Mountain Musings

Meeting Our New Grandson in Michigan!

Happy January, 2024, Everyone!  It certainly has been a busy and happy year for us so far!

We just returned from faraway Michigan (an 11.5 hour drive plus stops from Virginia!) where we visited Hannah and Christopher and their new baby boy! He was two weeks and two days old when we arrived, and it was wonderful to see him at this newborn stage!

While we were there, we settled in for several days of some cuddling, cooking, cleaning, and celebrating!

Here's Grandpa in the nursery with Psalm 1:3 calligraphed by Hannah on his wall:

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Hannah seemed so excited to be a mom! So very thankful for a healthy baby!

I love being a Granny! This is grandchild #9, eighth boy!

The very grateful and proud parents--such a delightful family of three:

One of the days we were there, we celebrated Hannah's 40th birthday!! We planned to take her out on a lunch date, even though the roads were icy and snowy; and we weren't sure we wanted to tackle taking a newborn out on such a messy day!

But...we decided to think (and drive!) like a Michigander and headed out to the pizza restaurant she had chosen.

Here's the birthday girl with baby tucked away in a corner, sleeping the entire time! Success!

Hannah and I shared a Chicago Deep Dish--a masterpiece! Chicken BBQ:

We enjoyed the outing very much and were so happy that we could celebrate with Hannah on her special day!

Once we returned home (praise the Lord for safety on the roads and no accidents!), I started making Hannah's birthday meal for that evening. Here are her choices:

I had never made Chicken Tikka Masala before, but it turned out to be a very easy recipe to prepare and was delicious:

One of Hannah's favorite cakes is Hummingbird Cake...but since that's quite involved, she picked an easier substitute that was quite tasty...Easy Moist Pineapple Cake.

She's ready to blow out her birthday candles--the baby stayed content and was nursing away:

Both Hannah and Sarah decorate their homes with seasonal quilts, and Hannah had long ago asked for a Valentine's quilt. After supper, she opened her birthday gifts...and tada...I can finally post what I worked on last February now that it's gifted:

I think she was quite surprised actually and loved it! Success!

This quilt pattern is called Woven Hearts by The Pattern Basket.

 

Since I haven't posted since Christmas, I need to post a photo of the seasonal quilt I also gifted to Sarah when they visited for the holidays. She had asked for a patriotic quilt. This one is called Stars and Stripes by Thimble Blossoms.

Since I forgot to take a photo while they were here, here's Sarah in her home displaying her quilt:

While we were visiting in Michigan, we grabbed a chance to see Christopher's family. They invited us over for a very delicious meal and a sweet time of fellowship. Here are the Michigan Grandaddy and the Virginia Grandpa during the hymn singing time:

The baby's first outing over to the grandparents' house:

The Aunties:

The Uncles:

The Michigan Grandma and the Virginia Granny....hot chocolate and hymn time:

What a wonderful trip...seeing Hannah and Christopher again...and especially our newest grandson, the best gift this Christmas!

It was a privilege to be able to pitch in and help with taking down the Christmas decorations, various household tasks, and treating Hannah to some at-home girly spa activities. 

Celebrating Hannah's birthday was also a great highlight of the trip! And renewing our friendship with the in-laws was, as usual, a fun, fun time!

One last snuggling session before leaving:

Thankfully, we made it safely home before this happened the next day! That's just windblown drifts against the glass door...but still!

Thank you Hannah and Christopher! We loved being there!

~Deb

To Michigan and Back!

        

Been traveling...

 

The last week of September we packed up and headed to Michigan to visit Hannah and Christopher for the first time since they were married last September, 2022!

It was a long anticipated visit to see how they were settling into married life, seeing the way Hannah had decorated and set up her new home, visiting our oldest grandson while in the state, and participating in a virtual baby shower for the little boy Hannah and Christopher are expecting in December!

This will be our 8th grandson...who joins our only granddaughter!

It was so fun seeing Hannah work in her own kitchen and enjoy all the special touches she planned for us:

The first day we were there was extra special! We traveled 2-1/2 hours from Hannah and Christopher's home to visit our grandson, and it was wonderful to see him again! He's certainly a tall cool dude!

