**Tuesday's Top 10 **

Welcome to Tuesday's Top Ten...a new tradition...at least until I get tired of it. So, just check here each Tuesday to find out what thrilling, exciting, and fabulous top ten list I've posted!

We'll start with the

Top Ten Reasons I Love My Ice-Maker.

There aren't many appliances that I can say "I LOVE." Yes, I love my bread machine, I love my dishwasher, I love my microwave, I love my toaster oven, ...okay...I love my washer and dryer, too! So, sue me. I guess I love a bunch of my appliances..and I found out today that I LOVE the folding machine at our church!

But today, I want to talk about my beloved ice-maker. Here are the Top Ten reasons I love it.

#10 -- I've never had an ice-maker before this one.

#9 -- It actually works!

#8 -- No more of those flimsy, plastic trays to fill up.

#7 -- No more of those flimsy, plastic trays emptied of water all over the floor.

#6 -- No more trying to wrench those cubes out of the flimsy, plastic trays!

#5 -- It makes ice faster than I can use it ...most days.

#4 -- Without ice trays...there is more room in my freezer for BLUEBERRIES!

#3 -- I don't have to TELL it to do its job! It is able to complete tasks without me constantly checking it's work. Even when the dispenser in the refrigerator door died, the ice-maker kept on doing it's thing!

#2 -- It NEEDS me...'cause sometimes it gets stuck and it seems I'm the only one who ever notices and actually fixes it.

#1 -- I love ice! Cold, wet and crunchy...who could ask for anything more?

So there you have it. I'm sure it will make your day --knowing why I love my ice-maker. Well, maybe you chuckled a bit, at least!



Stay tuned. (4 more days till...)

Just "Pine-ing" Away...

In case you notice my blog becoming a bit whiny this week (even though I'll try NOT to be) ...be aware that my home is very quiet this week. Very, very quiet. Wayyyyy too quiet! No volleyball bouncing over and over and over; no phone calls from our little neighbor girl, Montana, or from that Duh-girl in Hay-vana (she's at camp, too!); no bridles and horse tack jingling; no sweet-feed smell in my car; no piano being played; and no "Hi Mom"s as she sashays in the door. My sweet girl is at Camp Charis again this week.

If you don't know about Camp Charis you can click here; it's truly a wonderful place. Mr. Fix-It and I consider Camp Charis to be one of the few things we, as parents, KNOW, without a doubt, has been absolutely right for our girl! Our sweet dd has gained confidence in herself as she works with other teens and youngsters; she's solidified her faith and assurance in Jesus, as her Savior; she's learned the principle of Servant-Leadership; and she's cultivated many wonderful friendships I expect will last long into adult-hood. I'm sure she's enjoying herself immensely while her mom is languishing in loneliness without her. So lonely, I may even have to talk to Mr. Fix-It this week! LOL!!

With all that said...I sure hope you folks will pray for me this week! I've got so much to do this week with Women's Ministry at our church, I shouldn't have time to be lonesome...but I will be.

Bombs Bursting in Air!

To celebrate Independence Day, our family drove to the other side of the world and joined the crowd at Northwoods Baptist Church. This is such a great place to celebrate! We had wonderful fellowship with many old and new friends; heard Christian music and a wonderful testimony; and saw an awesome fireworks display.

We DIDN'T miss the City celebration, the drunks, the half-dressed women (okay, there were a few of those...but not many), foul language or having to wait on the bus.

Here is a video and a few pictures...

By the way...the people fussing at their kids are NOT us!

We were so blessed by this church's gift to their community!

Stay Tuned.

No Ducks, But LOTS of Gooses

Yes, I know the plural of goose is geese. However, these guys were walking pretty much in a single file line...so it was goose, goose, goose, goose, goose and lots and lots more gooses!

As dd and I were on our way home from town yesterday, we saw this crazy sight. Hundreds of geese had decided to cross the road for an evening swim at the park. We saw them from quite a distance and figured that they would finish crossing before we got very close. NOT!!!! They kept coming and kept coming and then...they kept coming! It was like one of those clown cars at the circus! THEY were in charge -- and no crossing guard in sight. The geese paid the cars absolutely NO mind at all!

