Where Did the Summer Go?

This summer has gone by too quickly. Between getting Catie ready to go off to college and taking Carson to her singing gigs, there hasn't been much time for just relaxing. However, I'm not complaining. Spending these summer days enjoying my girls is exactly how I want it. I know that all too soon they will both be grown up and gone. I wish somebody had told me how fast time goes when they were babies. Maybe someone did, but I was too young to understand. Oh well, I must change the subject before I am in tears.

On a happier note, Catie is excited about going to college and Carson is excited about having two of her songs on Itunes. Both girls seem to know exactly what they want to do. Maybe I haven't made too many mistakes along the way. Thankfully, the ones I have made have been covered by an awesome God!



Carson has been working really hard on her music and is trying very hard to get some more followers on her music sites. If any of you have some free time and like country/pop music. Please check her out. I'm sure she would love it!

Carson's website
Youtube channel
Itunes

I hope each of you have had a summer filled with love and laughter! Remember to enjoy every moment.

The Carolina Inn

This summer is flying by for me and my family. In just a few weeks we will dropping our oldest off at college. Wow! Time goes by way too fast. Last week Catie and I spent a few days in Chapel Hill for orientation. The two days of sessions were long and boring. There was a lot of information packed into a short amount of time and my brain was on overload. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Fortunately, I decided to splurge and spend my nights in the historic Carolina Inn instead of the dorms. The inn was built in 1924 and is located on the university campus. I couldn't have made a better decision.


From every angle the inn is beautiful.


Dinner on this porch would be wonderful, wouldn't it?


The landscape was so pretty here and all over the campus.



I can only imagine how beautiful this lobby must have been in 1924.


The walls of the hallways were lined with historical pictures and information. One could walk and look for days and never have time to read it all.


The huge hall lined with windows was one of my favorite spots.


I just loved the benches tucked in between the trees.


There was beauty to be seen at every turn.



Of course there was only one thing that mattered after a long day of sitting and listening...


...CHOCOLATE!


You thought I was going to say the beds, didn't you?

Another bonus of this trip was getting to meet a fellow blogger, Richella. Her blog, Imparting Grace, is one of my favorites. She is every bit as gracious as I expected her to be. I felt as though I had known her for a long time. Isn't it nice to know that behind all of these blogs are wonderful people that we can also call friends? I would encourage each of you to meet face to face with your virtual friends if the opportunity ever arises. You won't be disappointed.

Corn!

Corn is probably one of my favorite summer vegetables. Getting to sink my teeth into that first sweet ear of corn is certainly on my list of summer pleasures. The childhood memories of shucking corn with my mom, dad and grandpa are sweeter than the corn itself. When I was a little girl I was amazed at how three tiny corn kernels dropped into a little hole could turn into a plant much taller than me in less than a summer. I was even more amazed at how that plant could produce ears of corn so neatly wrapped up and protected by green, leafy shucks. Now that I am all grown up...I still stand in awe of this beautiful miracle. I guess some things never change!

There is only one thing I can think of that I don't particularly like about this summer treat. Once it is ready to be picked you have to work fast. It doesn't produce a little at the time. It all seems to be ready at once and you can't eat it all at one time...or at least I wouldn't recommend it. This is why I have spent the day consumed with corn.

After getting started at seven this morning shucking corn with my brother, niece, and dad (in humidity so thick a knife couldn't cut it); I then had to silk and wash it. Later, after taking a quick shower to cool off, I spent the rest of the morning freezing it to use in the wonderful soups and stews that will warm us in the winter.

It is really easy to freeze, so I thought I would share my method for those of you who may end up with more corn than you care to consume at once.


No, I am not getting paid by ziplock (although I would love some compensation if any of you know someone who works for the company). I do love the ease of closure with this particular brand, however.


After all of the shucking, silking, and washing blanch the corn in boiling water for four minutes.


Then, quickly remove each ear and place in cold water to stop the cooking process.


After the cold water bath, I place each ear on a clean kitchen towel to allow some of the water to drain. Then, I just cut the kernels off of the ear with a knife and scrape each ear to release all of the juices.