First activity...treating him to lunch out!

This was our first time at Zingerman's Deli, and it was all very unique, including all the freshly baked bread on display:

Great sandwiches, great fellowship, and a wonderful fall day out!

Our second planned activity was heading to a local park to geocache...a favorite thing to do outside to enjoy the nice weather:

On the hunt...for the first geocache. Success! Grampa spotted this one under the bridge:

Next...2nd geocache involved some rock climbing. Unfortunately, this was a hard one (or destroyed one) and could not be found:

The third and final hunt for the afternoon was a micro-geocache and was found magnetized to the iron posts of this bridge:

Time out for some photos with Grampa and Granny along the route:

We finished up the afternoon by visiting an apple cider mill where we enjoyed apple slushies, apple cider, and apple donuts!

The next day was Hannah's virtual baby shower for mostly our church ladies here in Virginia, hosted by her sister Sarah and Sarah's mother-in-law, Victoria (both long distance in Georgia).

So here's the setup in Hannah's living room. Since no one was attending in person, everyone sent their gifts either via Amazon or the postal service. Before the party started, I was responsible for opening all the boxes which had arrived and putting the gifts into gift bags for ease of Hannah opening during the virtual shower and to look prettier.

The hostesses were great and went beyond expectations with sending us decorations and also sending each family attending a gift card to buy their own snacks for the party. It was like everyone was really attending and eating snacks together!

Hannah planned the menu for the two of us with her gift card...and she prepared the food and set it out as if we had a crowd with us!

Looks like a lot of eats for just two of us! Although Tom and Christopher popped in for the snacks. :)

And here's the setup for the folks on-screen to participate virtually. What a great way to include long distance friends!

Here's Sarah, one of the hostesses, on her end of the computer (sorry blurry), testing out various baby boy party backgrounds to set the stage for the online shower:

I was so glad that I could be with Hannah while she opened gifts....we were a party of two!  Thank you to everyone who attended and sent gifts! And thank you to the marvelous hostesses, Sarah and Victoria!!!!

One evening Hannah and Christopher hosted a campfire cookout for us, and Christopher's family came over to visit. We sat around the campfire til dark, and then everyone went inside for a hymn sing before saying goodnight:

On our last night there, we went down to the pier and saw the sunset at Lake Michigan. This was such a beautiful evening:

And here we are with our loved ones:

Looking forward to their little one making his appearance in a couple of months:

Well, all good things must end. Our long awaited visit had come to a close. Hannah wanted a final photo of us in the early, foggy morning before we drove off:

On our return trip to Virginia, we made plans to stop by and see friends in Indiana from over 25 years ago when we were in church together in Newport News. Thanks Pat and Gail for letting us pop in and say hello. Great visit!

We absolutely loved our visit to Michigan and can hardly wait to travel back again!

~Deb

Work in Progress ~ Finally Completed!

The month of January so far has not turned out to be a very productive month.

Unfortunately, the plans for organizing my sewing room and getting a zillion things in order all over the house.....has been postponed a bit.

I am finally coming out of a long 3-week cold virus that had both me and Tom down for the count!

Today I actually felt like sitting at the sewing machine, and it felt good!

I leisurely started sewing binding on a quilt, clipped it in place, and started the satisfying work of hand-stitching around the quilt.

It's quite embarrassing how long this quilt has been in limbo. My quilting buddy, Chris, and I each started sewing this row by row quilt together in 2015...8 years y'all!

Here's evidence from the label I sewed on the back and stitched when I finished the top. I called it "Sewing in Snow" because we sewed in the snowy winter when there was no gardening to do...she in her cozy home and I in mine...comparing notes as we sewed each row.

And here's the whole label below, which I sent to the long arm quilter to quilt onto the back of the quilt. I normally add just a small label with my name and date once the quilt is returned to me. This label was a big honker!

I think the reason the completion has been so long in coming was once we completed our quilts in 2015, my top sat folded on my shelf for years waiting until I could find a long arm quilter to quilt it.