The following pictures do not do justice to this wild and feathery experience.

We're still quite a ways from the geese. My camera was fully zoomed in!

Notice the car just turning in the intersection.

Not great pictures, but you can see a bunch of them had already crossed.

And they kept coming!

I finally quit taking pictures...they just kept coming! By the time they were finished, there were 5 cars waiting ...almost stuck out in the intersection.

PLEASE! Somebody call Canada. Tell them it's SUMMER -- Come get your geese!!!

Stay tuned.

Why Celebrate the 4th of July?

I wish I was techy enough to put a really cool patriotic picture right here. Too bad...you'll just have to have a vivid imagination...

Today, most of us are off work. Of course! It's a holiday. Most of us will celebrate the day by eating and socializing. Maybe...just maybe... we should think about why we celebrate at least a teeny, tiny bit more than we do?

From the Declaration Of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Most of us learned the quote above sometime during our educational experience. But have you ever actually read the WHOLE Declaration of Independence? If, like me (until a few hours ago), your answer to that question is a shame-faced "...ummm...no, not really." Then take the time today to educate yourself and just read the document. You can read it here. It won't take that long...go ahead...do it...then come back here, if you feel like it.

Here's a timeline from: http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/timeline.htm

1776

June 7

Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, receives Richard Henry Lee's resolution urging Congress to declare independence.

June 11

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston appointed to a committee to draft a declaration of independence. American army retreats to Lake Champlain from Canada.

June 12-27

Jefferson, at the request of the committee, drafts a declaration, of which only a fragment exists. Jefferson's clean, or "fair" copy, the "original Rough draught," is reviewed by the committee. Both documents are in the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress.

June 28

A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence is read in Congress.

July 1-4

Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence.

July 2

Congress declares independence as the British fleet and army arrive at New York.

July 4

Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in the morning of a bright, sunny, but cool Philadelphia day. John Dunlap prints the Declaration of Independence. These prints are now called "Dunlap Broadsides." Twenty-four copies are known to exist, two of which are in the Library of Congress. One of these was Washington's personal copy.

Apparently, Thomas Jefferson wrote a super-lengthy first draft of the document (apparently, he was very 'wordy' like me!). Then, a bunch of these guys got together and hammered out the edits.

These guys were really smart -- and DEEP! I wouldn't have thought of half the things they did. Actually, I can't even pronounce some of the words they used. They laid out all their beefs in a clear format for the king. They were being abused and they had had enough.

These guys were desperate. Hey! If you were the victim of "repeated injuries and usurpations" you would probably do the same thing! They had tried and tried to go through the correct lines of protocol, to no avail.

They had even appealed to their British brethren; "appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity."

These guys were tough. They didn't like the king disbanding their legislative bodies "for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people." Maybe that is what we need today --some "manly firmness." Whatever happened to that?

These guys knew exactly what the "Patriot Act" was all about several hundred years before it was enacted. What do you think they would say after learning we let them take our freedoms so easily; after they fought so hard? They were talking about the tyrannical king when they said, "He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands." They knew very well how it felt to be accused of terrorism by their friends.

These guys were gutsy entrepreneurs. (much like the Weso's!) They were willing to put their money where their mouth was. Many of them donated their entire fortune to the cause. There is a great website that gives you a snippet about the lives of each of these brave men. Check it out here.

These guys were godly men. They were "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions"...

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary

"Rectitude:

1 : the quality or state of being straight
2 : moral integrity : righteousness
3 : the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure"

I wonder. How many in our country today are as dedicated to freedom as these folks were?

How about you?

How about me?



....stepping down off my soap-box...

Hope your 4th is full of family, fun, fellowship and freedom!

Stay tuned.

Wasted Blueberries...

Yesterday, as I arrived to pick my dd up from Mrs. Becky's house, she showed me a big write-up in the paper about a U-Pick blueberry farm close to us. As I read the article, I just kept thinking "Heh, heh, heh...we don't have to PAY for ours!!! [nanny, nanny, boo, boo!]" You get the idea, right? It went on and on about how 'organic' the blueberries were. Well, you can't get much more 'organic' than letting the trees grow up and not doing anything to them for 10 years! That's where we pick OUR organic berries!

