I turned around and there he was – just looking up at me and smiling.

Isn’t he cute!

As soon as I saw him I instantly knew what his destiny would be. It was such an amazing idea that even my kids knew my plans for this little porker as soon as they laid eyes on him.

This guy was becoming a practical joke.

You may remember that my crazy and amazing family loves a good joke and we have a few floating around the family.

You may also remember that my family gets together over Labor Day to celebrate Christmas as a family. (This works well for our busy schedules and nobody has to drive in bad weather.)

One of our traditions is to hold a Christmas gift exchange.

My brother-in-law loves to kid around and he can really dish it out – so when we drew his name for our Christmas gift exchange – I knew I wanted to do something crazy.

Are you following me here?

Yep. That 18 inch wooden swine became his Christmas gift! We wrapped it all up really nice and presented it to him at our gift exchange.

You should have seen his face when he opened it! Priceless!

He was a good sport and named the piglet and even carried him around for a while just like a part of the family!

But don’t worry – it wasn’t the only gift we gave him.

It turns out that this wooden piggy makes an awesome and rather unique gift card holder!

And knowing my brother-in-law as I do – this may become a gift that keeps on giving.

I have a feeling we will see this pig again!

]]> http://www.bluejeansandcottontees.com/thats-some-pig/feed/ 0 http://www.bluejeansandcottontees.com/thats-some-pig/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BlueJeansAndCottonTees/~3/Z-tt7h5i9yI/ http://www.bluejeansandcottontees.com/happy-surprises/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:08:59 +0000 Country Gal http://www.bluejeansandcottontees.com/?p=3924 A trip through the garden these days brings a smile to my face!

I love finding hidden treasures among the leaves! Like these cantaloupe…

We’ve averaged about 2 melons a day for the last week and bumped up to 6 for a couple of days! We brought 10 of them to our family gathering over the weekend to share.  They have been so delicious!

We feel pretty rich having all-you-can fresh melon every day! Andsince new melons are still putting on – it looks like we may have melons till the first frost!

That watermelon is a treat! There were exactly 3 watermelons on the one remaining vine and we’ve been watching them carefully.

We ate one this week, and we have this one chilling in the fridge as I write. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

As I was searching for ripe melons I was pleasantly surprised to find this beauty hidden in the leaves. I didn’t even think any pumpkin germinated – but there it was!

It’s leaves were so similar to the ornamental gourds that came up as volunteers that I didn’t  see them before.

A quick search showed at least 2 pumpkins on the vine. At least we’ll have a couple of pumpkin pies from the garden at Thanksgiving!

The second planting of sweet corn has been wonderful – so much better than the first planting was! We’ve had fresh corn every other night for the last week or so.  Yum!

And the best news of all – the tomatoes are finally starting to ripen! Slowly but surely we are getting some real beauties!

We have more than we can eat fresh – but still not enough to can – so I’ve been washing them and freezing them. When I have enough, I can thaw them and make my spaghetti sauce.

It’s not ideal – but as far as tomatoes go – we are well past perfect and into “just make it work”!

That pretty much sums up the entire garden season this year – far from perfect and into “just make it work”!

But right now I’m very thankful that I didn’t give up when things were so wet and cold this spring. I’m glad we persisted and kept replanting.

Now there’s another great life lesson learned in the garden!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” Galatians 6:9

I’ve linked this post up at The Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.

I knew I had a problem – but I didn’t realize how serious until last night when I cleaned off my desk.

In all of my piles I discovered an embarrassing number of lists, written on different papers, with whatever writing utensil I could find at the time.

There were items scratched on the back of an envelope, chores for the kids on a piece of scratch paper, a grocery list from 2 weeks ago, and a list of 4H kids who needed to be scheduled to bring treats.

I even found the list of the meals we used for the big family gathering here last October. It must have been an amazing list to have saved it for an entire year! (Can you hear the sarcasm?!)

After VBS was done a few weeks ago, I was so exhausted that I told my husband that I wasn’t making a list for an entire week – but that only lasted a day.

It’s an addiction I tell you!

I keep paper in the glove compartments of our vehicles so I can jot down a list when the fancy strikes me.

I guess I’m just a visual person. I need to write down the thoughts in my head or I’m afraid they will get lost in my muddled brain. The busier the time in my life – the more lists I need to make.

I can walk into a store needing 2 things and will totally forget them if they aren’t written down.

I currently have lists for the Big Western Adventure, for our family Labor Day get-together, for 4H record books, for groceries, and one for Wal-Mart.

Those are just the most urgent ones. I also have a list of Christmas ideas for the kids, one of books I want to read and a Sunday School lesson idea for next fall.

But you know – it just feels good to mark something off as completed. (I’ve actually been known to finish a job, then write it down just so I can mark it off!)

A list helps me stay focused and keeps the kids on task.

Without a list I would useless at a store, and quite ineffective at home.