Once I did find someone, the quilting was completed, and it was ready for me to pick up. Then the quilt sat yet again for a couple of years waiting for me to do just what I did today...bind it!

Here's the quilt laid out on our queen bed for display...it's really for a twin or double bed size:

And kudos to my friend, Chris, who, to her credit, had her quilt finished and on her guest room bed when I visited her several years ago. You can see why this is embarrassing on my end!

But...as of today 2023 my Work in Progress from 2015 is now complete. Quilt's in the washer and now dried, fluffed, and ready for use!

Today's binding and seeing the quilt finished definitely brought back some good memories!

Looking to start a new project next week!

~Deb

Hannah's Bridal Shower

Looks like there's a party happening!

This past weekend was a very special occasion for Hannah! We traveled to Michigan for her bridal shower, so beautifully given by her fiance's mother and sisters.

The theme of "He has made everything beautiful in His time" was a special verse for each of them, acknowledging God's working in their lives to bring them to this point....in His timing. Thank you to Christopher's sister, Grace, for her artistic crafting of the verse!

As guests arrived, they were instructed...."this direction for the shower, please!"

All the decorations were lovely, especially on this corner cabinet, and the purple hydrangeas everywhere just added the perfect touch:

Here's a view of this side of the room as we began with a Welcome and Prayer.

And if you notice that computer set up in front of the corner hutch, that's Hannah's sister Sarah and little daughter attending the shower virtually all the way from Georgia!! Sooo thankful Sarah could join in!

And a view of the opposite side of the room as we all sang a hymn to begin. You can see Hannah, the guest of honor, on the left with all the generous gifts awaiting in front of her:

Here are two of Hannah's future sisters-in-law who helped put on the shower:

Hannah and I are chatting with Christopher's Grandma, who is a delightful lady!

Beautiful and delicious dessert table:

Drinks provided were Orange-Apple Lemonade and Raspberry-Peach Tea:

Lots of fun conversations and getting acquainted with the Michigan relatives!

So what's a bridal shower without a game or two. Here's Hannah and guests writing down answers to one of the games.

The corner hutch in the photo below belonged to my Aunt Bunny and was passed down to Hannah. It is filled with antique pieces, and Hannah will enjoy it here in her new home:All the guests enjoyed guessing various things about Hannah and Christopher's preferences and how they matched up...Mexican or Asian? Stay home or Go Out? Early Bird or Night Owl?

Also in this photo below, you can see Hannah has brought her quilt ladder (made by Dad) with her various quilts displayed. The mirror over the sofa was also a handmade wood piece by Dad to use in her new home.

Hannah is posing with another future sister-in-law who is married to Christopher's brother. They will live right down the road from each other after the wedding:

Time to open some gifts...and such nice gifts were given. Hannah was very appreciative of everyone's generosity:

These young girls brought her the gifts and helped her open:

At the close of the bridal shower, the groom-to-be made an appearance; and one of the shower gifts--a striking red clock--was installed immediately in just the perfect spot! Love it!

We're back home in Virginia this week with more wedding list to-dos to tackle and cross off the list. I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into our weekend. It was definitely an encouraging time. We're very thankful!

~Deb

 

(photo credit: bridal shower hostesses, thank you!)

Mid-Winter Vittles

Isn't it spring, you ask? When it comes to my (Hannah's) blogging habits, better late than never! This post will chronicle my week of cooking back in February, so you'll notice snowmen and hearts sprinkled throughout the photos. However, I did repeat a couple of these menus in late March, as they were hits originally, and we wanted to serve them again when my Aunt Bet visited for her birthday recently. So, enjoy the photos and recipe links!

First things first:

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie, using the cinnamon roll dough recipe from my Hope's Table cookbook (signed by the author when Mom and I went to the Spring Creek Barn Sale) AND the inspiration to use it as an apple pie crust from @warmwinterwishes. Just mix up your favorite dough recipe, cut into pinwheels, flatten with a rolling pin to the size of a top crust, and place it over a pie dish of cooked apples. Bake until brown!

With the extra dough, I made regular cinnamon rolls for breakfast and to store in the freezer for later (which came in handy for my aunt's visit). Yum!