But at the end of the article it had a recipe for Blueberry Pound Cake. Mmmmm! Doesn't that sound wonderful? I read over the ingredients and the directions. I said to myself, "Meggy-girl, I think you can do that!" As I re-read it, I wondered out loud as to whether I had enough butter at home to make the cake...but no worries, I would just pick some up Thursday on our way home from volleyball practice. At that point, Mrs. Becky said that she had plenty of butter and that I should take 2 sticks. I assured her that I could just pick some up the next day.

As we prepared to leave her home, she INSISTED that I take 2 sticks of butter home with me so I could make the cake. (She knew if I made it, I would bring her some--especially, if I used her butter. ) At that point, I realized there was a "method to her madness" as she likes to say. SHE wanted some cake!

So, last night...pressured by Mrs. Becky...I made Blueberry Pound Cake. It came out of the oven at 11:15 pm.

It looked beautiful when I took it out of the oven. I made it in a Bundt pan.












I'm not sure why all the blueberries ended up at the top. That's kind of weird.

After it cooled, just a bit, me and Mr. Fix-It had a slice. I slathered some butter on mine. (Especially good for the old calorie-count at midnight!)

I must admit, it tasted pretty good HOT. VERY much like a blueberry muffin. Mr. Fix-It approved.

This morning, I had another piece of cake for breakfast --in place of my Blueberry Yogurt Crunch.

Here's the rub. After all that work and ingredients...this didn't taste all that much better than the Jiffy muffins I make! What's the point in wasting my time and effort AND all those dirty dishes? I'd rather use my hard-earned berries in a cobbler that I love...than in something that is just so-so.

My friend, Jeanne, makes fabulous pound cakes that make my mouth water just thinking about them. This wasn't anywhere close to that. Maybe I'm just not a baker. That is more likely where the problem lies.

I'll print the recipe below, just in case some of you 'bakers' want to give it a go and prove me wrong--which probably wouldn't be that hard!

Blueberry Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups blueberries (fresh or thawed from freezer)

Cream butter and sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Sift together 2 cups of flour, salt and baking powder. Add gradually to creamed mixture, beating well. Mix the remaining cup of flour with blueberries and gently fold into the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees in a greased, floured tube pan for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Personally, I won't make this again unless the flavor is magically enhanced by sitting on my counter. Next time I want Blueberry cake, I'll just break out the Jiffy mix!

Stay tuned.

June's Journey

Oops! The stalker made me forget about the tradition I started with myself last month! (I still haven't figured out who's been taking those secret video's!) So, in keeping with tradition; I'm posting a recap of all the fun and foibles of June, 2008. Now, when my dd reads her precious "Mom's Memoirs" book in 30 years, it will serve as an index of sorts. So here we go with June...

1. Squeaky (the cat) is still doing well. Since we were gone so much for VBS, he has followed dd's every step today. He's really going to have trouble with her gone for 2 weeks in July! He squeaks if he's hungry, he squeaks if he's not, he squeaks if he wants attention and he jumps on me--hard--at night when he's ready to go outside.

2. Ahhh...Fajitas! It's fun just to say "Fa-hee-ta's" isn't it? I haven't made these again. Hmmm..maybe that's an idea for tomorrow night! Actually, I'm still trying to figure out how to use these "Breaded Chicken Parts" that we got in the Angel Food box.

3. Blueberries are still ripe and waiting for more picking. Blue jean shorts survived camp and continue to be worn. DD did inform me that the legs of the shorts are too tight on her legs when she sits down...I told her that was a sensation she was just going to have to live with!

4. I'm still walking at the malls. Just last week I actually passed an old lady. Wahoo! DD says I'm getting faster...but that was because I was trying to show off and impress her...just about killed me!

