Grammie's Noodles

She always makes the noodles.

This year, she made them at our house so I could learn how she makes them.  I wrote down everything she said, but I think Simon has it memorized so he can take charge of the noodles if Grammie ever stops making them.

The recipe (click to enlarge):

Fourth of July Menu

I'm hosting a little family Fourth of July shindig this year.  I can't remember ever hosting on the fourth of July before.  I'm super excited!  Uncle Kerry and Aunt Mary are in from Oklahoma, Uncle Mickey and Aunt Kathie are driving up route 1 to join us, and of course our family and my mama will be here.  If you are related to us, consider this your invitation to join us...I'm not even kidding...come on...do it!!!!

Here's our menu:

Hawaiian Pork Chops
We used to have these at Steve and Jan Spencer's house when I was a little girl, and now here I am being the grown-up and making them!!!

Buttermilk Chicken Legs
We just tried these for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and Ezra said (with chicken hanging off of his face), "Could we have these EVERY night for supper?!?"

Source: cleverlyinspired.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Calypso Beans and Rice
We had this fabulous side dish for the first time at a Fourth of July shindig at my 2nd cousin's wife's brother's house a few years ago.  Don't even try to figure that out....in my family we are super close to our 2nd cousin's wife's brother's uncle's aunt and we never see our uncle...we're just weird that way!!!

Pioneer Woman's Fresh Corn Casserole
I've never made this, but EVERYTHING the Pioneer Woman makes is delicious!!!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

My Aunt Kathie's Salad
I love it when Aunt Kathie makes salad...it's always yummy!!
(I don't have a picture of the salad, but here's one of Aunt Kathie...she's the redhead in the middle...my aunt Mary is on the right, and my mama is on the left)

Homemade Peach Pie with Ice Cream
Again, no picture of the pie (I have never worked that far ahead!), but here's the rolling pin I will use to roll out the crust...

The Pioneer Woman's Fourth of July Cake
I'm pretty sure this is sinful, but we WILL enjoy every minute of it!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

So, this is our Fourth of July menu...what's on your menu this year??

Our very own grapes

Our home, built in the 1880s, has only been lived in by 3 families including us since it was built.  We've heard lots of fun stories from the family before us, and many of those are tales of the hard work the kids did outside.  Much of our yard (which is half of a block...four lots) was planted as a garden to feed the family.  There are apple trees and grape vines still.  The apple trees got diseased a couple of years ago, but the grape vines are still kickin' it.  Last week, we discovered the grapes were ready.  Simon helped me pick the grapes, and we brought them in to make grape juice.  I've never been able to leave the grape juice alone long enough to make jelly.  When I was little, my mama would find me sneaking into the kitchen to drink the juice.  Sometimes she would actually make me my very own jar of juice and I would drink it proudly, pretending I was a grown up out to dinner drinking a glass of wine with my steak (which was actually probably a hamburger or a grilled pork chop!!).

There is only a little bit of grape juice left, and no jelly got made, but that's ok.

This is what happens when I ask Ezra to take a picture of me making the grape juice. :)

Snapshots of the Woodshed

Ezra has been asking all summer to get the sprinkler out. Since summer is almost over, he took matters into his own hands and found it himself...

Pork burgers on the grill that were bigger than our heads...

the rarely used dining room table is now a homework/arts and craft station. All of us (well, all of us except daddy!) have enjoyed using it already...

...and a new gallery wall in the dining room. I have been dreaming of it for quite some time, and I finally took the plunge...

So much coffee, so little time...

See the goofy grin on my face?  That's because I have had A LOT of coffee during my short stay in Seattle.  I'm also bringing home so many coffee beans that I'm going to have to pay the extra heavy baggage fee.  Maybe I'll try hiding them in the lining of Simon's diaper. 

Isn't she a beauty?

**updated:  recipe at the bottom**

One of the perks of lovin' on jr and sr high students with us is that you get to enjoy this succulent (that seems like it should be a bad word...is it??) pasta salad at our house tonight.  We do what we can, you know.

She (she just looks like a girl to me!) was so gorgeous, I just had to snap a picture.

Gorgeous Pasta Salad

One box bow tie pasta, cooked, drained, and

        rinsed with cold water

5 or 6 roma tomatoes, sliced

2 cans whole black olives, drained and rinsed

1-2 stalks of broccoli, chopped

1 bottle of Italian dressing

 

Mix it all together in your big Tupperware batter

bowl, then transfer it to a pretty bowl to

complete the look.