Sunflowers

The girls love sunflowers. A few years ago I planted some in the back yard and Anna thought they were the coolest thing. They were about as tall as Allen and when he held her she could see the tops (This was when Lauren was a wee little bit). I found a book by Eve Bunting called The Sunflower House and Anna wanted me to make her one. As the girls grew, they never forgot the story and how they loved sunflowers. Well, this year we planted them again. I guess I got the giant seeds or a different kind or something, because they are HUGE!! You can see how tall they are in the bottom picture, with Allen and his 8-foot reach. We planted them in April and have been waiting for them to grow and bloom. The first one started to bloom the first weekend in July. Now we have about seven or eight big flowers. It is a big deal to go out everyday and see if we have any more flowers blooming. We love them! I didn't plant them a sunflower house this year, but next year I just might, and go hang out there myself!

John Mayer

It seems that every summer in recent years I find something to completely captivate me and keep me entertained. In years past it has been the works of Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, and Jan Karon's Mitford series (of which I'm reading again this very minute). This summer it is the music of John Mayer. Besides Amy Grant, Mr. Mayer has been the solitary artist that has captured my attention so thoroughly. I grew up listening to Amy, since about 1982, so she has always been close to my heart. But John's sound, lyrics, and top-notch guitar talent keep me listening. Favorites like, "Home Life," "Bigger Than My Body," "Vultures," "Why Georgia," and "Neon" have a great balance of meaningful lyrics and unforgettable music. One of the things that draw me to music is a good lyric. I notice that almost before a good melody line. When a song has both, I'm sucked in, hook, line, and sinker! John Mayer is one of those artists who delivers both. Take a minute and check out his music!

All Hail the Bean Pot!

This is my mom's pot. She received it and a matching pitcher when she and Daddy got married 37 years ago. The only time we ever saw it is when she made baked beans in it. In the summer, she made them often. Somehow I acquired it and the pitcher along the way. I only use it for beans, and we say, "All Hail the Bean Pot!" every time we get it out. I really don't know why it's special to me, but it is. I guess it's because it was my mom's. I also thought I'd add the baked bean recipe too! I've deviated from it a little, and I'll add my changes at the end.

Baked Beans
From Marlene Jaszkowiak

1 small chopped onion
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. ketchup
2 tsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 2-pound can Pork & Beans (drained)

Mix and simmer for 30-60 minutes or microwave at medium for 20 minutes, until it bubbles.

Michelle's Beans:
Ketchup
Barbeque sauce
Onion powder
Brown sugar
Liquid smoke
Molasses
2 pound can pork & beans (drained)

I just mix it all until it tastes just right. I don't measure anything (hard to believe, huh?) Then I put in the microwave on high for about 7-9 minutes. YUM!!

4th of July

Independence Day is a fun holiday for us. It is a time for family and cookin' out! Every year we grill, make corn on the cob, and have family and friends over. One of the perks of our house is that we live about three-quarters of a mile from the park that the City of Moore holds their annual fireworks show. We can sit in the back yard and watch fireworks! Yippee! We haven't gone anywhere in nine years on the Fourth. It's nice not having to deal with traffic and being able to just walk outside to get a good view. This year we bought sparklers and snap-pops to try out. The girls have never experienced fireworks close up. Lauren was a little scared of them. Her eyes were like saucers when we lit the first sparkler. Anna loved it! Candi didn't like it very much. The snap-pops were fun. We threw them and made lots of noise (and mess). It was lots of fun. The fireworks were awesome! They had some new ones that would explode, stop, and then go in different directions. It was really cool! As you can tell, I'm an ooo-aaahh kind of girl. It was hard to get a good picture of the fireworks, but here are a couple pics from our night: