Perfect Peaches

On my way home from a trip to Peoria, IL, I detoured just a little to stop in Muscatine, Iowa to get some canteloupes and a watermelon.  They were selling lots of other vegetables and Missouri peaches.  I bought a few peaches - you never know if they're going to be good.  Got home and everything was so good.  A couple weeks later Bill and I headed east to find and try a catfish place (another blog soon) and came home through Muscatine.  This time we got a whole box of peaches and every single one in the box were beautiful. 

 

I Googled how to freeze them since Bill loves peach pie almost as much as apple!  It sounded easy.  What I read said to let them ripen to the eating stage and then refrigerate them, not touching, for up to a week before freezing.  Then for easy peeling, lightly cut an X on the bottom of the peach and boil for 40 seconds.  Then put in a bowl of ice water.

I was amazed at how easy and fast it was to peel them with just my fingers!  And no waste this way!  I cut them in half and they pulled away from the seed perfect.  

I sliced them and then dunked them quickly into a bowl of water mixed with some Fruit Fresh (no picture).  This is supposed to keep them from turning brown when they thaw.  Some directions I read didn't mention doing this step.







I put them on a tray lined with paper towels to drain.

Then I layed them out on a tray lined with parchment paper so that they would freeze individually, and then I could bag them.  

This way if you'd want to just use part of them, they wouldn't be all stuck together.  I ended up with 4 bags/4 c. each of beautiful peach slices - enough for four pies I hope!  Such an easy thing to do - I will do this every year if I can find good peaches again!  We have a couple more in the refrigerator and they are still as good as when I put them in there.  

 

Restyled Barn Sale

On Friday's post I mentioned that my friend, Debbie, and I made plans to go to a barn sale together.  Actually it was called the Restyled Barn Sale and was west of Carmel (IN) out in the "country".  It was at the home and barn of a couple that I went to church with.  Here is Lori at her booth, Fancy That.  Fancy That can now be found at 488 Gradle Dr. at Carmel Midland (an arts & antiques market) for those in the Carmel area.

There were lots of booths inside and outside of the big barn

and a few of these trucks you could go in plus look at their stuff outside the truck.  (below)

I had been to our minister's daughter's wedding outside in a big grassy area near big trees, and the reception was in this barn.  Very nice wedding.  The barn looked great.

The only thing I was really looking for was a plant stand for our screened porch - and I found two or three that would've worked.  This is the one I chose (for a good price), and I love it.  I guess it's a good thing this plant isn't growing super fast! 

Wedding Card

Our seed dealer's daughter is getting married today at 2:00.  It was raining at 5 a.m. and the first thing I thought of was "oh no, the wedding".  The reception for about 400 is at the parents' home.  But the rain has stopped - we got almost a half inch which is good for our yard, new trees and crops - and the sun is supposed to come out and be very hot this afternoon.

This is the simple card I made for them.  I cut their picture out of their invitation in a heart shape with my Big Shot heart framelits and layered it on a bigger black heart.  It's fun when you make your own cards to make them personal like this.  I like to use the wedding colors when I know what they are (I didn't know this time).   On the inside it says "so happy for you".

Nice Day with a Friend

Debbie and me at a barn sale

Back in June when I was in Indiana, I got to visit a friend at her new home in Noblesville.  Debbie and I have known each other since 7th grade (we liked the same boy in 7th grade!).  For several years, she and her husband lived up near Chicago so we didn't see each other much, but now she has moved back near where we grew up.

We made plans to get together, and she invited me to have lunch at her house.  I loved her lunch:  chicken salad in a waffle bowl, grapes, cheese and crackers, fruit cup, and she had made little loaves of blueberry bread.  Dessert was some yummy chocolate covered cheesecake bites.   Love all her garnishes and doilies.                                                    

chicken salad, fruit cup, blueberry bread

creamy cheesecake bites

Then after a tour of her beautiful home and this wonderful lunch, I got to shop!  Debbie is very artistic and can do lots of things.  **She is the one who introduced me to Stampin' Up! almost 20 years ago!!  And I'm thankful for that. 

For a few years now she's been making vintage jewelry.  Her business is called Old Tyme Adornments.  She buys various misc. pieces of old jewelry and chains and takes them apart and puts pieces together to come up with her own pieces of repurposed jewelry!  No two pieces are alike!  So interesting to see and hear about how she does this!  She mainly sells at vendor or craft shows.

