Peach Cobbler Recipe And A Give-Away!

Over at We Are That Family it's a special edition of Works For Me Wednesday. We are supposed to share one of our favorite recipes. I'm going to share Jan Karon's Peach Cobbler recipe. First let me say I love Jan Karon. Her Mitford Series was wonderful. Father Tim and his sayings have become a part of my vocabulary. And so when she came out with the Mitford Cookbook, I just had to buy it because it had all the mouthwatering recipes that she wrote about in her books. Which brings me to my give-away. I will give someone a copy of Jan Karon's Hardcover Mitford Cookbook!!

First the peach cobbler. I took this to a neighborhood gathering and everyone loved it. I felt lots of love that night. Later several people called and had to have the recipe and our annual neighborhood gathering was changed from the normal ice cream social to you guessed it a peach cobbler social just so they could have it again. Yes, it is that good. But let me warn you, if you use canned peaches I will hunt you down and well, no I won't do that. Please though, don't use canned peaches, it's summer splurge a little:)

1 Double pie crust or Pillsbury pie crust if you are in a hurry. (Jan's pie crust recipe is to die for but you'll have to get the book for that recipe...it's only fair!)

10 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, more for sprinkling on top
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

And if you have ancestors that settled Kentucky than you add a splash or two of bourbon. That's my addition by the way.

In a large bowl combine peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Let the fruit sit for 20 minutes (this is when I splashed the bourbon) In a small bowl, combine the flour, the remaining 2 cups of the sugar, the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, butter, and vanilla. Add to the peaches and mix well.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 12X8 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Roll half of the pastry into another 1/8 inch thick large rectangle. Spoon half the fruit mixture into the prepared dish. Cut the pastry into 2 inch squares and place on top of peaches. Bake the first layer for 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for 5 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, lower the temp back down to 400F and spoon the remaining fruit on top. Roll the remaining pastry into another 1/8 inch rectangle and cut into 1 inch strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice design over the peaches (I was lazy and just did squares again). Sprinkle with sugar and bake another 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

I promise people will love you if you make them this. People probably already love you, but they'll love you more after taking a bite of this. Everything I have made out of here has been a hit. Not all recipe books do that for me.

For the give-away tell me what your favorite thing to bring to a gathering is in the comment section. If you blog about this give-away on your blog come back and tell me for another entry. I will post the winner to this give-away on Sunday!

Happy Eating.

Family History Scrapbook

I have always been fascinated with geneolagy. My mother-in-law Pat does a wonderful job of researching and documenting the lives of WB's family and ancestors. We have many wonderful short booklets about family members that include stories and pictures. A few years ago when my grandparents passed away their belongings were split between the three siblings. I worried that some of the history of these pieces and precious treasures would be lost on future generations. So I've started taking pictures of my mother's items and am working on putting them in a photo album for her to identify and tell any information she remembers about it.

For instance this clock:

The story goes that back when my mother was a little girl living on the family farm that a neighbor needed some bricks for a project back at his place. My grandfather just happened to have a pile of bricks so he rolled a wheelbarrow full of bricks over to his neighbors and came home with this clock. It was how the man paid my grandfather for the bricks. Now, I wish I had heard the story first hand, so I could have badgered my grandfather for the details. Like why did you have bricks laying around, where did the man get the clock, etc. But at least I will have this story to pass down with the clock.



My mother--in-law tapes pieces of paper to the back of family pieces telling who it belonged to and maybe a little something special about it. This is a quick and easy way to perserve the history of the piece.



For more helpful tips go to We Are That Family

Works For Me Wednesday- Spice Organization

Everytime I went to grab a spice from my cabinet it was a disaster. Half the time I couldn't find the spice I was needing. This prompted a trip to the store for that spice, only to find later 3 jars of the same kind buried in the back of my cabinet. Other times I tried to quickly grab the spice jar only to have 10 other spices come tumbling out. I think WB got tired of me yelling, "Honey, where is the cumin!!" So he designed a nifty and attractive spice board for me.

He went to Home Depot and bought a thin sheet of metal. He proceded to cut it into a small square to fit the inside of our kitchen cabinet door. With small screws he placed it on the inside of the door. He bought these cute red containers at World Market. They have pour spouts and magnetic backs. We used our label maker to label all the little jars.