After all of the kernels have been cut from the ears of corn, I simply use a large spoon or scoop to fill the freezer bags with corn. I always lay the bag flat and try to get out as much of the air as possible. After I seal the bag, I place them in the freezer making sure they are flat. You want to freeze them that way to be able to stack them and conserve space. After years of watching my mom, I think I may have learned a thing or two....maybe.


When there isn't enough corn to completely fill the last freezer bag, just do what I do...add some butter or olive oil, salt and pepper, and cook a little longer for a little midday treat!

The Simple Pleasures of Summer!

It's summertime! And I don't know about you, but I just love the lazy days of summer and all of the simple pleasures that come with those days. Simple pleasures like...


...fresh blackberries


...homemade cobbler


...homegrown tomatoes


...with fresh green basil


...taking a plunge in cool water


...beautiful


...blue hydrangeas


...boardwalks and beaches


...breathtaking reflections


...and summer sunsets


What simple pleasures do you enjoy during the lazy days of summer?

Summer Cool?

Summer cool? Wow, now that is an oxymoron! The heat is almost unbearable today. The girls and I spent the morning in Monroe at the doctor's office. They are both heading off to camp on Monday and Catie has been complaining of an earache. I wanted to have her checked out before she left to make sure everything was okay. Thankfully, the doctor was able to correct her problem and she is good to go!

When we returned home the heat and humidity was so high that I decided that the animals needed some fresh water. After about thirty minutes of watering the animals and the tomato and basil plants, I was dripping with sweat. I came directly into the house and slipped into something dry and cooler; and I have not been worth anything since. I don't know about you, but it seems that if I ever leave the house to run errands (especially in extreme heat), I am no good for the rest of the day.

I spotted the new Southern Living (a must read for any southern gal) and was intrigued by one of the cover titles. Summer cool.



I think I'll spend the rest of the afternoon in my artificially cool house reading it.



Although I love nature and the outdoors, today I am content to see it from here in my comfy sunroom.



Thankfully, it is shaded by several huge oak trees in the summer and the sun doesn't overpower it. Maybe in the summer I should call it the shaderoom. What do you think?
Do you find that out of the ordinary errands can disrupt your day and cause you to get sidetracked? Or am I the only one that has a problem with that?

Dog Days

Do you ever have days when you feel tired and uninspired? Well, I have been having quite a few of them lately. It has been such a long, hot summer that my energy seems to have been zapped right out of me. I don't ever remember a summer quite like this one. Our hottest days actually started in early June, a month that is usually mild here in North Carolina. My garden didn't know how to respond to the early heat and dry weather. Pretty much all I have growing right now is tomatoes and basil.

Even the animals are getting tired of this heat. Our horses, goats, dogs, and cats seem to only want to find a cool spot to rest.

Freckles, our oldest and wisest dog, did manage to gather up the strength to try to catch a fly that buzzed around his head pestering him to death.



It was quite a funny sight.



If one didn't know better, he might think the dog was insane.



At times he even looked a little rabid. Good thing he has had all of his shots.



Eventually, he gave in to the heat and the fly and called it a day.



"It's too hot out here to even care," said Freckles.
"I know exactly what you mean, little buddy," said I.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

I spent a little time today looking back on some of my winter and spring posts. Those days seem so far away now. After an unusually cold winter and spring, our days have turned extremely hot! We have had temperatures in the middle to upper nineties for well over a week now. Needless to say, I have had a hard time getting excited about gardening and yard work in this hot, humid weather. We have actually had quite a few appointments this week, so I have had an excuse to not spend too much time outside. (One drawback to living in the country is the driving distance to doctors, dentists, and such. One appointment may take a good part of the day for travel.) However, we have found some time for a little summer fun.



Nothing beats the heat better than taking a dip in a cool pool. (Thanks Mark and Robin for letting us use your pool!)



Even the little neighborhood doggie knows where to go to cool off.



When the temperatures are this hot, we save most of our outside activities for the evening when sun is going down. Harvesting veggies has to be done either early in the morning or late in the evening. I guess I'll have to find some indoor activities to post about until we get a break from this hot,hot, weather! Wishing you a cool weekend!