Thursday Thirteen

  

Thirteen Things We've Been Doing on Our Blog Break!

Well, we've had a very enjoyable week away from the computer and thought it would be a good time to catch everyone up on what's been going on around Mountain Musings lately.

1. My mom and her friend, Evelyn, visited for lunch one day last week for my birthday. We took them on a tour of the gardens--you can see the tall sunflowers behind them. My mom will be 80 in a couple of weeks, and her friend is 85! They drove three hours to get here and drove back home the same day after their short visit.

2. The girls prepared a delicious lunch for the special occasion. Our menu: Ham Broccoli Ring, Tomato & Cucumber Salad, Sugar Snap Peas, Ring of Cantaloupe topped with raspberries and blackberries from the garden (along with watermelon balls), and Key Lime Pie for dessert. Yummy! 

3. And don't forget the Peter Paul Mounds Cake!** After our company left, Sarah got busy in the kitchen baking a birthday cake. I have requested this particular chocolate cake every year since I was a little girl! It's unfortunate the guys don't like coconut, but it's only once a year.

4. Tom scheduled a vacation day and took me downtown to The Pampered Palate for lunch. We always enjoy the time we spend together. I took my camera and forgot to take a picture!

5. One of our errands while out (a surprise!) was looking at picnic tables over in Stuarts Draft! I have wanted an outdoor table for awhile now, and it was just delivered this week--a big one that seats 10 and 2 extra on the ends if needed. We haven't initiated it yet--who wants to come over and help us try it out?

6. The 4th of July holiday was a very nice celebration at the home of one of our church families. After target practice with really LOUD guns, there were lots of afternoon games: balloon toss, 3-legged race, wheelbarrow and gunny sack races, tug of war, and hula hoops!  Here's Jonathan on our family's team trying to get the hoop over to Sarah.

Thankfully, I was the official photographer for the day and, instead of jumping in a sack, participated by taking pictures of everyone having fun! Quite hilarious! We all had an enjoyable time and some sore muscles and bruises the next day!

7. Our contribution to the July 4th cookout was Sarah's Turtle Trifle**--an outta-this-world delicious chocolate dessert! Doesn't it look yummy in this punch bowl?

8. Even though we were taking a blog break, garden chores didn't take a vacation--the raspberries keep on a'coming, and the green beans need picking! Hannah also harvested the rest of the lettuce and keeps the Mountain Musings' kitchen well supplied with her garden produce. 

9. Also, we've been out measuring the garden in order to answer a question a commenter recently asked about the size of our garden. Well, we actually have two gardens because we quickly outgrew the original one. The "old" garden has four raised beds (made with 2" x 6" boards) that are 26' by 4', 15' by 3', and 15' by 5' long. There's a middle mounded row between the two longer raised beds that is 26' by 2'.

The "new" garden is for spreading vegetables like watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, acorn and butternut squash, and gourds (our first try at gourds).  Also corn, raspberries, blackberries, and the strawberry bed are in this garden. All the flowers you see down in the new garden are volunteers: sunflowers, cosmos, cockscomb, and scabiosa are from last year's seeds being dropped.

The new garden measures approximately: 62' x 50'. I'm gradually working on making a flower bed around the perimeter just like the old garden. I have two sides done so far, and I need brick or stone to go around the mulch for borders. I'm on the lookout for free bricks!

10. Yesterday Hannah made some Zucchini Squares for lunch with her first zucchini of the season. We are hoping a few more will be ready before Sunday as we're preparing Vegetable Lasagna for our fellowship meal.

11. And on the days that we didn't go outside to work in the garden...Hannah is crocheting a baby blanket; Sarah is sewing on her red double wedding ring quilt; and I'm still knitting a kitchen towel. (Update pictures will be posted after we're farther along.)

12. During part of our blog break, we've been busy working on all the necessary preparations for our next two Keepers at Home skill days. Hannah is teaching calligraphy, and she and I are teaching scrapbooking at the end of the month.

13. Finally, we relaxed and enjoyed the sunset (picture taken by Hannah from our front porch).

Everyone have a wonderful weekend ~ see you on the blog on Monday!

** recipes on continuation page

~Deb

Peter Paul Mounds Cake

Using one Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix (or make your own from scratch), make three layers.