5. See #3. I will not be 'sewing' jean shorts anytime in the forseeable future!

6. What cool things folks have on their blogs. I'm trying not to be a copy-cat; but some things are just too cool to pass up. This month I added a neat, scrolly thing at the top to beg for comments..it's really called a 'marquee.' I also added the blog list. It is so nice to keep me updated on my favorite blogs without having to go to each site individually! Another neat add-on is the 'Live Traffic Feed' thingy. It sort of lets me know who is lurking around without leaving a comment! LOL!! I'll keep looking for more cool updates.

7. Yes, I missed MNO in June. Hopefully, July will be better. I'm trying to be a good mommy anyway!

8. Yes, I missed my girl at camp in June. I'm afraid July will be much worse! She will be gone back to Camp Charis July 5-11 and leave the very next week for Volleyball Camp in Georgia. Volleyball camp isn't quite so bad because I can talk to her each evening~when she remembers to call! As long as I can talk to her every day or so, I can handle it. I'm probably going to take some of the Junior Varsity up to a one-day camp...so I'll only miss dd a few days. I think its do-able.

9. I'm glad to report that my cute nephew has recuperated wonderfully from his 4 wisdom tooth extraction ordeal. We even had lunch last week after he had the stitches out. I've also recuperated from the cleaning binge my SIL put me on. Mr. Fix-It's parents moved back in to their old home this weekend. So far, all is well.

10. VBS was worth four different days posting pictures. We had a great time. The official final count of children deciding to ask Jesus into their heart is 20! It was soooo worth getting up at the crack of dawn every morning. I might even be persuaded to do it again next year.

Someone told me that working in VBS is like child-birth. You work like crazy to get ready for it; knowing it is going to be painful. Then, when it gets here it wears you out and you wonder WHY you decided to do this! After it's over you sit back with a sigh of relief and see some of the fruits of your labor. After a few months, you only remember the good parts...so by the time next year rolls around you're ready to do it again!

11. Since posting about seeing too many turtles, we haven't seen a one! I guess, it wasn't much of a trend after all!

12. So many blueberry posts...I think I'm turning into a Smurf!

13. A few good things came out of having so many blueberries. I came up with my own special recipe. Unfortunately, the magazine article saying I would lose 5 lbs. per week eating blueberries and yogurt was NOT true. I guess if that is ALL you ate, it might work.

14. After much poking and prodding, I made an attempt to make things look better on my blog. I'm happy to say "MY WIDGETS ARE BACK!" All except the scrolly thing. I'm holding back on that until I'm desperate.

15. Don't think I won the tote-bag...but it was worth a try!

16. Just for the record: Sweat does not enhance my hair-do. Never have gotten it to look good since the day I didn't need it to be!

17. Still waiting for Smurf-dom. Another good blueberry thing...Cobbler!

18. My Sunday School class is full of wonderful ladies who can really cook! Of course, Ms. Edna is no longer with us [she hangs out with Jesus, now]...but she was a fabulous cook. It was said that if you gave her a stove and a stick of butter--she could cook ANYTHING!

So there you have it. The month at a glance. Not a post from every day...but close to it!

Stay tuned.

Who's Stalking Me?

Today, I found out that someone is stalking me. Yeah! Really. I think they're hiding in that stupid big 'ol television Mr. Fix-It just loves. I don't know who it is. But someone has been secretly videoing me exercising in the morning. How embarrassing? They even posted it on the internet! What am I going to do? Here's the evidence. Watch this:



Don't know how they got in here...where they came from...or where they're hiding...but I WILL be watching!

Stay tuned.

Our SS Class Rocks! ...or should I say...Eats!

Ummm.... Pretend the date of this post is Tuesday, July 1, 2008. Since I will be out and about in town tomorrow, I wanted to get this posted for all my SS friends to be able to see themselves in living color! Yes, I know I can "schedule" it to post in the morning...but I wanted it up tonight since I already sent the e-mail telling my class it was posted... so work with me here!

This post is simply to document that our Sunday School class (full of wonderful ladies, I just love!) actually got together away from church, for a change! We had a great time. Lots of good food and great fellowship. Thanks to Jeanne for opening her lovely home for us. I was kind in my picture-taking and no food was harmed in the process!

