for beach glass??



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Happy!

We are almost 1 year in our new house and are finally getting to the gardens!! They have kinda been put aside as we have worked at putting the rest of the house together and emptying out boxes. All that 'stuff' we've kept for a house 'just in case'!

I have a slight vision of what I'd like the yard to look like...my favourite scenery is the beach, so beach grasses, hydrangeas, peonies (I'm not sure they're at the beach, but I like them) and anything else!

An 'Endless Summer', blue hydrangea bush was a house warming gift from my Grandmother and it has finally come to bloom! HAPPY!!



Last year when we went to Cape Cod for our summer vacation the blue hydrangeas were everywhere!!!  They were stunning!  Since the Cape is one big sand box, the pine trees are everywhere making the soil acidic and a perfect environment for the blue ones to grow!!



I think if I had the choice of places to live, Cape Cod would be in my top three choices...I have such wonderful family memories of summer camping vacations there.  The beautiful beaches, great little towns scattered up and down the Cape, history everywhere, festivals, beautiful homes, delicious sea food resturants and gorgeous scenery.

Breakwater Beach, Brewster, Cape Cod


Chatham, Cape Cod

It also has the four seasons, so you don't miss out on any of them!  I, prefer the warmer weather, but I do have to admit that I am a fan of snow from Dec. 24th to Jan.1st, then it can all go away as far as I'm concerned!! I much prefer to spend my time in the warm, sunny weather (at the beach or by a pool of course) then raking leaves or shoveling snow (oh wait, that's my husband, not me!  ;) )

I really like how this house has the little windows above the door full of white starfish...and the hydrangeas are so plentiful!

Chatham, Cape Cod

This house mansion, made my jaw drop.  I made my husband turn back around so I could video it and get out and take pictures! This picture just does NOT do it justice...It was so beautiful! Oh, and right behind me...is the ocean. Such a beautiful view...I think I'll choose this one to be my summer home.  ;D


This last picture has nothing to do with hydrangeas, but I thought it was such a neat idea...It was in front of a store in downtown Chatham, Cape Cod...someone is super crafty!


What grows in your garden???





Thursday, July 07, 2011

Summer-licious!

Last month I was up at my Mom's for a few days and the local grocery store there was launching their new 'summer products'. I am always leary of BBQ products, as I am not a huge fan of smokey flavoured sauces etc.  I did happen to try one of their new BBQ sauces and I am SO glad I did!!!



They had made pulled pork on buns for us to try...I should also tell you that I am not that adventurous when it comes to cooking red meat...chicken, no problem, but red meat I usually shy away from.  THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS, that I have now cooked it 3 other times since I tasted it!  I even packed 2 bottles of it in ziploc baggies and packed them in my suitcase to take to Florida with us for a meal!!

I had never cooked pulled pork either, so I scowered the web looking and comparing different crock pot recipies for pulled pork...this is what I came up with .

I have now done it in a small and large crock pot and they have come out the same...

Take one cooking onion and slice it into rings...spread a layer of onion on the bottom of the pot, put the meat on top of it and then put another layer of onions on top of the meat....add 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot and then squeeze some sauce over the top of the onions and meat so that it cooks with it....put the crock pot on low and let it cook for 8-9 hours....when cooked, discard all liquid, keep the onions if you'd like and shred the meat and onions with 2 forks while pulling in opposite directions on your cutting board...I usually put the shredded meat back into the crock pot and then add the sauce (to your liking) right in the crock and then put it on low or the warm setting to warm it back up!  My husband tried putting coleslaw on his and really liked it, but he's a 'condiment' kind of guy...I'm more of a simple kinda gal!


This is the yummy sauce..it's PC brand (Presidents Choice) Smokin' Stampede Beer & Chipotle Sauce

 which can be found at any of their stores...I encourage you to try their products, I am usually a name brand kinda girl, but this is super yummy!



If you enjoy icecream and like a more natural kind, then give this one a try (the cheaper icecream always makes me burp afterwards!) Any of their flavours are delicious, but these two are my favourite!!!



What kind of summer treats do you enjoy??


Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Pittsburgh Zoo!!!

Back in the spring we were visiting our friends in Pittsburgh and we had an outing to the zoo!!
We packed up the 3 kids, 2 bags full of snacks and off we went!


Little Miss was super excited to have her 'very own' zoo key for the day...you put this plastic 'key' into the machines that are in front of most of the animals and it plays music or tells you information about the animal, depending on what way you insert the 'key'.

The day we were there was a 'special' day and they had different craft stations set up around the zoo, so the first thing we came across was a kite craft. Here are the kids finished projects!



We then started to make our way around the zoo to see the animals...this Kangaroo was one of my favourites...I like to call it the 'George Costanza pose', I know it's a little bit different, but it was funny!




We found some play time for the kids after lunch...they both caught on very quickly!  The really enjoyed themselves!





















We were quite pleased to see most of the animals out that day..sometimes they are sleeping or relaxing farther away and you can't see them...but this Lioness was right out in the open, looking very regal I'd say!



The Giraffe's are just such awesome creatures...you can't really grasp (or at least I think you can't) until you are up close looking at them...so big and beautiful!


This little baby Elephant was my favourite...all the elephants were inside this day.  The zoo keeper was there and 'she' (I think) kept trying to get into the keepers pockets for the peanuts in there...she was very playful!  The Momma was right next to her, keeping a close eye on her and would go over to her other baby's area, take hay from her and then bring it back to this baby...such intelligent creatures!



The Aquarium was our last stop of the day...these little Water Dragons from down under were really neat...just floating around...wonder what they think of us gawking at them all day??


This was one of my favourite pictures...the one little Penguin looks like he's standing so proudly under his flag...made us all giggle!


Last but not least...as the end of the day approached, Little Miss needed some help getting around...and since Daddy was off fishing with the guys for the weekend, I was like Momma Koala carrying around her baby!



I highly recommend the Pittsburgh Zoo if you are ever in the area!!





Monday, July 04, 2011

Happy 4th of July!

Well, now I get to celebrate the other end of the long weekend!  My hubby is American, so I guess I qualify to celebrate his holiday too!


This looks like a yummy 4th of July treat to make!  It came from Martha Stewart...so crafty she is.





What ever you are doing this holiday weekend, enjoy your time off and be safe!!

Friday, July 01, 2011

Happy Canada Day!!

Today is Canada Day for all the Canadians...kinda the kickoff to our summer vacation.  Since my hubby works for an american company, we will not be celebrating until this evening, by heading out to see some local fireworks! Instead, Little Miss and I might go out and find some garage sales!!




I think 'Life is Good' says it best!  Love their clothing!

I guess when it all comes down to it, we are truly blessed to live where we do and the 'little' things don't mean so much when we take a look outside of ourselves.


Remember to give thanks for all that you have and stay safe this holiday weekend!


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