So maybe I shouldn’t be ashamed of compulsive list making. Maybe it’s not so mad after all. It’s not everybody who can carry their brains around all day on clipboard!

Oh – clipboard! That reminds me that I need to find the clipboard before we leave.

I’ll just go write it on the list…

A weekend that will be full of fun and laughter – and food. You can’t forget the food.

Not that we will try!

No – we will mark the passing of time by which meal is put in front of us! We see it as a sport that we call “recreational eating”.

We have a “dessert bar” that is open day and night. There’s nothing like a little chocolate brownie for breakfast.

We’ve gotten so good at this that we have even discovered certain “rules of eating” to avoid gaining weight.

Would you like me to share?

1. If you eat it off a child’s plate, there are no calories – the child got them all.

2. If you cut your food in half before eating it – all of the calories fall out.

3. Any food eaten standing up has no calories since the effort it takes to stand up counteracts the calories in the food.

4. Any food eaten outside has no calories – they are absorbed by the fresh air.

And finally – they one we rely on most heavily -

5. All food eaten during a meal that is filled with lots of laughter will have no calories because the sound of laughter will wipe all the calories away!

Now with rules like these – I just need to decide what decadent chocolate treat to bring to share!

Cupcakes? Cookies? Brownies? Bars?

New recipe or an old favorite?

Hmm…I wonder what my sisters and nieces are bringing?

It’s going to be a great weekend!

The kids and I spent 2 long afternoons turning them into applesauce.

The first step was to wash every apple – we used a solution of Fit and water.  This was Buddy’s job and he did it well.

From there the apples went to the table where Dagmar and Angel Girl were waiting. They carefully cut each apple into quarters – removing any bad spots. Notice that the skin and cores are still present? We’ll take care of that soon – I promise.

When we had a pan full of apples, I added some water and put it on the stove to cook. Make sure you stir it occasionally or they will scorch! (Ask me how I know that! )

Notice the back pan – it’s cooked down just right. The front pan is just starting. Oh dear – there’s a bruised spot the girls missed! Oops!

These apples are cooked down and ready to be sauced. Notice how the skin has released and you can see already see sauce forming?

Now it’s time for the super- duper wonder machine! I LOVE my Victorio Strainer! One child scoops the hot apples in the top while another child spins the handle. The core, skins and seeds came out one side to be discarded (chicken food here!) and hot applesauce comes out the other.

Voila!

We bought my Victorio 17 years ago and it paid for itself the very first year. It’s saved me money every year since.

Now come the fun part – tasting! If you think it’s sweet enough – go ahead and package it. If not – add the sweetening of your choice.

My whole crew gets involved in this step – everybody has a spoon and an opinion! (For the record – some of them never think it’s sweet enough!)
Once you have the desired taste, you can put the finished sauce in containers and freeze it – or put it in sterilized jars and give it 20 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

We repeated the process until we had used up all the apples – and now have 100 quarts of perfectly sweetened applesauce sitting in the pantry waiting for a cold winter day.

And that’s a might good feeling!

I’ve linked this post up at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday At Blessed With Grace, Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

The days are warm and sunny, but the nights are cool and crisp.

School has started, but we’re still wearing shorts and t-shirts.

My garden is still producing summer crops – like these cantaloupes – all eight of them harvested on one day!

But my fall crop of  apples in the orchard are already starting to ripen.

We picked 5 tubs of apples from a neighbor’s tree this week and canned almost 50 quarts of applesauce – and still have 3 tubs to work up.

The pears aren’t far behind them.

The cicadas are singing and the world is starting – very slowly – to turn brown.

One season is closing and another is just beginning.

A part of me is ready for the schedule and structure of the fall – yet another part of me already misses the freedom of the summer.

While my mouth still waters for another taste of meat on the grill, I find myself lingering over recipes for warm comforting casseroles and rich thick stews.

We’re hanging in the “between” right now, enjoying the sunshine and beautiful breezes.

For just a little while we can forget the heat and humidity of the past months and the cold and snow that are surely in our future.

Yes, we are most definitely somewhere between and I think it’s a pretty sweet place to be!

At one of my bridal showers a friend gave me a cute wicker recipe file that replaced the orange one in my first kitchen.

That wicker file lasted through 5 babies, a move and more meals than I want to count. In time my recipes outgrew it and I started a second plastic one. One file held main dishes and sides. The other file had cakes, cookies, pies and other desserts.  (Yes – I had an entire file for sweets!)

It was time for a new system.

My inspiration came after a visit to my sister-in-law’s. She had purchased a large card catalog at their local library and was using it o store all of her craft and sewing notions. I loved it! But it had about 36 drawers – roughly 35 more than I needed!

I searched eBay for weeks until I found it -

- a single card catalog drawer in my price range with enough patina in the wood that it fits right in my decor!

It is the perfect width for 5 x 3 inch recipe cards – and the perfect length for my kitchen counter.

I was able to empty both recipe files into it – with room to spare.

