Sunny Simple Sunday

Welcome to Sunny Simple Sunday. 

It is one of my favorite holidays this week. I love the Fourth of July.

We will be in Oregon visiting my brother's family. I am beyond excited to be with them. I wish you all a wonderful week.

Now onto the party. The most viewed post from last week was:
My Cozy Casita. What a charming garden and home.

One of my favorites was Little Homestead in Boise. Her post was full of recipes, gardening and chickens of course!

Okay, everyone time to link up to Sunny Simple Sunday.

Thanks so much for visiting and have a wonderful week ahead.

Perfect Summer Recipes

Here are a few of our favorite recipes for summer and barbecue season.

We love to cookout and do it about three times a week in summer. These are the most request from the crowd in this house.

                                                         Simple Deviled Eggs

                                                       Mom's Best Potato Salad

                                                     Summer Baked Potatoes

                                                    Best Ever Cole Slaw

               Moist Tender Barbecue Chicken

                                                     Refreshing Jello Poke Cake

Battling the Bulge

In the last seven months or so I have been struggling to drop a few pounds I had put on. I have noticed since turning 45 the chub just wants to settle in my stomach area. In the last couple of weeks I have really ratcheted up my exercise since I am not a good dieter. I have been walking daily for 35-45 minutes and doing some morning yoga and strength training, yet the scale has barely moved. Ugh!!!

Okay, so what is your secret? I think I need to really watch portion control and sweets which I do for the most part.Perhaps as we get older it is true that we do not need to eat as much.  I did get on the scale this morning and have lost a pound and a half. Better than upward. Vacation will be a challenge but I will try to keep my walking up. I am trying to drink more water hoping this helps. 

Frugal Challenge - Keeping Vacation Food Costs Low

We will be hitting the road for a 12 hour trip this summer. I am over the moon to see my brother and his family. I love them and miss them so much in between visits. When we travel we try to keep our food expenditures low. Eating out is just not a huge priority to us. We try to keep the sodium in our diets low and limit fried food and of course try not to spend our entire vacation budget on food. Here are some of the ways  we economize:

1. We make all of our food for the road ahead of time. Not only do we not want to waste time sitting down to eat in a restaurant but we find it cheaper to make our food ahead of time. I will pack a snack bag with junk food, trail mix, fruit and waters. In our ice chest we will have sandwiches and yogurts and sodas for the road.  One of my daughter's has the responsibility to make us all our sandwiches. While we are packing the car and getting ready to leave, she is preparing lunch and writing everyone's names on their sandwiches. Easiest way to find whose is what in the ice chest. We stop only for gas and to stretch our legs and maybe an ice cream to get us through the last couple of hours of the trip. It helps pass the time too to have munchies.

2. Some of our stay will be in a hotel and we always choose one that serves some sort of breakfast. That is a huge savings and we manage to stay free as well because of all of hubby's travel for work.

3. If our hotel does not have a refrigerator in the room, we keep our ice chest iced up for drinks and snacks, fresh fruit, yogurts and sandwich makings. We will take our lunch if we are heading out for the day for sight seeing. We usually plan a couple of meals out but really pre-planning is what helps me to save. I know we will eat out this day or have dinner out one night. Mostly we are eating with family but will have a meal or two out.
I keep an itinerary of our trip and what we want to do each day. I will usually fit in a run to the market to have food for the trip home.

4. Sometimes I take my small crockpot with us. Yes I do. I can throw some dinner fixins in there before we leave and when we come back from a day of sightseeing, our meal is hot. A couple cans of chili and some turkey dogs heat up nicely and are ready when we get back but usually I will have a frozen meal in our ice chest that I can put in the crockpot and have hot by the time we get back. I can slice up a melon and serve the chili and dogs on some buns and have dinner very cheaply or bring out some carrots and ranch dip to add to other meals. Here is a good recipe for travel. Freezes well and heats up nicely. Plus we are tired and just getting back to the room so kids can swim and relax is my goal at the end of the day.

Linking to:
Bloom
Thursday Favorite Things

Chicken News

No, my girls have not started laying. I am so ready. I did though put some decoy eggs in the nest boxes as it is supposed to show them where to lay their eggs.

This girl had her wing clipped. She is starting to really jump and fly high and when I saw her on a gate just below the back wall I knew she needed to be clipped. It does not hurt them and she was very calm while my husband held her so I could clip her.

She was checking it out here. I can see I missed a couple of feathers. She never knew it even happened after about 30 seconds.

This girl is so inquisitive. They say the Barred Rocks are curious and she always wants to know what I am doing.

Their bottoms are getting fluffier and wider in preparation for laying those anticipated eggs.

They are doing well and are so routine driven that I just shoo them into the big run each day after their backyard time. So far so good. All is well with the City Chicks.