The "spread." Actually, there was even more than this! Comfort food, savory food, sweet food, cold food, hot food, salad, and non-salad. Yummy...except for the cantaloupe. I don't like cantaloupe...sorry. (Click on the picture and it will blow it up full size to see all the great food...except the cantaloupe, of course.)





Debbie posed all sweet and proper for her portrait.








Glenda slept through hers.








Nancy figured there was no sense fighting it!








Jeanne and Dawn were still trying to figure out where to put MORE stuff while we were already chowing down!







Linda, always ready for a picture and Susan trying to scope out a place to sit.

Jan and Kathy managed to evade my camera...but I got a far off shot here of Kathy and one of Jan's back with the food bar. Oh, well. I'll do better next month when we all meet at Linda's!

Oops! I missed myself, you say? Oh, my goodness....silly me!

Stay tuned.

Not Blue, Yet!

So, did you know the blueberries are ripe? I can hear you now..."Well, Meggy girl, that's all you've talked about for two weeks!" Oh, yeah. That's right. I guess I have written about them a bit. But I still have more to tell you!

My sweet dd actually "picked" blueberries on Saturday when we went to the Blueberry Patch with our friends, the Bellas. I meant to take pictures...but forgot my camera. (Maybe Mama Bella took a picture of her sweet dd with blueberry juice all over her cute outfit!)

Here are a few pictures of the fruits of our little labor:

This is what it looks like before they're washed. Look how BIG some of these are!

Several have asked for my luscious Blueberry Cobbler recipe. Last night I made some more....YUMMMY! I thought about taking pictures and doing it up really cool like PW. However, I was making two at one time and trying to hurry to get them in the oven at the same time as my wonderful home-made Mac and Cheese (I'm such a greeny--saving all that energy, ya' know!) I didn't have time to stop and take pictures. Plus, when I stop to take pictures, I have to make sure not to have all those dirty dishes in the picture...real life should NEVER intrude on such artistry!

Anyway, back to the Cobbler recipe. I found it on the internet. It doesn't quite fit my 5 Ingredient or less test...but it's pretty easy to make. Remember, if "I" can make it -- ANYBODY can!

Here is the recipe for Blueberry Cobbler in steps.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put 1 stick of butter in a 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9, who knows?) baking pan and melt the butter in the oven while it is heating up.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine 1 c. flour; 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/4 c. sugar; 3/4 c. milk.

After butter is melted, take it out of the oven. Pour flour mixture evenly over the butter in the pan. Don't stir it.

In the same--now empty bowl, combine 2 c. blueberries; 1/2 c. sugar; 1/2 water. Spoon this mixture evenly over the flour mixture. Do not stir.

Bake 40-45 minutes until it's bubbly and the top is golden brown. Serve by itself or with ice cream.

The recipe says it makes 4-6 servings. This stuff is so rich you won't be able to eat 1/6 of it...so I think it will serve a lot more.

Here are the actual ingredients in a different format. Don't miss out on making this yummy dish!

1 stick of butter/margarine
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk
-------------------
2 c. blueberries
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

Here's a picture of the finished product.

I've eaten so many blueberries in the past few weeks...you'd think I'd start turning blue! Not yet!But I'll keep you posted. Wish I could send you a package or two...but Wonder Woman wants some...so I'll be heading over there later today. But first thing, about 7:30 am, I'm headed back out for some more blueberries. We just can't seem to get enough of them!

Stay tuned.

Don't You Just Hate It?

Yesterday morning after picking blueberries with Bella, I was thrilled to walk into my humble, but gloriously air conditioned (sorry, Kell) home. My shirt, shorts and socks (and everything underneath) were drenched with sweat. I took off my hat and my hair was matted and wet. So, I hopped in the shower to get refreshed and come back to some semblance of decency.

You see, I hate to sweat! Looking at my rather portly size, it's clear that I don't exercise enough. Would you believe that having to sweat is why I hate to exercise? It's true. That is the main problem. It's not that I hate huffing and puffing or the pain from stretching muscles. I hate to sweat because it makes me feel something less than human (even though I don't know what that is!). Totally unlike all you athletic types who think perspiring is a good thing and love it when you're soaked to the skin. So now you know one of my not so secret, deep dark secrets. But that actually has nothing to do with the question I'm asking you today.