And if I eventually fill it up – I can just look for another single card catalog file to sit on top or beside it.

Just think of the dessert recipes I could collect then!

I’ve linked this post up at Works for me Wednesday at We are That Family.

I can’t believe Dagmar’s sweet sixteen surprise party was over a month ago – and I’m just now getting the post written about her amazing birthday cake!

Dagmar is my aspiring chef – so you know this cake had some thought behind it!

We started weeks ahead of the day with some high level negotiations. The flavor profile was easy – chocolate and peanut butter. Finding the right recipe however – was not.

We both scoured recipe books and the web for that perfect combination of ice cream – chocolate – peanut butter and specialness.

Finally – we hit on a compromise using two different recipes – one from a Taste of Home magazine, and one from a favorite food blog Eggs on Sunday. The result was a rich and decadent hit!

It was easy to prepare and – the real selling point – could be made several days ahead of time since it’s kept in the freezer.

Just remember to allow time for the cake to freeze up between layers!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake

2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
4 Tablespoons butter (melted)
1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream
1- 1/4 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter cups – coarsely chopped
3 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 cup Cool Whip
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix the crushed Oreo cookies and the melted butter to make a crust. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and freeze for about an hour.

Slightly soften the chocolate ice cream and press about 1/2 of it in a nice layer on top of the Oreo cookie crust. (We didn’t measure things very well – just eyeballed a nice layer and pressed it in!) Sprinkle about 1/3 of the peanut butter cups on the ice cream and freeze for about an hour.

While this layer is freezing, mix the cream cheese and peanut butter in a bowl. Add the powdered sugar and milk, mixing well. Fold in the whipped cream.

Spread the cream cheese layer over the chocolate ice cream/peanut butter cup layer, sprinkle with another 1/3 of the chopped peanut butter cups and freeze for another hour.

Spread the remaining chocolate ice cream over the cream cheese mixture and freeze for yet another hour.

Meanwhile  – melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream together, stirring until the mixture is smooth.  Let it cool for a few minutes so you don’t melt the ice cream when you pour it on!

Remove the springform pan full of chocolate -peanut butter goodness from the freezer and carefully pour the chocolate ganache over it. Sprinkle with the remaining peanut butter cups, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least an hour – although overnight is better.

To serve, dip a knife in warm water, wipe it dry and go around the outside of the springform pan to loosen it. Release the sides of the pan and admire your handiwork!

This should serve about 12 – or just 5 hungry chocolate loving teen-age girls! (I’m just kidding my wonderful daughters and nieces!) 

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace, Tasty Tuesdays at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff.

Okay – pick yourselves up now.

For those of you who know me well – you know that I don’t like to start school until at least after Labor Day.  I want a really long – very s t r e t c h e d out summer.

Yet – here we are starting school in the middle of August – before even the public schools have started.

What’s up with that?

Well…usually I’m up to my eyebrows in veggies to can and freeze right now, but this year the garden is really behind.

And…for years we didn’t have air conditioning and it was just too hot to even think – let alone do math.

But…mostly we started early because we have something really exciting planned.

I mean really exciting!

Are you ready for this?

In September, we’re going on a massive 10 day trip out west – with all five kids – and we’ll be camping.

That’s right – all seven of us for 10 days – camping.

But not in this RV – no, that would be too easy. It has a kitchen and an indoor bathroom.

No, that’s not us. We’ll be the ones driving a 15 year old suburban pulling a 35 year old pop-up camper.

Think Brady Bunch.

We’ll see the Tetons, Yellowstone and the Black Hills while enjoying the comfort and lack of indoor plumbing of a 35 year old Starcraft pop-up. It sleeps eight, is very clean and most importantly – it’s free.

Did you notice that I called this a “trip” not a vacation? A vacation happens when you stay in hotels and eat in restaurants and don’t have children with you.

No – this is most definitely a trip – an epic adventure that will go down in the annuls of family history.

It will be a major memory making event and the excitement is building!

But for now, we have an entire week of school under our belts. Then in a few weeks – when everyone else is doing math problems and diagramming sentences – we’ll be hiking in the Tetons and watching Old Faithful.

Just one more reason to love home schooling!

RV picture courtesy of Michael Gil.

This is one of my favorite days of the summer. We’ve been watching the patch carefully for weeks – and today was the day!

The kids and I picked 2 buckets of corn just before supper.

Then we had a feast.

It was a corn eating frenzy with butter dripping down our chins and elbows.

There was no limit on how many ears we could eat and the pile of empty cobs in the middle of the table kept growing.

When we had all eaten our fill…

…we started the messy task of cutting the corn from the cobs and filing bags for the freezer.

It brought back some fun memories of cutting corn with my siblings when I was little. The jokes and laughter would fly as fast as the corn kernels!

The bags of corn are now in the freezer, the kitchen is cleaned and the corn juice is wiped off the floors and walls.

I just hope that long after the corn is eaten, my kids will smile at the memory we made tonight!