I bought the necklace on the left below for myself (I like hearts), the necklace in the middle for a friend's birthday and the bracelet on the right for Diane.  Diane wears a necklace with a sideways cross so I think she'll like this.  (she doesn't read my blog!)  It's really special to have a piece that Debbie has made and special to give them for gifts.  (notice the detail in her packaging too) 

It was a really nice day that went too fast.  But we made plans to go to a barn sale together - pictures in a blog post soon.

Back from Peoria

I'm just back last night from a Thurs.-Sun. trip to Peoria, IL for a stamping weekend with six of my Stampin' Up! demonstrator friends.  I haven't counted yet to see how many card samples and things we made, but it was a lot! 

On my way home, I detoured a little bit to stop at a farm stand in Muscatine, Iowa mostly for their famous melons.  I bought several to share.   The cantaloupe and Missouri peaches are excellent.  Hope the watermelon is too.  But I always say "they're almost as good as the Knox County, Indiana melons".   My Aunt Lois & Uncle Rich grew them in Knox County for years along with many other melon growers in that area.   Here's a link to a nice story about a melon farmer there. 

Then I detoured again to stop in Amana, IA.  There is a store closing there by the end of the year - the one where I learned how to dye Easter eggs the German way.  It's called The Kitchen Sink.  The owners want to retire after having the store for many years.  So I wanted to get some of the glue that you use for the eggs before they close.  It would've been nice to spend the whole weekend in the Amanas.  The weather was perfect, lots of flowers, people strolling and looking in the shops and even a German band playing outside of one of the wineries.  But after being gone for a few days and getting little sleep, I was ready to head home which was four hours away.

Of course I took pictures.   Will share after tomorrow.  Today I'm getting ready for a P.E.O. meeting that's here tomorrow.  Making the dessert now.  It's a layered ice cream dessert:  thin brownie layer, mint chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. Also a little two bite lemon tart. 

Quick Shrub Removal

Yesterday's project for Bill and Uncle Tim was removing a row of big, round shrubs from the cemetery.  Last year Bill took out a row to the right of this one above.  They were hanging over the headstones and the hearse couldn't get through.  As you can see, the guy that takes care of the mowing already has grass growing where they were and it looks great.

On the other side of the cemetery was another row of them that needed to come out.  They already had most of them out and hauled away by the time I got there to take pictures.  Bill said they actually came out of the ground pretty easy.  

The driveways have been needing some gravel for a while so Bill is getting that done now too.  This one you can see is done.  Another project checked off the list.

Yesterday I went to Ft. Dodge to get the oil changed/tires rotated on the car, to Walmart, etc.  Today I'm going to be freezing sweet corn. 
 

Little Free Libraries

When I was back in Carmel, IN visiting in June I learned about the Little Free Libraries.  They are popping up everywhere!  Carmel has at least four of them so far.  They can be in parks, neighborhoods, your front yard - anywhere!  This one was at a park.  I also saw a really cute one in Zionsville.  People are being really creative.  You can see pictures of lots of them on the web site below - link provided.

Inside you'll find an assortment of books.  Feel free to take one with you and then you can return it or replace it with another.  There are no due dates or late fees!  The goal is to inspire a love of reading, kindness, and community sharing.  

In this picture you can see our nephew Rob is excited to see what the selection is in this one.  He loves books!

Mom is organizing them so you can see all of them better!


This idea was started by a guy in Wisconsin.  As of Feb. 2013, all 50 states and 40 countries have been involved in the program.  As of Jan. this year, there were more than 15,000 Little Free Libraries worldwide and an estimated 1,650,000 books were donated and borrowed from 2010-2013.

Keep your eye out for them, and stop and check them out!  For more information too, go to littlefreelibrary.org.

There was a nice selection in this one - this was just one shelf.

Hoping to Have Enough Corn to Fill It

This past week the new grain bin was built.  It replaces two old ones that held a total of 8,000 bushels.  The new one will hold 21,000 bushels.   It has the safer type stairs.

Underneath the bin is an expensive chunk of concrete.  It's about 6" thick.  It is now covered up by a steel drying floor.
  

The next thing is getting the electrician here to get it wired up.

It's about time for the guys to start getting the combine, quadtrac tractor & grain cart, 4 wheel drive tractor, ripper and semis ready to go.  If the beans are ready, we could be combining the middle of September.

Iowa is looking pretty this time of year with everything green and the corn tasseled.  We've been having great weather too.   Our sweet corn is ready now.  I plan to freeze some this week.  We had some today for lunch that tasted good along with grilled barbecue chicken, salad and deviled eggs.