After stepping out of the shower, I took the time to blow-dry my hair. I wasn't planning on going anywhere, but my hair left to dry on its own is actually quite hideous.

Now...to my question. Don't you just hate it when you are just going to hang around the house, but you dry your hair anyway...and it turns out PERFECT? I mean, it looks better than it EVER does when you're working on it for Sunday morning and praying for a good hair day! What's the deal? I did it EXACTLY the same as always -- yet, it looked wonderful! I would have taken a picture for you...but then I would have had to do the whole makeup thingy. So you'll just have to imagine me with wonderfully coiffed hair. I guess I can always say I was doing it for Mr. Fix-It. So he can come home to his wonderful wife with the GREAT hair.... or maybe not.

Stay Tuned.

Free, Cute Tote Bag...maybe!

Check out this blog for a chance to win a free totebag...but ya' gotta hurry!

Help! Call the Geek Squad!!!

Last night I lost my mind. Yeah, really. I lost my mind.

As I've mentioned before, I am NOT a techy. I don't have one of those techy sons like the Princess does...or one of those techy husbands like my friend Tammy does. If it isn't a totally brainless operation, I will mess it up when it comes to changing something on my computer. I'm terrified of losing stuff...so my credo is: Just Leave It Alone...maybe it will magically change itself.

I've actually got that Polish girl and her mom bamboozled into thinking I'm Super-Blog-lady because I added a few cool widgets. But those things kind of just added themselves when I pushed a button...so that doesn't really count as techy. Even 'I' CAN follow specific directions...most of the time.

But I must admit...last night I succumbed to the poking and prodding of my sweet dd who has been at me to spiff up my blog with a 'cooler' layout. Yes, I lost my mind. What was I thinking? I admit, PRIDE got the best of me. Obviously, my brain was not functioning at it's highest power mode.

So, here is how it went down. I had been doing my normal blog surfing (yes, I'm addicted...more about that another day), drooling over the really cute layouts of some of these blogs. Where do they get these things? I kept showing these beauties to my dd and she kept saying that I should look at Pyzam and find one for myself. I thought, "What could it hurt to look?"

Well, they had some pretty spiffy layouts at Pyzam...so many, I couldn't decide on one. They have every color, shape and blinky thing. (Those blinky ones would drive my friend Carole bonkers!!! LOL!!)

Finally, I decided on one. I must have followed the directions fairly closely because it actually put the layout on my site...but then, I didn't like it. To further muddy the pot...ALL MY LOVELY WIDGETS DISAPPEARED!!! Oh, NO!!!!

Yes, widgets can be replaced (but I worked so hard building my BlogList...and I deleted my bookmarks to those places and I'll have to surf for days and days and days to find them again...oh, no!). My dd felt terrible. But it wasn't her fault...again, it was MY pride...wanting to be spiffy! Girls, if you ain't spiffy...you just ain't spiffy!

But now, I don't like the layout. So, back we go to Pyzam and try for another. I found another one, I thought I liked better. I loaded it; just like before...I think. Only, it doesn't work. I try another. It doesn't work either. Oh, my. I've really messed this thing up good AND I still don't have my widgets! Even the first layout was gone and I couldn't get it back!

Help!!!! Where is the Geek squad when you need it. We kept looking for a help button or someplace to say "HELP!!!" but none were to be found. My dd kept saying "Doesn't Blogger have a "Tom" like they do for MySpace; we could ask him how to fix this." No, apparently Tom doesn't work for Blogger. Eeeek!

Long story...hopefully, a little shorter... (with me that's rarely the case!). After much more searching, restoring, un-doing, re-doing, updating, un-dating, etc.; I finally have a new, cuter layout--not from Pyzam. I hope you like it, because it ain't gonna change any time soon!

It does have some features I don't like. For example, it doesn't show the Blogger thingy at the top, so it makes editing the page a bit harder; the columns are too skinny...you know skinny things and people intimidate me; and it won't let me change the colors...so I'm stuck with them. I'll probably find some other things I don't particularly care for, but unless I find some techy know-how somewhere, it ain't gonna change any time soon!