The pie was served after our main meal of Honey Coriander Salmon, Wild Rice and Charred Corn Salad (adapted), and steamed carrots.

The next meal was Firecracker Chicken Meatballs over rice, with steamed broccoli. We already love Cajun Chicken Meatballs and this spicy twist was also a winner.

A simple Instantpot meal I tried for the first time (well, all this week's meals were new to us) was Italian Beef Goulash, a one-bowl meal. Next time, I would add more seasoning to pump up the Italian flavor. With it we enjoyed a salad with Sweet Mango salad dressing and savory Rosemary Focaccia.

Since it was Valentines' week, these Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookies and Strawberry Sugar Cookies made it onto the menu at some point, to nibble on throughout the week.

For our special Valentines meal, the theme was "Outback Steakhouse." While it involved preparing many different components, I had a great time creating it all, and the family loved it.

Alice Springs Chicken (there are many copycat recipes out there):

Aussie Crunch Salad...the crunch being fried spaghetti and cinnamon pecans:

And Outback's signature Bloomin' Onion complete with dipping sauce:


This brown bread recipe I have made in the past, and it is a keeper, so soft and yummy:

For the Pineapple on the Barbie, I threaded chunks of the fruit on skewers and cooked them on this grill pan indoors.

Dessert was a brownie trifle with berries and pudding:

Another meal later in the week was this comforting combo of Creamy Chicken Parmesan Pasta Soup and Cheddar Chive Biscuits, served in mugs. Check out the biscuit recipe for an easy way to make biscuits without cutting in the butter.

Each day I made a new meal, it would get written on our menu chalkboard:

Blueberry Cobbler is a go-to year-round since our freezer is stocked full of garden blueberries:

My final meal, after leftovers of the previous choices, was the following:

Chili-Dijon Pork Tenderloin:

Brioche Rolls:

Thanks, Mom, for giving me free reign of the kitchen for a week, and everyone for eating my dishes! Let me know in the comments what sounds tasty to you and what your family might try.

~Hannah

Happy Birthday, Hannah and Tom!

Over the weekend we celebrated Hannah's birthday with all of her different food choices for her birthday meal. If you've followed us for any number of years, you'll know her birthday meal is usually quite involved and the most time-consuming to make! This year it wasn't too bad.

Top left: Cabbage Salad; top right: Naan (both from Recipe Tin Eats); bottom left: Chicken Tikka Masala from Jo Cooks; and for dessert bottom right: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, which was the highlight of the meal, from Borrowed Bites!

This year Hannah made the naan, which was excellent, even though I've always advocated for the birthday person to not lift a finger on their special day. But she said it was fun!

I think she had an enjoyable day working on a quilting project which had been put aside for several months for lack of time. Thing is...I love working in the sewing room alongside her, but I was busy working in the kitchen!

Happy Birthday, Hannah! And we hope that this next year will be a wonderful one for you! You deserve the very best!

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart"  ~ Galatians 6:9

We also celebrated Tom's birthday just before the New Year began, and here he is with his chocolate ice cream cake roll which Hannah baked, recipe from Taste of Home: We both enjoyed a birthday lunch out at a downtown favorite landmark on Beverley Street, The Pampered Palate: As we celebrate these milestones and happy times...there are also some hard times mixed in.

The New Year brought an unexpected quarantine with Jonathan testing positive for Covid-19. Thankfully, his case was mild, and he's back at work now.

As I write this, I'm quarantined and awaiting test results...although I'm expecting to test negative for the virus, and I'm feeling okay. But always it's best to take precaution, especially with all of us being caregivers for Granny living here.

Appreciate your prayers that all will be well.

Update: Thursday evening received NEGATIVE test results! Yay! Praise the Lord!

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” ~ Zephaniah 3:17

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ April

(Photo Credit: Sharon Virts, Selma Mansion)

For Today, Tuesday, April 21

Looking out my window...

 

Yes, a few days ago, the Allegheny Mountains out my window looked like this! Glad the snow stayed up there instead of coming down into the Valley! Pretty though!

