Summer is here, finally!

Summer has finally arrived here in our beautiful valley.  The days have been filled with hanging out at home around our humble above ground pool and working on the house.  My son helped build a deck on one side of the pool and is ready to tackle some other projects around the home.  Our girl has been baking all kinds of goodies this month, she has found a true love for making cookies.  Although she is feeling deprived of the written word, so far she has only read 8 or 9 books.  I do believe she is the modern female version of Henry Bemis. 

Since the temperature began rising we have been eating later in the evening, it isn't uncommon for dinner to start at 8 or 8:30 and consist of cold or room temp dishes.  Every few days we start up the wood fire grill and cook several items to use through out the week.  Tonight I made a simple salad that everyone really liked using some grilled shrimp...

Mache with Shrimp and Avocado

2 Avocados

1 Lemon, you will need 1 to 2 Tablespoons of juice from it.

Olive Oil, about 2 Tablespoons

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 bag or bundle of Mache well rinsed and spun dry, about 5 ounces

1 pound grilled shrimp 

Homemade Croutons*

Scoop the flesh out of one Avocado and place in a blender along with the lemon juice (start with 1 Tablespoon - if you prefer a tangier dressing add more), olive oil and the Salt and Pepper.  Blend until creamy and smooth, you may add more olive oil if the dressing is to dry.  In a large salad bowl toss the Mache with the dressing.  Cut the second  avocado into cubes and place on top of the Mache, add the shrimp and homemade croutons.  Serve right away. 

*Croutons

Have everything prepped and ready to go.

Cube 5 slices of Artisan Bread.  In a large skillet  over high heat add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil,  3 Tablespoons of Butter and 1 Clove of Minced Garlic.  Reduce the heat to Medium and add the bread cubes, quickly tossing to coat with the oil/butter mixture.  Keep an eye on the croutons as they cook.  You want to leave them alone long enough to get a golden color on each side.  These croutons can be made in large batches and stored for several days in an airtight container. 



March Madness

Spring is fighting to make an entrance around here. Yesterday was a beautiful day filled with sunshine and warmth; today hail storms and cold breezes. The reminder of how little control we have was well timed today.

My sister is visiting, my son is preparing for a speech meet with another Classical Christian School and my daughter is trying to learn how to balance life as a growing teenager. Renovations continue and work is good. The dog is comic relief always!

Winter Rest

My children and I are spending a week resting and re-energizing before we return to school. It is such a blessing to have time to plan for the next term, get over nasty flu bugs and organize a few of the closets that have some how multiplied their contents in the dark.

Really, I Had a Blog???

How funny, 2 1/2 years ago my sister talked me into starting a blog for the very reasons I had stated and then our mother got sick and my work increased and I totally forgot I had started a blog. Really, I didn't even know-I was that forgetful. I was finally leaving a comment on one of my favorite blogs - Orangette. When I discovered I had an account! Not sure if I will continue blogging but got to say this was a funny thing to "find". Blessings on your day.

Start

This is my very first attempt at blogging. I have always been an avid believer in journaling, at the very least I have always written down my prayers and how the Lord has answered them. I am still not sure how this will fit into life but my sister is great at this. Since all of my siblings will soon be in different parts of the country we figured this would be a great way to keep in touch.