A free piece of advice for my loyal readers: Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be non-techy. Make them learn how to do stuff so they can fix what you mess up!

We're off to pick more blueberries this morning with my friend, Bella. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think of the new spiffed-up look!

Stay tuned!

Blueberry Yogurt Crunch

Pioneer Woman's blog is my favorite blog. Her pictures are so wonderful...dd drools over their Mustangs. Since PW inspires me soooo much, I decided to pass along my NEW favorite recipe. I actually made this up...I am just soooo creative! (You'll laugh when you see HOW creative!)

So, I'm going to do the PW thing and show you my recipe; complete with pictures!

This no-bake recipe is so yummy. It's become a big favorite of mine.

In keeping with my 5-Ingredient or less rule; here are the things you will need.

Yogurt: I love the Publix Honey Almond. YUM!

Blueberries: As many as you like. Don't sugar them up!

Granola Bar: Whatever flavor you like. They usually come 2 bars to a package...but I only use one in this recipe.



Put 1/2 the container of yogurt in a bowl.













Pour blueberries on top. Use as many as you like.













Stir in the berries. Make sure each berry is covered in yogurt. See how juicy these are? Yummmm...












Put one granola bar in a plastic bag...or just out on the counter if you like lots of crumbs everywhere! Then take a coffee cup, the back of a spoon, or even your hand to crush the bar up. Just make it nice and crumbly. Today I used my favorite antique jelly jar. The dinosaur seems to be stepping on it with his big feet. This is also a good way to clear up any frustration you might have...you know...destroying something.







This is what the crushed bar should look like, unless you get carried away!













Carefully pour the crushed granola across the top of the blueberry and yogurt mixture. I say "carefully" because many times the dinosaur gets a little excited and pokes holes in the sandwich bag while crushing the granola. So, be careful that the crumbs don't miss the bowl!







This is what it should look like...without my shadow, of course.











This is what it will look like VERY quickly. Yummmm.... I could probably eat this every meal for dessert! Since you only used 1/2 the yogurt, and 1/2 the granola bar pkg...you'll have enough to make two of these!!!

I know you're thinking..."but Meg.. the grocery store sells fruit yogurt with the crunchies attached on top." They must have copied me somehow...


Stay tuned for more yummy blueberry recipes...perhaps, not quite as complicated as this one! LOL!!

This post was included in Works For Me Wednesday posts which feature 5-Ingredient or Less Recipes. To read more recipes, check out the Rocks In My Dryer blog...

Blueberry Blurb

Blueberries have never been terribly high on my list of favorites. Nothing against the blueberry...we've just never been very well acquainted. Until lately.

It kind of started when someone on our homeschool e-loop mentioned a U-Pick Blueberry patch near us. The patch just happens to be very near the head waters of the Wacissa River; about 7 miles from our house. Getting hot picking blueberries, enjoying fellowship with friends, then taking a nice cool dip in the frigid, crystal clear spring waters of the river sounded intriguing. THEN, I read in a magazine that I could lose 5 pounds a week eating yogurt and blueberries for breakfast. Even more intriguing. I was ready to go!

Well, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you know the blueberry picking didn't happen as planned. However, knowing my recent interest in blueberries, Mr. Fix-It found out that we have neighbors with a big blueberry patch, just up our dirt road, who will let anyone pick as many blueberries as they want for free! The only trade-off is that this patch has not been tended for many years and we have to be very watchful for snakes. [Let me be clear: My opinion of snakes is that the only good snakes are dead snakes. With that in mind, living in the country has taught me that there are beneficial snakes (i.e., oak snakes, rat snakes, corn snakes, King snakes, etc.) that are helpful because they keep the critter population down, thus keeping rattlesnakes away. Because of this, I won't kill these snakes...anymore. But I refuse to consider them good!]

So, early Saturday morning, dd and I set off for the blueberry patch up the road; having endured the extremely zealous lecture from Mr. Fix-It regarding his mandate that we must be ever vigilant in watching for snakes with our every step.