I am hoping...

That I can keep up with the Spring 100! We joined this year with Shiloh Photography's annual Spring 100 Challenge...which means walking 100 miles this season. Tom, Hannah, and I are walking a mile a day around our property, social distancing from the rest of the neighborhood, ha!

 

 

And when the weather has been too chilly and windy....Granny's bedroom treadmill comes in quite handy!

 

 

I am thinking...

That our living room is ever and always continuing to live up to it's nickname of All-Purpose Room. Tom recently finished building a dining room table for friends, and part of the set up was in the living room!

 

 

Here are some of the photos in progress below, and there are more photos over at Pleasant View Woodworks here, and you can also see the final delivery and installation at our friends' home over on Tom's woodworking blog.

 

 

I am thankful...

That Granny is doing so much better! You'll remember that she fell and broke her shoulder exactly 8 weeks ago today. She has had a rough couple of months for sure! Nurses, Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists have been coming and going three times a week, along with us conducting tele-health phone calls with her doctor.

 

Here's Granny with one of the therapists out on the sunny deck doing some arm exercises. This photo was taken a month ago before masks became the protocol. Now all the therapists wear masks every time they enter the house, which is a good thing!

 

Yesterday her arm felt so much better that she asked if she could peel apples for supper last night! Yay, Granny! That's more like it! She's getting back to normal, and her fried apples were delicious! Thank you ALL for all the prayers and well wishes for her. Please continue praying for complete recuperation.

 

Granny enjoys the interaction of all her therapists! Here they are practicing side-stepping for balance:

 

I am wearing...

What else but a mask these days?!  I'm loving the floral...as long as it's best to wear them!

 

Hannah has been sewing face masks for family and friends (check these links for men / women).

She made the one above for me. Check her Etsy and let her know if you'd like one.

 

One of my favorite things...

Barn quilts! I've written about them before, but imagine my surprise when I was driving through our neighborhood recently and spotted this display of 5 small barn quilts on a neighbor's property! I love the bright visual quilt patterns I see whenever we pass by:

 

 

I am creating...

Quilts and more quilts! Right now the Daisy Quilt I finished for the Daisy Sew-Along is at the quilter's shop.  I'm not sure when it will be long-armed quilted. It's a gift, so I hope I receive it back soon!

 

So while I wait to put on the final Daisy Quilt binding...I'm working on a red and white Moda Blockheads 3 quilt, following along with Joanna over at Fig Tree Quilts. Here are the blocks so far:

 

 

Beginning in May, my sewing friend Chris and I will be doing a virtual sew-along using the HomeBody mini-pattern by Camille over at Thimble Blossoms. She's sewing the blue/green, and I'm sewing the red/green:

 

Hannah is creating...

..a new shampoo scent (think tropical hibiscus) for a local store which carries her soaps.

 

 

In my kitchen...

 

No new recipes in the kitchen today, but Tom has been working hard stripping kitchen wallpaper...it's a bear of a job when it's been stuck solid for 18 years!! But I'm getting new paint, and I'm quite excited!

 

It feels like we're moving with so much stuff in disarray, but with no one traveling and visiting these days with the virus restrictions, it's the perfect timing!

 

In my garden...

We haven't started putting in vegetables quite yet because we're still having freeze warnings...but there is something else going on in the garden.

 

In fact, today's the day a vinyl picket fence is going in, and the old dilapidated, paint-peeled fence has been removed (and sold on Craigslist as vintage pieces! Yay!). This new installation will be great....I love a white picket fence that will never need painting!

 

 

I am learning...

To be content with not traveling during this crazy virus season! I haven't seen grandsons little Jack in Maryland or Ethan in Michigan since Christmas. One of my little grandsons in Georgia recently turned 4, and we weren't able to be with his family on his special day. But Sarah sent me this picture of precious Andrew on his birthday.

 

Do you remember how all of you prayed for him when he was born at 24 weeks and in the NICU for months? He is doing well, and the Lord has blessed his little life. He is our miracle baby! Happy 4th Birthday, Andrew!

