Ever After

Well, life is more back to normal this week....

Iggie went to camp for two weeks and when I was talking to a friend I said to her, " It's been... how many years since I've had 2 weeks without kids? ............. Never!"

My oldest daughter is 42 and Iggie is 15.

Last year when she went to camp for a week I'd gone out to Liberty Hill and wasn't alone then.

This time I went to Liberty Hill for 5 days and came home. For the next 9 days it was just me and the cat. And.... she didn't like it!

It's been really surprising to me how much differnce even one, easy going child can be compared to none.

Anyway, she's back and has been resting up from the work routine she followed with all the other interns.

She met lots of new friend, so knowing her, she was spending plenty of time visiting when she could have been resting but I know that they keep the interns busy with pretty much constant chores. She did a lot of kitchen duty this time.

So, she was thinking home cooked food and being lazy.

Last night I made a speial meal for her and then we watched our FAVORITE movie.... Ever After.

We get excited. We both almost know every word of it, knowing what's about to happen and we cry thru several of the scenes. At one pint she said "This is the best scene and the saddest, all in one."

There's a point where someone throws a punch and we both whoop about it!

If you haven's seen it.... Go rent it. She and I began watching it when she was 4 and we enjoy it more each time. She says.... "That's the TRUE story of Cinderella! That's how it really happened!"

I hope so!!!

I love having a shady section in my yard. It came about because I really had no choice. Years ago we planted an oak tree and now it's big enought to cast shade all day on the back corner of the yard where I just kept trying to keep the grass growing, with no luck.

So I gave in and started to work with it instead of against it.

Here's a picture of Iggie near the corner, but still shady, from quite a long time ago with some of my Trumpet Plants. They seem to do great in the shade or the sun.I have to have some color so I choose to paint things bright colors. Like the mailbox that sits on a post back there. I've never collected any mail there but I've had several bird families use it as a place for their nest! Or the old piece of picket fence I picked up on the side of the road years ago.

The ground around the tree was dry and I couldn't deal with the roots so I had to raise it up abit. That means good fertilizer... Miss Ann has some horses and chicken. I have to get over there and 'collect' some....What better?

I brought back some little Rain Lillies from a trip to visit family in Florida a year or two ago and they like it back here.

I think I need to get someone in to trim up the tree tho' just to let in a little more light.

I found these chairs that are ideal for a quiet, shady spot to sit and read and relax at Lowes a couple years ago for 75% off.... Woo-Hoo. PERFECT!! I've put in a few plants that make nice, heavy borders along the back and the only 'care' they need is to stay at them so they don't take over too much of the area. The ferns love the humidity out there. I like color so I use the perenials like Impatience and Begonias a lot. Periwinkles are really hearty and colorful. I want to try some Hydrangeas but even in the shade it might be too hot.Lots of the color isn't in the ground. I have them planted in pots, like this.The Plumbego, sometimes called Blue Jasmine, that is in the ground just goes out in every direction and is so pretty! I have some vines. I had a nice Morning Glory but it gave way one winter so now I have a Bleeding Heart and a Moon Vine. I had this unbelievable Clemantis that went across the fence and attached itself to the nighbors tree and went all the way to the top and around and around....but when I trimmed the monster, it died.

I don't have a cover over my area, like this..... But I hope too soon...

And, I'd like to find some roses that would do well on the edge of the shady area like these......

I mentioned before I believe that I'd found some fantastic peaches at HEB and for just .97 a pound. They were so good Iggie and I ate them up and I went back for more. They were down to .88 a pound, whoopee!!!
So, I bought some more and decided to make 'something' for Memorial Day to take over to Liz's house where she'd invited a few friends to come eat and hang out.In the summer time I used to go visit Daddy and the family and I remember my Uncle Johnny and his family would come down from Georgia with lots of fresh, yummy, Georgia peaches. To make peach ice cream.
Oh My Goodness. That was THE BEST stuff. I remember, too, that Daddy couldn't stand to touch the fuzzy peaches, kinda had that fingernails on the chalkboard effect on him. So somebody had to peel 'em, probably Shirley, our very special, patient stepmother. (Gosh, how did she put up with all of us kids ??? 5 of us and 5 more of their own!!!)

So.... this weekend I got out the old ice cream maker, plugged it in and it only hummed. No action. But, I went to JC Penney and found a great one on sale. Mine only made 1 1/2 qts but the new one makes a gallon. Now I'm goin in the right direction!

I'd already peeled and cut up the peaches so I headed over to Liz's with a new ice cream maker for her, too. Hers was 30 years old and she was thinking it was time for a new one.

We made the peach ice cream and a batch of vanilla.......... Oh, how fabulous!The peach was delicous and immediatley reminded me of being a kid with the first bite. The vanilla.... it was like heaven!

Yeh, the peach was delicous but the vanilla was out of this world.

So, I'm gona share the recipe we used.... And you can tell, Iggie was pretty pleased with it, too!

It was the ultimate, wonderful end to a really yummy meal. Some of the people had never had homemade ice cream. Can you imagine????????

WHY DON'T I DO THIS MORE OFTEN?

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
In a heavy saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat; cool quickly by setting pan in ice and stirring the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or freeze immediately. When ready to freeze, pour custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Makes 12 servings