Here is the finished product:

I love just opening my cabinet and quickly grabbing the spice I need. It's also helpful because I can see right away what spice is low and replace it before I need it again!

And while I was waiting on my second spice cabinet to go up I decided to stick the jars to my fridge. Friends saw this and thought this would be great for them. The jars are pretty enough to have out and they would be easy to grab as you were cooking. Oh, just keep them up high if you have little hands around the house. Otherwise, you might find yourself cleaning cumin seeds out of the couch, and hallway, and bathroom, and bookcase. Those seeds go a long ways!!

That's my WFMW . For more great tips head over here!

WFMW- Out of eggs, no problem!

We used up all our eggs last week and went out of town for Easter. I still, because I procrastinate, have not made it into town to buy some groceries. But even though we were out of cereal this morning I woke up early to make the girls waffles. Added the mix, milk, oil, and then remembered I have no eggs!! The girls would be down in 5 minutes and I had no breakfast. My cupboard is bare folks, it was either waffles or crunching on some random pieces of cereal that fell out of the box and were hiding out on my pantry shelves. I quickly ran to the Internet and looked up egg substitute. Lot's of weird things popped up that I do not have on hand, but finally my breakfast saver: 2 tablespoons of cornstarch = 1 egg in baking.
I finished the waffles. Holding my breath I cooked them, they looked just fine. Then my daughter's scarfed them down before I could even ask if they tasted okay (or take a picture for my blog).
So there's my tip. When out of eggs, never fear if you have cornstarch on hand!
For more WFMW tips head over here!

WFMW- Beach Towels and Give Away!

I have been so off my game recently and in order to apologize for my lack of posts I'm going to have a give away! But first I want to share my WFMW tip. A couple of years ago I started acquiring colorful beach towels at the end of the summer season when they were on sale. By acquiring I mean snatching them off the clearance shelves and racing to the check out. I couldn't help myself. I just love a good deal and who wouldn't love a giant towel with bright green frogs all over it?!! WB asked just want we needed all those towels for. If I had replied "because they're so pretty" or "well, it's a good deal", he would have told me I didn't need anymore. He is not swayed by deals or prettiness when shopping.
Anyway, I thought really quickly and responded: "Well, not only will it be great for our trips to the pool, but I've decided the girls will use these as their bath towels." When he looked at me strangely I quickly added, "They are nice and long and will completely wrap the girls up when they get out of the shower. Plus, we'll know exactly which towels are theirs and which are ours. We won't have to share." Sharing is really not a problem, but it sounded good at the time.
He nodded his head and proceeded to ignore my half a dozen towel purchases over the next several months.
And I didn't tell WB this, because he just wouldn't get it, but these towels look really nice hanging in their bathroom or on the wall hooks in their room (I sort of picked towels that went with the decor, WB wouldn't get that either!).
Anyway, that is my tip for today. Beach towels for kids bath towels. And in honor of that I'm giving away a ten dollar gift card to TARGET. I purchased most of my towels there on clearance and I'm happy to report they have really held up and kept their shape and color!! All you have to do is leave a reply and a way for me to get in touch with you. I'll pick the winner on Saturday.

Head over to Shannon's for more WFMW tips!!

*Thanks everyone for your great ideas about beach towels and for entering the give away...I'll post the winner soon!

WFMW....My Sick Child Stash

At my house my children tend to get sick on the worst weather days, or when hubby is out of town or has emergency meetings all day. And what Mom wants to run to the grocery store when it's snowing outside and has a child vomiting every 30 minutes? Not fun, right? So, over the years I've learned to stash a few things away for those "sick" days. Even if I have to run into town for the doctor I don't want to have to make extra stops, especially since the doctor is on the side of town closest to our house and everything else if further away:)

Here is what I like to have on hand:
Pantry:
crackers
chicken broth
Ramon noodles
jello

Freezer:
Popsicles

Fridge:
Sprite or Ginger Ale

Meds:
Tylenol
Advil

I also like to have a little box of coloring supplies or books that they haven't seen so if they get to feeling better they have something they can do quietly.

