July 10th, 2010
by Dena
Today is Teddy Bear Picnic Day. When Joy was young, Mom used to let her have a party for her bears and dolls. Instead of tea, she had to serve coffee. This was somewhere in between naptime and Days of Our Lives.
Since we are on our summer project of decluttering, I thought it would be fun to take a count of Boo’s bears and air them out. Why not have a picnic? 
We looked through the bears in her closet and room. Some were twenty years old.
One was thirty years old.
Many were from the last few years and some fun filled trips to Build-A-Bear.
We had lemonade and teddy grahams and then talked and laughed.
It was a good excuse to sit outside with no distractions. We talked about the real history behind teddy bears and why people celebrate teddy bear picnics. Then we decided which ones to keep, which to give away, and which to pack in the attic.
The ones being aired out are the ones kept in her room. I didn’t really get a shot of all of them. MANY. Very many are there.
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July 9th, 2010
by Dena
Boo’s goal in life is to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She has always loved animals. Our local vet lets young kids come and watch him if they think this is the path they want to follow.
Our vet’s office is also the home of our town’s animal shelter. Boo found some kittens that were in need of a home or…..
Anyway, we now have two new kittens. This one is Boo’s and is named Sammy.
This is Matt’s kitten. He is wild and like a vampire, you can’t capture his image. He may also kill us while we sleep.
If you are thinking of getting a new pet, check out your local animal shelter. Otherwise….
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July 6th, 2010
by Dena
I letting all control fly out the window this week and had the reins over to Matt. He has always loved photopgraphy and often scares me into a migraine when he asks to take my camera somewhere. He did take classes in high school in photography but I think also has a good eye. Enough bragging!
I told him to choose his favorite picture he’s ever taken and he ran straight to this one. He said he snapped this as she was trying to fix her hair.
Check out more teen talent at IHEARTFACES this week.
IHeartFaces | 12 Comments »
July 4th, 2010
by Dena
I have lots of images of the 4th of July. Some represent freedom more than others. Growing up, our family was always together on the 4th of July. It is one of my mother’s favorite holidays, for some reason. I guess for that, we love it too.
A friend who is currently serving in Iraq for the U.S. Army.
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July 2nd, 2010
by Dena
Our blessed abundance of tomatoes goes only so far before you start giving them away to random strangers. I did it yesterday. I get tired of salads, sandwiches and anything tomato by the end of June. Everyone then wants salsa or picante sauce canned. I enjoy that for a while, and then I start giving people tomatoes again.
This week I was given some recipes that are at least 100 years old. One of them looked really easy and I tried it. I also tried my magical touch of quadrupling it. My husband always stands behind me and tells me how 3 teaspoons equal something and I lose count. I think in turned out great in spite of his ciphering.
Picante Sauce
- 4 C. tomatoes (1/2 in blender)
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 tsp. white vinegar
- 2 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4-17 jalapenos
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp. sugar
- red food coloring
I chopped everything in the blender, as did the sweet lady, Tressa, who passed on this recipe. The directions say to bring to a boil and then cook on low for 20-30 minutes. Since I had so much, mine had to cook longer. Still, it was all good. I also added a little cornstarch to thicken it, as Tressa said she had done as well.
Thanks to Tressa for these recipes. Pickles are up next! These recipes are from her much beloved Aunt Maggie. I appreciate her sharing them with us and letting us share them with you. *EDIT* I didn’t read closely enough. The pickles are from her Aunt Maggie. The is from Tressa’s mother-in-law. Sorry for the wrong credit.
Out of the frying pan | No Comments »