 

 

A moment from my day

Also a sign of the times...using Zoom and/or Duo for church services each week, connecting with far-away family members, and, in the case below, even connecting with members in the same household!

 

Here we are...Hannah, Jonathan, Tom, and Deb....connecting with each other in the same house! Jonathan has been quarantined in his room when he comes home from work each evening for the past month or more! He's exposed to so many folks at work (and Harrisonburg has lots of cases!), so we're trying to keep Granny especially (and the rest of us, too!) protected as much as possible.

 

We miss him, so Duo has come in handy to catch up on news.

 

 

 

Closing Notes

 

 

For more Simple Woman Daybook posts, check here.

 

~Deb

Kitchen Takeover

Recipe post ahead...as requested!

As Mom mentioned in a previous writing, I (Hannah) was in charge of meals for a couple of weeks in February. The tradition continued of one of us girls choosing Valentine's week to cook. I enjoyed, as always, browsing recipe sites and coming up with mostly new recipes to try out on the family.

Overall, the family thought the meals were not only edible but delicious, with probably some do-over recipes in the mix. Interspersed in these two weeks' menu plans were several leftover nights, and the special desserts covered us for awhile, too.

Below are links if you'd like to try these menus yourself:

Tomato Bisque

Grilled Pastrami Sandwiches with Onion Marmalade

Instant Pot Beef Gyros (with these flatbreads)

Greek Potatoes

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert (adapted)

 

Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs

5 Cheese Macaroni and Cheese (adapted)

Sweet Potato Kale Salad (similar to this)

Our Valentine's Day menu was, like the other days, written on a chalkboard in our kitchen:

Italian Meatloaf Pinwheel

Caesar Salad

Pesto Breadsticks

Cheesy Italian Baked Beans

Red Velvet Cookies or Chocolate Nemesis Cake

Granny (2 weeks before her fall) awaits her cookies:

 

Personal Chicken Pot Pies

Salad

Canned Peaches

 

New Mexico Chile Stew

Dixie Cornbread

Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies

 

Sticky Garlic Chicken over Quinoa

Roasted Broccoli

 

Breakfast for Dinner of:

Waffles (from Hope's Table cookbook)

Oven-cooked Bacon

Scrambled Eggs

 

And...then when Granny was in the hospital and rehab, with Mom away for hours of the day advocating for her care, I once again handled meals for the family for another couple of weeks. While they weren't as planned out ahead of time, it filled a need, and I was glad to help in this way. So you get a few bonus pictures:

Chicken Pasta (using Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Basil sauce)

Beef Barbecue Sandwiches

Have you tried anything new in the kitchen lately?

~Hannah

Works in Progress Wednesday ~ Daisies & Blockheads 3

Well, good things are happening in the sewing room! I've had another week of extra sewing time...what did I do to deserve this luxury?!

Yes, Miss Hannah volunteered to continue kitchen duty for another week, and I've so enjoyed not only this sewing time but also all the delicious new recipes she's cooked for us!

Since last Wednesday I've made 14 of the Daisy Sew Along blocks...here are the first 7 from last week: And here are this week's next 7 blocks below:

Here are all 14 up on the design wall--it gives you an idea of the view from my work area...watching them multiply certainly encourages me to keep going. There will be 25 blocks: So once I completed the daisy blocks assignment, I started the Moda Blockheads 3 Sew-Along. I'm following along with Joanna's version over at Fig Tree Quilts and using the red and cream for each week's block. I was able to catch up this week and made all 6 blocks. Here are the first 5: And up on the design wall they will go:

And here's this week's 6th block I finished in time tonight to write this Works in Progress post and to add to the grouping: Now I'm caught up, so I'm taking a sewing room break for a few days. I'm very satisfied with what's gotten accomplished. Yay, progress!

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ July

For Today, Saturday, July 13

 

Outside my window...

It's a hot and humid, sunshiny summer day here in Virginia...89 the high today and 92 tomorrow. These days are best for staying inside keeping cool. I think that's my plan today!

I am thankful for:

Family and friends .... those close by and those at a distance who let you know they're praying for you when you need it most.

 

From the Flower Garden...