I never let myself run out of these things if I can help it. My kids don't drink soft drinks at home except on special occasions so they know the Sprite is off limits. And everything else I just make sure if it gets low I replenish.

Anyway, this is what works for me. Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more great tips!

Works For Me Wednesday...The Ma'am, Sir Debate

Child #1- Yes, sir I would like some more.
Child #2- Yes, Dad I would like some more.

Which child is being more polite?
How about here?
Child #1- Yes, ma'am I had a good day at school.
Child #2- Yes, Grandmother I had a good day at school. Thank you for asking.

Or...
Child #1- No, sir.
Child #2- No thank you Uncle Sam.

For me both children are being equally polite and respectful. And you've probably guessed that Child #2 is the voice of my child and my own voice for that matter. Before I had children I had the experience of watching parents and children communicate as a teacher and youth pastor. And my conclusions were always the same, just because a child put sir or ma'am after a yes or a no it did not necessarily mean they were showing any more respect or manners than one that didn't. Sarcasm can drip from any word of the English language, as well as body language that puts any parents teeth to gnawing. Sometimes parents would get so caught up in making sure that their child was addressing them correctly that they completely missed what the child was trying to tell them. I am guilty of this!
Anyway, my point to all this is that what works for me is to follow the words my wise mother gave to me many years ago. I can still see her, head buried in the Tupperware cabinet looking for a wayward lid as I asked her why she didn't make me say sir and ma'am like my friends parents.
Turning to look up at me she smiled, brushed her hair out of her face and said, "The words you use are not nearly as important to me as to the way you use them. When you speak I want you to speak with honesty, respect, and caring. If you do that neither I nor anyone else will find fault with your manners."
So I've taken those words to heart. If my children put a ma'am or a sir into their sentence I'm great with that, but I don't require it. My dear husband has gone along with my way of thinking, although at first I think it took every effort he could summon not to blurt out "Sir!" when our first child would respond with a sweet , "Yes".

So that's what works for me, what works for you?

Head over to Shannon's for more!

WFMW...Pretty Pots, Another Use for Spray Paint

Suddenly spray paint is my friend. Why, you may ask? Because it is a cheap and easy way to give things a face lift. I told you a while back how I updated the kitchen and bathroom fixtures with spray paint and it's been holding up beautifully. Well, the other day WB and I were trying to find some pretty, large decorative pots to put outside by our front door. The selection was not great, of course it is winter and maybe the gardening sections are not fully stocked. Because most people would not be planting flowers in freezing temperatures, but of course around here we always do things a little backwards:) Anyway, we needed two matching pots that didn't cost a gazillion dollars, but looked nice.

I found two of these pots. I liked the shape, but they were plastic and plain. I sweetly asked WB to pull them down from the very top shelf for closer inspection. Then I grabbed him by the shirt collar and gave him a big smooch ( this always helps when I'm about to ask him to do something). He complied very nicely to my request.

Next I dragged him across the store to the paint section where we found this:

It's paint that makes things look like stone. Now my big plastic pots can be transformed into very expensive looking stone containers.

When we got home sweet WB helped me to spray paint them. I think I fluttered my eyelashes at him a few times for this favor. I think he responded by asking if something was in my eye. Oh well, he took pity on me anyway.

And here is the finished product. I really like how they turned out.

We've had rain and snow and they have faded a bit, but that just adds to their character. Now they have that nice weathered look. Everyone thinks they are big, stone pots when they see them. Except for our West Texas wind, it laughingly blew them across an acre of land before I rescued them and put some rocks in the bottom. (We hadn't filled them with our soil and bulbs yet!)

That's my tip for today, head over to Shannon's for lots more!

Works For Me Wednesday...Ideas for Christmas Cards You Receive

I love all the pretty Christmas cards we get each year. The problem is our fridge is only so big and I never have quite enough room to display them all. Then the other day I came across some ideas in a magazine that I loved, and I thought I'd share with you.

-The first is to make a sort of Christmas Tree Garland with the cards. Hole punch the top of the card, string a ribbon through and hang on your tree. You can add to it as you receive them.

