Bees...

On my first day of vacation dragging things out of the barn to hose down and I disturbed a nest of yellow jackets... My husband would tell you that's just the kind of luck I have. :) Thank goodness for Grandma's best home remedy - baking soda and water paste. Just take a couple tablespoons of baking soda and add a little water just enough to moisten the baking soda. Place a good thick amount on the sting and let dry. If the stinger is still there, this poultice will help draw it to the surface. Its also nice and cool so it soothes the sting and reduces the swelling. Rinse with cold water. 15 minutes and two applications later, and all signs of the 3 stings I got are all gone. The same paste works great on kids who can't leave mosquito bites or poison ivy rashes alone and nettle stings too. Plus its not harmful if the kids mess with it.

Smoked Salmon Cracker Spread

A co-worker brought me a hunk of smoked salmon so I made this fabulous cracker spread. Shred your hunk of smoked salmon and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl beat 1 block of cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup mayo until well mixed. Add 1/4 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce, 3 sprigs fresh lemon thyme, 1 sprig fresh parsley, 4 sprigs of chives (finely chop all the herbs) and beat well. Add your smoked salmon and mix well by hand. Delish with your favorite crackers and a glass of white wine on a hot afternoon!

31 Day Photo Challenge - Day 5 - Summer

Day 5 of the photo challenge hosted by Thrift Shop Commando.

Garden Fresh Salsa and Salsa Chicken Dinner

Good morning, lovely friends!  It is shaping up to be a beautiful (hot!) day here in Michigan and I am extra cheerful because I am looking forward to beginning my vacation!  Sorry for all the exclamations but this working momma has not had a real vacation since before my youngest was born.  The last time I had more than 2 days off was when my hubby got in a quad accident when Little Man was 8 months old and I was stuck at home for a week playing nurse and chief bandage changer to a badly injured man who is not an easy patient with a 7-month-old and almost 6-year-old to keep busy too!  Before that was maternity leave and I had 8 weeks off only because I was too anemic to return to work at 6 weeks and I had zero energy - not exactly a vacation.

I only had enough for one jar so this went
straight to the fridge for eating - otherwise
you would want your liquid to cover your
veggies and leave a bit more head space
in the top of the jar.

Don't get me wrong, this will not be your sit-on-the-beach-with-a-margarita-and-do-nothing vacation.  This will be a get-all-the-stuff-done-I-don't-have-time-for-when-I'm-working-and-commuting-10+hours-a-day vacation.  But I will feel SO much better getting things off the checklist and I do have some fun things planned like field trips with the kids and a camping/softball weekend at the cabin.  Part of what I want to do while I am off is take advantage of the fresh local produce and get some canning and freezing done.  I will be getting discounted sweet corn from our local orchard and Little Man and I hope to pick blueberries - I'll be canning and freezing both.

Once of my favorite things to do with all the "extra" produce I can find backroading and in my own garden is make fresh salsa.  You can make a salsa out of virtually anything and with the right spices it is tasty.  This salsa was made with 2 large fresh tomatoes, 2 big carrots, 1 large onion, 1 large green pepper, 2 pressed garlic cloves, a few random spicy peppers from my garden, fresh chives, cilantro, parsley, and thyme from my garden, garlic salt, pepper, cumin, and a splash of vinegar.  Add your spices to your own taste - I made this about a mild-toward-medium heat so it wasn't too spicy for the kids to enjoy.

Friday's Fences - Photo Link Up

Joining in on the Friday's Fences fun at Life According to Jan N Jer.  This is a beautiful little spot at Lemon Creek Winery in Berrien Springs, MI.

Spiced Peach Cobbler

Nothing could taste more fresh in the summer than peaches straight from the tree.  My grandpa loves peaches so my grandma usually cans a copious amount of them to enjoy all winter.  Occasionally, we might get lucky enough to score a jar or a few leftovers in a big year.  Many of Michigan's fruit crops were destroyed by early bloom and a late hard freeze so fruit is scarce this year.  We were lucky enough to find these beauties at the local farm market.  The biggest problem was that they were slightly over-ripe and bruised.  No fear - you do not have to waste your over-ripe or blemished fruit!  Over-ripe fruit is perfect for cobblers and crisps - actually they are usually the best because they are the sweetest.  So are those pieces of fruit that have bruises or flesh bumps and other blemishes - just trim those little spots off and you are good to go.  This satisfying cobbler is the perfect way to end the day.

I Now Have a Button!

After several attempts, I have finally conquered 

the mystery of the magical button. 

 I think its pretty cute if I may say so. 

 Please, oh please, grab the code on the right column of my page 

and share my little button with your friends! 

 Many thanks!

31 Day Photo Challenge - Day 2 - A Stranger

31 Day Photo Challenge - Day 2 - A Stranger.  Hosted by Thrift Shop Commando.

31 Day Photo Challenge - Day 1 - First Name

My entry in the 31 Day Photo Challenge hosted by Thrift Shop Commando.  Day 1 - First Name.  My daughter made me this beautiful little piece of artwork for my birthday.  She even drew my horse and the colors of my favorite rose.

Oh Boy - Hockey Mom Fever Here I Come!

We are so excited we can hardly stand it!  You see, we have this little boy who was literally born a hockey fanatic.  My husband thinks its because he was born during Stanley Cup playoff time and that is what we watched a lot of during his first few months.  I'm not sure but I do know that I have video of him watching hockey at just a couple months old and you can see how he follows the action and responds to the sounds.  

By the time he was 1 he was going to my brother's hockey games and watching the entire game without taking his eyes off except to point out something to us.  And chanting the "Let's Go Red Wings" cheer - clap sequence and all.

By the time he was 2 he had taken the top off his car play table and laid it on the floor in front of his mini hockey net for "ice" in the living room and spent hours begging anyone he could get to play hockey with him and his mini hockey sticks.  He had also turned an old Halloween mask into a goalie mask and old dirt bike shin guards into goalie pads...