I posted this photo on Instagram today...both the cleome plant and the garden name plaque I received for Mother's Day. I've enjoyed seeing them in the garden this year:

From the Garden to the Kitchen...

Tomatoes are beginning to arrive in the garden, great for fresh salsa! And jalapenos, peppers, and zucchini! Last year our zucchini plant died...and, unfortunately, no one tried to pawn their bounty off on us.

So we waited for this year's harvest...we've enjoyed such good zucchini meals! Zucchini Squares has been a favorite recipe for many years...great for a quick lunch meal:

Zucchini Squares

1 c. Bisquick (we use 1 c. ww flour, 1 ½ t. baking powder, ¼ t. salt instead)

½ t. each salt and pepper

1 t. oregano, dried

1 T. parsley, dried

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. onion, diced small

1 clove garlic, minced

3 c. zucchini, sliced thinly

½ c. olive oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine dry ingredients, add veggies, and toss to coat. Mix in oil and eggs and pour into a greased 9” sq or 7 x11” pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

And Hannah has been utilizing her spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, affectionately known as zoodles. I can't tell you the number of times I've said zoodles this past week!
 Zoodles are good served with cajun-seasoned tilapia. And to really spice it up...cover the zoodles with Bobby Flay's Diavolo Sauce:  Today's lunch was a winner! Hannah can whip anything up...it seems with hardly any effort. Spicy Coconut and Butternut squash soup topped with cilantro and leftover zucchini squares: I have to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed using my Magnolia chalkboard I received as another Mother's Day gift! Here's a recent family meal menu:

One of my favorite things...

I love day trips, quick overnight trips, spontaneous outings, and rare planned vacations. We knew we wanted to do a quick getaway sometime this summer, so two weeks ago we traveled to Alexandria, Virginia, for their pre-4th of July Fireworks over the Potomac at Mount Vernon.

First we enjoyed a D.C. Monuments boat ride on the Potomac in the afternoon:

On the lawn at Mount Vernon we listened to the marching band playing patriotic numbers before we toured the mansion: The night-time fireworks display was amazing! They did an excellent job! Here's historic Mount Vernon awaiting the fireworks over the Potomac:

I am creating...

I'm in between projects at the moment while I recuperate (more on that shortly)...but this Fig Tree bundle of goodness arrived in the mail recently. My friend Chris and I plan to do a long-distance sew-along together in September, making a Pumpkin quilt. Should be so fun!:

I am wearing...

Navy around-the-house paint skirt, navy tank, fuchsia blouse.

 

A shared verse:

"All these blessings shall overtake you because you obey the Lord your God." ~ Deuteronomy 28:2

 

You were praying...

For our grandson who was having surgery last month when I wrote the last Daybook. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and let you know that Andrew's surgery was a success. He's doing well and continuing to improve.

Here he is with his little brother arriving to visit us last week for my birthday and the 4th of July holiday. Yep, red, white, and awesome says it all!:

The boys noticed the flag right away, and Aunt Hannah showed them all the animals:

We sure enjoyed the holiday visit with the whole family:

It was great having little ones running and playing in the yard and garden:

And riding the tractor with a doting Grampa:

Around the house:

Making special 4th of July desserts for our little guests:

Closing Thoughts:

I wanted to ask prayer again...this time for me. As it turns out, the reason I wasn't feeling well last month when I last wrote was a tick bite that I had gotten that produced fever, chills, severe headache, neck ache, extreme fatigue, and generally momma-ain't-happy feelings.

I've been on steroids, anti-viral meds, and antibiotics; and while we were in Alexandria, out of the blue I developed Bell's palsy, which can be associated with Lyme. A trip to the ER and an additional couple of weeks of antibiotics later, I'm still recovering and start physical therapy on my face next week.

Please pray that I will fully recuperate and get back to normal. There's still a lot of summer left to enjoy! Thank you so much!

Closing Photo of the Week:

(Mosaic tile along the stairway at National Harbor on our trip to Alexandria)

 

If you'd like to visit other Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman.

 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting us here at Mountain Musings!

~Deb