HELP MY LANDSCAPING!!!

Since tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day and I actually have some free time on a Saturday, I am hoping to actually work in the lawn tomorrow! The only problem is that I need some ideas!!!

We need some taller stuff to go in front of our gas meter, but nothing with thorns cause I don't want the gas meter reader guy to get mad at us! :) We also need whatever we put there to have a shallow root system cause our sewer line is right there. There were some beautiful rhododendrons there but we had to dig them out cause they got into the sewer lines and backed up our system. NOT fun.

Anyway here are some pictures I took this morning... PLEASE give me some ideas!!!!

Love coffee???

Seattles Best is one of my FAVORITE types of coffee- Dave and I even got to visit their flagship store in Seattle while we were there for our honeymoon! Well they are doing a sweepstakes giveaway on an amazing prizepack.

Register HERE for the giveaway which includes: 2 lbs of Seattles Best Coffee Beach House Blend, 1 Toddy Cold Brew System, 4 Highball Double Wall Glasses by Bodum

The pack is valued at $113, but how do you really put a price on COFFEE?!?!?! :)

VOTE FOR MY MOM!!!!

My Mom submitted a joke to Reader's Digest and was picked as one of the TOP TEN!!!!  She was #7 in the issue AND won $500!!!  GO MOM!

If you go onto readersdigest.com/americasbestjoke and vote for "Power of Perception" you can vote for her joke.  If she wins this round, then she gets entered into a contest for "World's Funniest Joke"

I'm so proud of her, even though most of her jokes are pretty cheezy and we make fun of her CONSTANTLY!  She's going to be pretty hard to live with now.  Guess it's a good thing I don't actually live with her anymore! ;)

Anyway, please take a second to vote for her.  AND if you wouldn't mind letting some of your other friends and family know that would be GREAT!!!  Thanks!

FREE CHOCOLATE FRIDAY!!!

Mars is giving away FREE CHOCOLATE ON FRIDAYS!!!! WAHOO!

Just log on to their website and request your coupon for a free "Real Chocolate" This is part of their Chocolate Relief Act campaign. Take advantage of free chocolate while you can!!!

My Last Night

Well last night was my last night in Youth for a while. Dave is coaching a little league baseball team this summer and we are going to be quite busy, and since a lot of the games are on Wednesday nights, we decided to step down for a while. We are going to make these boys and their families our ministry focus for the summer. I am really excited, our first game is on the day after Memorial Day and I can't wait!!! Dave and I both are just praying for opportunities to arise so we can share with the families and allow God to speak into their lives through us. Please be praying with us!

Yesterday was a good last night... our District Youth Director was there (Paul Hinzman) and did a great job speaking. He kept the kids attention very well and impressed them that he could control his slideshow presentation from his iPhone. They thought it was the coolest thing in the world! Amazing how exciteable kids can be! :) Although I have to admit- I thought it was pretty neat too!

Paul is coming to speak again on Sunday evening, so I'm glad Dave will get to hear him also. We are considering taking the Wednesday nights that we don't have games, and visiting other youth groups. There is always something to learn and Dave and I would love to get some ideas to bring back to our church from other churches. No we aren't changing churches or church hopping, we just want to use our time wisely and glean from others.

So here comes my summer- full of baseball, sunflower seeds, bubble gum, and hopefully MINISTRY! God, help me do Your will and have YOUR way through this summer. May I walk the path You desire and be the hands and feet You designed me to be with these families. I give this ministry to You so just guide me.

Strawberries Galore!

My new obsession has become strawberries- bad for Dave since he's allergic but good for me and the neighbors cause there is more for us! :) Sorry honey! Last week I went to Aldi though and got a pint of strawberries for $1 each!!!! WHOA NELLY! Since they go bad pretty quickly I have frozen them and I thaw them out as needed.

The strawberry shortcake cookies were AWESOME! I used some fresh strawberries from the grocery store cause the thawed ones turn to mush and juice when they thaw, you need firm strawberries for the recipe. Also, I used the coarse salt as instructed but I think when I make them again I will use regular salt since one of my bites I took had a large chunk of salt and it tasted kinda strange. If you like your cookies super sweet, this might not be the best choice because they do have some tartness because of the berries. They are a great summer treat! Can't wait to make them again!

Another thing I made for Monday was Strawberry Lemonade. This was a HUGE hit, and a lot easier than I thought it would be. Since I had the mushy strawberries I thought I would put them to good use! I found the following recipe online and it was pretty good once I made a few adjustments.

Strawberry Lemonade
2 cups lemon juice (if you do all fresh lemons it takes about 16- I used 2 fresh lemons and used lemon juice for the rest)
1-1 1/2 cups strawberries
1 3/4 cups sugar
Zest of 2 lemons (zested before I juiced them)
5 cups cold water

In a medium saucepan make a simple syrup by putting sugar, lemon zest and 1/2 cup water in the pan and heat on medium- simmer 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Cool completely.

Squeeze the lemons juice and put all lemon juice into a gallon pitcher-set aside. Place berries (best used is the mushy thawed ones!) and 1 cup water in a blender. Process on high for several seconds until all strawberries are pureed. Be careful not to do what I did and make it frothy!

Sieve the strawberry puree through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth (didn't do this and wished I had) and add it to the lemon juice. Then add the simple syrup mix and stir. Here is where you can adjust your taste. I added a little more water to dillute it because it was pretty thick. Just add water to your taste. :)

Hope you get a change to try either the lemonade or the cookies. Let me know how they work for you!

Mmmmm!

Monday nights have become a fun time for Dave and I lately. We've gotten into a circle of friends that we really enjoy. There are 5 couples (including us) that get together for dinner, sports for the guys, and conversation for the 'gals' and I went to school with ALL of them but one wife. It's so much fun getting to know them again because I didn't really know any of them in high school that well.

Anyway, this coming Monday is our night to host everyone and we've decided to grill out since it's supposed to be pretty nice out. Then for dessert I'm making Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies from Martha Stewart. I'm trying them out this weekend, but if you try them before me, let me know how they are. I'll give our report on them after dinner Monday!

Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups diced strawberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz (6 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tbsp sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. They are best served immediately but can be stored in an airtight container at room temp up to 1 day.