Coconut Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 15 marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla

Boil for 5 minutes. Then add 3 cups fine coconut. Spread between layers.

Icing:

• 1/2 box sifted 10x sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 stick butter
• 10 marshmallows

Melt butter and marshmallows on low heat. Then add sugar and cocoa mixed. Use a little milk if needed to spread easily. Spread on top layer and on sides.

Turtle Trifle

• 1 (21 oz) Supreme Brownie mix (we use Ghirardelli from Costco)
• 1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted and divided
• 3 small packages butter pecan instant pudding mix (or can use chocolate pudding)
• 6 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cup caramel topping, heated and divided
• 1 (16 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
• 2 (1.55 oz) Hershey's milk chocolate candy bars, finely chopped

Prepare brownies according to package directions, stirring in 1 cup pecans. Bake as directed. Let cool and break into small pieces.

Combine pudding mix and milk, stirring with wisk until smooth and thickened. Place 1/3 cup of brownies in bottom of 4 1/2 quart trifle (or punch) bowl. Top with 1/2 of pudding. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over pudding. Top with 1/3 of Cool Whip. Repeat layers twice.

Sprinkle chopped candy and 1/2 cup pecans on top. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.  Yield: 24 servings.

Comments

[Susan Ramey Cleveland]

Although the last thing I need is something with calories, I'm just going to have to make that Mounds cake. It looks so good, my mouth is watering. Thanks for the recipes, Deb. Oh, and your gardens are beautiful.

[Islandsparrow]

Wow!A busy yet fun week.

Your gardens are doing great. The hyacinth seeds you sent me are just starting to grow! I should have started them inside but better late than never :) I'll post a picture when they are blooming.

Your luncheon and desserts look yummy. I also make that chocolate trifle recipe but we use Skor bars for a topping. My kids love it.

Have a blessed weekend!

[Mommy of two little blessings :)]

Absolutely wonderful! Glad to hear you all are enjoying life. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family. What a blessing to have your daughters enjoy making a specail meal for your mom, her gal pal, and you. God bless you all. :)

Sincerely, - me -

[Wagner Family]

4 volunteers coming forth with hands waving in the air for you to pick us to initiate the new picnic table! ;-)

[Cindi]

Wow! Have you all been busy. I would love to come up sometime and try your picnic table. The dishes for your lunch look like something out of Taste of Home. I like coconut so save me a piece of cake!

[Karen]

Deb,
You sound "pleasantly" busy. :-) Thanks so much for sharing the dimensions of your garden. I so appreciate it!
I will share on my blog, what our dimensions are and some of our thoughts...so far. :)
Pictures of your "old" garden were so inspiring that that got the wheels turning for us.
Thanks again for being so inspiring!
A Blessed week to you!
Karen
PS - that recipe looks delicious!

[Tammy]

Sure were busy!How nice that your mom and her friend came for a visit.

I did LOTS of laundry when Chris and Gregory came home from Boy Scout camp.Chris started his new job on Monday.Since we have lived here he has had 8 jobs which includes the one we move here for way back in December 2005.

[Jodi]

Y'all look like you are having a delightful summer! Your recipes look delicious and oh - so - chocolate. I'm assuming one could add sliced almonds to that Mounds cake 'cause ... "sometimes you feel like a nut (whaw, whaw) sometimes you don't!" ;) Hey, for Bri's 18th birthday I finally used your lime cheesecake recipe. It was a hit ... hubby says it's his new favorite cheesecake!

[Jamie]

We have some of the same dishes. We found a box full of them at a thrift store for real cheap and they were just so cute so we picked them up. It was not quite a full set. I only have ONE mug, but lots of bowls, plates, and dinner plates.

[Ruthanne]

You ladies are amazing. Please come teach me everything you know.

Love,
Ruthanne

[Leigha]

It was so good to see all that you have been busy with this summer. Thanks for the recipes. Now that I am eating everything but milk and eggs I am excited to try Sarah's yummy desserts!! We picked our first beans today and have been enjoying stir-fry with the zucchini and squash. Our wild blackberries yielded 2 delicious cobblers (in a square pan, of course :)

Much love,
Leigha

[Karen]

Deb,
I was rereading this post and realized that you said that your Mom and her friend Evelyn had come for your Birthday!! Forgive me for not catching that! A Happy Belated Birthday to you my friend!!