Wow Us Wed.
Home Sweet Home
Show and Tell Friday

Simple Delicious Bruschetta Recipe

 When life or the garden gives you too many tomatoes than make bruschetta. I make a simple recipe of diced tomatoes, fresh basil, crumbled feta cheese, salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

My favorite bread is small slices of toasted french bread with a bit of olive oil drizzled on. Toast at 300 till nice and crispy.

This is a wonderful seasonal appetizer. We had some Saturday night while our steaks were grilling.

Linking to:
Table Top Tuesday
BNOTP
Coastal Charm
Show and Tell Friday

Sunny Simple Sundays

It's time for Sunny Simple Sundays. We are all busy with families and life so I like to keep this easy to join and share. The party is open all week so link up any time not just Sunday.

Week one's most viewed post was Simple Sunday on the Porch from a Spoonful Of...

Cutest blog ever so go check it out.

Week two's most viewed post was On Sunday by Mockingbird Hill. Claudia has such a lovely blog and I know you will enjoy her and her home.

We have been enjoying a slow paced weekend of walks and wonderful perfect SoCal weather. Last night we had fish tacos for dinner. An easy summer supper of seasoned Tilapia fish.

 Okay let's link up and party. Happy Sunday!!
Linking to:
http://www.carissagraham.com/

Patriotic Clock

Several years ago this patriotic scarf/banner was found in an antique store. We have never found quite the right spot for it but for this Fourth of July, it shall remain on the grandfather clock.

Previously we had it here about a year ago. I think I like it on the clock. Not for always but for the Memorial  Day through July 4th holidays it is perfect. Greets you when you walk in the door.

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to join me for Sunny Simple Sundays.

Linking to:

Seasonal Sundays

Sunday's Best

Clean and Sanitize that Sponge and Microwave

Don't be grossed out by my microwave but this is how it gets after a couple of weeks of use. No one thinks to cover anything up in the house. I digress. 

Okay so we all should be sanitizing our kitchen sponges. A great way to do that and to clean your microwave is to take your sponge and get it good and wet. Put a big squirt of dish soap on it and toss into the microwave. I then run the microwave for 90 seconds. 

The sponge gets good and hot and the steam helps to loosen the food stuck on the microwave. Then take the sponge once it cools a bit and wipe down the microwave. You have killed the germs in the sponge with the heat and cleaned up the microwave in short order.

Don't forget to join me for Sunny Simple Sundays this weekend.

Linking to:

Show and Tell Friday

Simple and Sweet Friday

Simply Link Party

Simple Home Life

Shabby Nest

Pity Party

Farmgirl Friday

Taming the Laundry Monster

;

On a laundry theme here.

With six of us in this house I really have to stay on top of the laundry. I have developed a routine that works for me and keeps clean socks in the drawers at all times.

I find that it has to be my number one chore in the morning. After dealing with the animals I always start a load of laundry. That load is usually already in the washing machine ready to go in the morning.

As I finish that load and start a second one, I fold the loads that are done for the day and put away. I must do at least 2-3 loads a day to keep laundry from over flowing the hampers. 

I rotate the kids rooms and check their hampers about twice a week and make sure I am always washing full loads. No sense in running the washer unless it is full.

To keep laundry piles from growing too rapidly I make sure the kids know to hang up their towels and use them a few times between washing. This may gross you out but none of us have ever developed any weird skin diseases so I think we are okay. 

I do my bedding weekly and rotate the younger kids the same day. The two oldest are responsible for their own bedding. They are old enough. For the most part they can do their own laundry and often do but I will wash some of their clothes to make up a full load.

I try to get the laundry done early and put away as I just hate looking at it piled up.

Not a chore I love but if I stay on this routine I can keep it under control.

Here is a tip for you. I keep an old plastic trash can next to the washer in the laundry room. It is for all those wet rags that build up between bleach loads from cleaning and wiping up. I toss the wet rags in there and when I do a bleach load I just toss the entire can into the washer with our other whites. No more wet rags laying on the floor and strewn about waiting for wash day.

Don't forget the try my homemade laundry stain remover. Here is an e-mail from Holly about how well it works. Here is the recipe for the stain remover.

Hey Girl: Just a short note.  I made your stain remover and used it. The other day I splattered spaghetti sauce on my white t-shirt (why do I always wear white when making sauce???).  I put some on the stain and meant to wash it shortly afterward but forgot all about it.  This morning while sorting laundry I found the shIrt with the dried stain remover on it.  I squirted a little more on the stain and rubbed it a bit, threw it in the washer and you know what? IT CAME OUT!!!! ALL OF IT!!! Awesome! Thanks so much, my t-shirt and I are forever in your debt.

Linking to:
White Wednesday
BNOTP
Some What Simple
Open House Party
Have a Daily Cup
Home Sweet Home
The Thrifty Groove
Weekend Whatever Party
The Mommy Club
Sat. Night Special

Patio Love

My patio is my haven. I live on it. Watch the chickens from it, have coffee there in the morning and just relax.