-String a pretty Christmas ribbon across your room or hallway and use pretty clips to hang up Christmas cards.

And my absolute favorite, which my family has already started, is to place each card in a basket on your dinner table and each night pick a card. Then as a family say a prayer for the family of the card you picked. We now do this right after we light our advent wreath each night. We each take turns picking and whoever picks gets to start or say the prayer. It is such a neat feeling to pray for your friends each night, some of who you haven't seen for quite some time!

That's my WFMW tip for today head over to Rocks In My Dryer for my great tips.

I posted another Pioneer Christmas gift idea yesterday!

Works For Me Wednesday...Our Pioneer Christmas

I'm so excited about this Christmas because we've decided to follow a theme, a Pioneer Christmas. I'm not sure what brought this about. Maybe our move to the "country" or maybe my kids desire to learn about what people did long ago or maybe just a combination of things. But I will tell you it has brought new excitement to the holiday season here at Cotton-Top Hills. We've gotten a jump on things, since we've learned the pioneers had to plan months in advance for the holidays.

The ideas are endless and over the next several weeks I'll be posting about our projects, which include homemade gifts and decorations. Here is a picture of some of the books that have gotten us started:

My library didn't have these so I ordered them new and used from Amazon. The girls and I are enjoying going through each book. It has some great ideas and has also gotten the girls thinking about some of their own. Like wouldn't the pioneers made use of all these yuccas we have growing wild around here...how about some yucca soap. It's just a joy to watch them get excited and work together on things.

Also, we are being frugal. The pioneers didn't have much, but they scrapped together what they did have and made it a beautiful holiday. We're learning to appreciate that we don't have to have that flat screen TV or Wii to make our Christmas memorable. The pioneers encountered some very difficult times, but families pulled together and made the best of it. It's a wonderful Christmas spirit to have.

Anyway, this Pioneer Christmas is helping my family to really focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year. Check back on Friday for our first Frugal Pioneer Decorating Idea, it involves hammers and ice!!

For more WFMW ideas check at Shannon's blog.

WFMW- Surviving with Kids in the Car (or minivan)

I remember when my sister and I shared a backseat and my mom would come up with creative ways to keep us from killing each other in such close quarters. If someone had ever told me that some day kids would have entire entertainment systems in the car just for them, or vehicles big enough that each child could have their very own seat, I probably would have wept for joy. It reminds me that my children just don't appreciate what they have, but why should they they don't know any different. And really my sob stories of when I was a child fall on deaf ears, they have heard too many of them.
So my tips for this Wednesday involve the family car, SUV, minivan, etc.

1. We rotate seats once a month, except for the baby. The two older children take turns sitting in the second and third row of the minivan or suburban. This helps to quell some of the "But she always gets to sit there!" and the mad rush to the car in which the children are "calling" which seat they get.

2. Everyone is responsible for their area and keeping it neat. I've found a great use for those plastic coffee containers. They are small enough to tuck under the seat and the kids can put their trash in them , plus they have a lid so the trash doesn't spill out or fall victim to Little One's curiosity.

3. Whatever goes into the car goes out every time we get home. The only exception are the toys and books that are stashed in Little One's box that sits in front of her seat.

4. They have headphones to listen to music and a built in DVD, but these are privileges. If they argue or don't take care of them they don't get to use them, period.

5. We play lots of games in the car: guess an animal (one person thinks of an animal and the rest ask questions to try to guess it), I spy, alphabet game, etc. Many times they bring a book or sketchbook t0 entertain themselves.

Those are just a few things that make life a little easier on the road, for more tips head over to Rocks in My Dryer!