As we approached the patch, we observed five other cars parked alongside the fence-line. None of them familiar. Having never been to this particular patch, thus, not knowing the "lay of the land," I was not overly-excited about dealing with strangers in my blueberry picking attire (hole-y jeans, old shoes, ragged shirt, baseball cap and Publix bag). Yet, we forged ahead.

Long story short, we met some delightful folks from the other side of town who picked here each year. They happened to be retired homeschoolers having finished their academic journey with their children. Many of the other pickers were current homeschoolers from a family of whom I know the Mom, but not the children. The time went very quickly. We picked and picked.

We did have one run-in with a snake. It was a skinny, green Grass snake about 18" long. It was not on the ground. It was actually making it's way through the bushes, down the row of trees. It kind of startled us at first; it didn't really scare us. We even enjoyed watching it's prowess in gliding through the branches. Our new friend, the retired-homeschooler lady, was NOT thrilled. She kind of freaked out when we told her it was headed her way. I confess that I did kind of enjoy teasing her when I walked up, pointed right over her shoulder and said "Oh! It's right there!!!!" and she jumped and screamed--even though the snake wasn't anywhere in sight. (In my defense, I grew up with all brothers who delighted in scaring me...it's their fault!)

Between dd and me, we picked nearly a gallon of berries within an hour. This seemed quite enough for me. But the main reason we left the patch was because dd kept whining about how great it would be for her just to ride her horse up the road and pick the blueberries while sitting on his back. Over and over I listened to this... Finally, (since I thought we had enough picked) I gave in and we headed home. After arriving home (2 minutes later!), she decided it was too hot to ride. Wonderful.

After cleaning the berries, dividing them into bags with 2-cup portions, and into the freezer; I felt very satisfied with my morning's work. I left several bags out so that I could make a couple of cobblers. (A fresh Blueberry Cobbler was the one condition my dd insisted upon in return for her labor in picking them.)

I searched the web for recipes and found one that I thought would work for my purposes, then I made two cobblers. One for our family and one for my Sunday School class. I love to WOW my SS class with my very rare homemade treats. (They say WOW because they know me and know that cooking is just not my forte'.)

Yummmmm! The cobblers were delicious. We saved one cobbler for our family; shared the other with my SS class, then took the left-over portion to our dear friend, Mrs. Becky, since she wasn't well enough to come to church.

After sharing some of the bags of blueberries with friends and eating many blueberries ourselves, I realized we didn't pick nearly enough blueberries. So, another foray into the blueberry patch was quickly planned for Monday morning. Yes, dd rode her horse; I drove.

I had invited many other homeschoolers to share in the fun...but only one family joined us. No parents. Just kids and teens. They scattered throughout the patch, so I was relegated to picking alone...singing out loud to ward off the snakes. [Note: Singing doesn't actually scare off snakes...stomping does...but I didn't really feel like stomping.] Actually, picking alone under the shady trees was quite enjoyable.

Mr. Fix-It stopped by for a few minutes on his way to a job. He picked and picked and picked. None of them went in my bag. They all went into his mouth. (He likes blueberries and pretty much any other fruit or vegetable right off the tree, bush or stalk. His favorite thing is to walk through a garden, pull corn off the stalk, husk it and eat it right then and there. Yeah, sounds gross to me too! But he likes it.)

By the way, the horse thing didn't work very well. She spent more time trying to get close enough to the bush to pick. Her horse was very impatient. She got off and tried to pick while letting him graze. That didn't really work either, because the horse kept nudging her into the bushes! LOL!! He'll be tied up to the fence on our next trip!

In the past week, I've come to love blueberries. After researching the health benefits, I like them even more. I haven't lost the 5 pounds a week...yet -- but I've come to love blueberries!

I've enjoyed sharing blueberries with my friends so much, I only have a few bags left in the freezer! This cannot be!!! So... I'm going blueberry picking again tomorrow with my neighbor and her grandkids. If you're in the area, you're welcome to join me--I promise not to tease about the snakes. I probably won't even sing. Maybe I can pick a couple of gallons...maybe that will be enough. Probably not.

Stay tuned.