The little touches tucked here and there make me happy.

Lush and green is the way I like it. I have lots of chimes including some made by my children.

If it can be considered a room, it is my favorite room in the house.

Linking to:
A Return to Loveliness
The Vintage Farmhouse
Have a Daily Cup
Home Sweet Home
Show and Tell Friday

Praise for Imperfection

Lest anyone out there think this blogger tries to portray the perfect life, I am here to show you how imperfectly I run this house. I know no one really thinks I do anything close to perfect but a reality check is always a good thing. Keeps us all grounded. 

I woke up to a dog with some funky skin thing going on. She is better after a bath and some medication but I spent the better part of an hour bathing dogs, washing dog beds and mopping floors. 

But alas the house still requires cleaning and laundry to be folded.

Dust bunnies of hair build up fast in this house. Shoes lie about until one of the kids does shoe duty. We are bad at kicking off our kicks wherever.

 I still haven't finished painting all the molding put up LAST year. I think I win the prize of being behind on projects.

I ate some of the leftover cake every day this week until it was gone. Help me I am weak.

I am now off to the dentist as my little one had one of her teeth shoved back up into her gum when the swing hit her in the face. It never ends, I am always putting out fires but at the end of the day if we are all still standing then none of this matters and life is still good. Not perfect but very good.

Linking to:
Wow Us Wed.
Raising Homemakers
Handy Man Crafty Woman

Garden Strata

I made us a simple supper strata for dinner the other night. I used up some mushrooms in the fridge and zucchini from the yard.

Garden Strata
Line the bottom of a quiche pan with thinly sliced potatoes. First butter or grease the pain though. I then layer with thinly sliced veggies I have. I used zucchini from my garden, chives and fresh parsley along with sliced mushrooms. I then whipped up five eggs with a little heavy cream I had leftover. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Before pouring on the egg mix, I sprinkled some grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with the egg and baked about 30 minutes at 375 degrees until a knife inserted came out clean.

Linking to:
Coastal Charm
Bowl Full of Lemons
Wow Us Wed.
Frugally Sustainable
Weekend Whatever Party
The Mommy Club

Flowers

Picked a jug of sunflowers, hollyhocks and black eyes Susan. I love a from the garden bouquet.

In a crock with cold water and we are set.

Hope you all had a wonderful Sunday with the dads in your lives. Ours was super low key with left overs from Saturday. My poor guy had to work very early on Sunday morning. A freeway crossing with power lines can only be done early A.M. on Sundays. He came home around 7:30 am with donuts. Oh man do I need to take a walk for hours to burn off the calories from this weekend.

Linking to:
Tabletop Tuesday
Coastal Charm
Cowgirl Up
Bowl Full of Lemons
BNOTP

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This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Anheuser-Busch. It is intended for an adult (age 21 and over) audience only.

I had the chance to try the new Michelob Ultra Light Cider. Now I am not much of a drinker, never touch the hard stuff, dislike wine very much, but my hubby and I enjoy beer and cider very much. Nothing like enjoying a cold beverage on a summer evening.

So last weekend, at our ribfest barbecue, hubby and I tried some Michelob Ultra Light ice cold. You can drink it straight or over ice which is awesome as I usually savor my drink for a long time and having it iced will be great. It was very crisp, light and refreshing and let me tell you we were hot from a rough tournament of horseshoes. The flavor of apple is a nice change from the usual and adds a real crisp taste.

Michelob Ultra Light Hard Cider is naturally sweetened and made from hand picked apples which I love. Apples in anything is good to me. We love to make beer sausage where you cook smoked sausage in the crockpot for hours in beer, but I can see where this would be great for this recipe. The sausages would get a hint of apple. Cider sausages would be perfect for a fall gathering or tailgate party slathered with spicy mustard.

The cider was a wonderful treat and I could see us enjoying it whether at the beach camping or swimming with friends at a summer barbecue. I think I may bring this to the next barbecue we attend as a special surprise.

You can find out more at Michelob ULTRA Light Cider Page on BlogHer.com or visit the Sponsor's Site.

Sunny Simple Sunday #2

Welcome to Sunny Simple Sundays #2. We had another party here this weekend. Our daughters graduation and 21st birthday party combo. That is four parties in two months. We are exhausted. Lots of mile stones and celebrations but now we are done and the parties are over.

Here some shots of the chickens running amok in the yard before I guests arrived.

They love this old bench. It is a favorite resting spot.

My sister in law made this cute 21st birthday, graduation bucket for my daughter. She always makes the cutest things and wraps so creatively.

The graduate/birthday girl with her Star Trek cake. We are total nerds over here.

That blue frosting turned all of our teeth and lips blue.

Okay now it is time to join the simplest party in blog land. Just link up a post or whatever but make sure it is family friendly. Oh and I forgot. I will announce the winner from last weeks party tomorrow. I am so tired tonight that I need to get to bed.