Works For Me Wednesday- The Cleaning Inspector

I must admit I read about this idea in a magazine once. Some poor, worn out mom was tired of nagging, I mean always asking her kids to pick up their rooms. So one day she came up with the idea that an inspector needed to come visit and check out the state of her kids rooms and leave a report. I really had no idea such a thing would work, but I was willing to give it a try with my 6 and 8 year old. I told them that they needed to pick up their room because Inspector Gerard (in my house funny sounding names work best!) was coming to check their room. I told them he would be here later, when they were out playing. I think I mentioned something about how I hoped he didn't condemn the place etc., etc.
Immediately my children began putting away, dusting, vacuuming. It was amazing. They wanted a good report from this Inspector Gerard. Later when they were finished I checked their room, wrote up a quick report on a piece of paper (he did find a pair of shoes under the bed that needed to be corrected:) ) signed the report and stuck it to their door. When they found the report they quickly put away the shoes, smiled over all the "stars" they received and then we celebrated passing inspection with a mug of hot chocolate.
Now, really, I don't think my kids really fell for Inspector Gerard, they knew it was me. But it was just the added excitement that helped motivate them. So hats off to Inspector Gerard, he'll be visiting again soon.

For more helpful hints head over to Shannon's at Rocks In My Dryer!

Works For Me Wednesday- Updating Kitchen and Bathroom Hardware Cheaply!

Last week I mentioned removing my the door to my kitchen cabinets and it isn't because I have pretty, matching glasses and plates that I was just dying to show off. If I did I would probably leave the doors off because it does seem to make things easier. But no, the reason is because I had to take the doors off so I could replace the hardware. The knobs and hinges we have now are a very date glossy brass, yuck. The knobs and hinges that I have drooled over at the hardware stores are pretty pricey, like I'd spend hundred of dollars just on knobs and hinges...um, no. So I've decided to paint the ones I have.

First I went to Lowe's and purchased some textured spray paint. I like the hammered effect myself. (not pictured is the silver)

Then WB helped me do a few sample colors to see which we liked best.

WB stuck them on wooden skewers to spray easily (so handy isn't he?).

So here are our choices: the top left looks almost like hammered iron, the brass is the old, the bottom left is a hammered silver (appliances are stainless) and the bottom right is a sort of bronze color. We've eliminated the silver so it's between the iron and bronze...what do you think?

The good news is that this little project will only cost us a few dollars for the paint and it will really spruce up the kitchen. Oh, and WB really got into this and spray painted all the hardware in our guest bath. The toilet paper holder, toilet handle, robe hanger, switch plates, and towel hanger in the hammered iron. It was amazing the difference it made!!

For more great tips head over to Shannon's!

WFMW- Great Website for Kids

My sister-in-law found this awesome website for helping kids learn their ABC's and when they get older it helps with reading, plus it has some fun activities they can do and print out. Little One loves this site. At 16 months she was totally enthralled with the letters. Now she'll say apple, apple and take off towards the computer. This is her way of telling me it's time to sit down and do some computer time together. The letter A shows apples, in fact that is how she learned the word. Now she even makes some of the letter sounds and has learned many words, all at seventeen months!! My older girls like some of the activities and the reading section. It's a site that will grow with your children and if you home school it is a great reinforcement tool.

Okay, enough...the site is www.starfall.com. Check it out if you have young children or even those that are older. I think you'll like it! And then head over to Shannon's for more Works For Me Wednesday tips:)

WFMW- Cooler Luggage

My works-for-me-Wednesday tip today does not refer to getting luggage that has pink polka dots on it to which you child responds, "That's way cooler luggage than that old black suitcase I have!" No, I mean cooler, like the cooler you put your drinks and ice in. We were recently over at a friends house and he just happened to mention he packs all his clothes for trips in one of those long coolers with wheels. Then when he gets to where he's going he unpacks his clothes and goes out to buy ice and goodies for his cooler to keep in his hotel room. I think that is a genius idea! I could easily pack my three kiddos clothes in one of those large, long coolers or even just the baby's clothes in a smaller one. Now I'm wondering how he got so smart?!! Just, kidding! But I do wish I had thought of it myself:)

For more great tips head over to Shannon's!

Works For Me Wednesday- Laundry Hamper Help

I'd like to say I'm a domestic diva, but all that know me know that is not true. I like to keep things simple and I love to get help in any way I can. Laundry is like Mt. Everest to me. I stand at the bottom of this gigantic mountain and wonder how I'm ever going to conquer it. So when my two oldest were about five and three I got an idea to help me sort through the mess. I bought three hampers (these are the original three and yes they look a little beat up, what do ya expect?) for their room and put color coded labels on each one.

Whenever we'd take off our clothes I'd help them decide which hamper each article of clothing belonged in. Pretty soon, my three year old had this amazing ability to sort her own clothes and would love to tell us which piece of clothing went where and why. When the hamper was full they would bring it to me and tell me we needed to do the wash. And yes, with all girls in this family you can imagine that the pastel hamper filled up quite often.

My two oldest are 8 and 6 now but we are using the system and they are excited to teach their 15 month old sister the ropes.

For me this works great and makes life for this not so domestic diva a little easier! For more WFMW tips head over to Rocks in My Dryer!

WFMW- Summer Fun

This edition of WFMW is combating boredom over the summer. This is always a challenge. I've researched every camp in the area and only my eight year old is interested in going to one. I tried to get her interested in more, but "that sounds too much like school to me" all I kept hearing.
But one thing we have decided to do is give each girl a garden plot. We've already planted what they wanted to grow and each day we are watering and pulling weeds. When our vegetables are ready to pick the girls are going to experiment and make all sorts of good stuff for us to eat. They are keeping a journal of what they planted, along with how well it did (for future reference), some pictures of it along the way, and to finish it off they are including their recipes for everything they made. They've already started finding recipes they want to try and have decided one night we will have a "Garden Night" for our themed dinner.
Hopefully, this will help to keep us busy! For more great tips head over to Shannon's.

WFMW - Flushable Wipes

When we moved to our new house we moved to a house with newer toilets (less powerful flushers) and a septic system. It was an adjustment because, well to put it frankly, we kept plugging up our toilets. No, it was not pretty, not at all. Especially when I was still pregnant, hurling at the sight of Cheetos, not to mention a plugged up toilet. I started to throw fits, I rationed toilet paper and I scared the beegeezees out of my two precious girls. So much so they quickly learned how to use, or attempt, to use the plunger. I blame my reaction on my hormones and I assure you I do not try to scare my children on a regular basis, but I was desperate. That brings me to now, a year later, one of my dear children started having problems, errr getting wiped good. Okay, I totally blame myself...no more plugged up toilets but now we have another problem...not clean tushies. Because my child is older I didn't think of flushable wipes right away, but finally they dawned on me. Now we have a box in each bathroom and it has worked wonders. My not so little one is no longer embarrassed about her predicament, she doesn't have to ask me for help, or fear the plugging of the toilet. I just wish I had thought of it sooner.
So there's my tip for today, even older kids can use flushables, remember that:)

For more great tips head over to Shannon's!!!

WFMW- Books, Books, and more Books

My tip for this Wednesday is about books. We LOVE books around here and have several bookcases full of books. The problem is we keep buying more books at school book fairs, Scholastic book orders, garage sales, etc. (our town doesn't have a public library, we have to go into the "city" for the library so we don't get to go very often) I have three kiddos, each with different tastes and reading levels so this is what I have done. I have given each one of them a bookshelf on our bookcase. When it is full and they want to acquire another book we go through the shelf and pull any books they are no longer interested in. We put these in a cardboard box, which when it gets full we donate to the school library or Goodwill. I, then, do not feel guilty buying so many books because I know they will end up in good hands when we are done with them!
Also, any special books that I want to make sure don't get given away or kept for my younger children I put up on the top shelf of my bookcase.

That's it, my tip for today...head over to Shannon's for more great tips!!

*Part 2 of "The Cow in our Yard" story later today!

WFMW- Curb the Munchies

Whenever I'm cooking dinner I found myself snacking on things as I go. I mean that's reasonable I'm hungry and wanting to eat, but not so good because it's almost dinnertime. Same thing with cleaning up after dinner I find myself picking at the leftovers, why, because they are there! Many times I'm not even hungry I just find myself needing to exercise my chompers so this is what I do...I pop a piece of sugar free gum in my mouth and go to town. I prefer Orbit or Trident and hey it's supposed to clean your teeth at the same time!! By the time the flavor runs out of the gum I find my need to chew usually has passed and I'm safely out of the kitchen without devouring a bunch of food I wasn't really hungry for. If you don't like gum keep some celery sticks and carrots handy, I like to crunch on these too!

So there it is my very enlightening tip for this Wednesday:)
Head over to Shannon's for more!!