Teen Bedroom

When my daughter came into this world, her bedroom was a pale yellow.  As soon as she learned how to talk, she let me know that she did not like yellow walls, she wanted pink.

So... for most of her life, she has lived with pink walls.  Until now...

We decided it was time to give her room a more grown-up look, now that she is thirteen.

After much thinking and planning, she decided to paint each wall a different color.  The colors are teal, gray, lime green, and purple.

It is very hard to photograph 4 different colored walls.  And I am not sure that these picture show the true colors.  We will share more pictures after accessories are added. 

I have to say, it is a nice change from the "pink".

Ground Covers

A few years after we moved to the Big Woods, I began planting ground covers.  The idea actually came from my husband, who suggested I plant things in circles around the trees in our front yard. 

After actually seeing this done in a yard where a friend's wedding took place, I came home inspired and began cleaning and tilling to make circular beds.

We have four different kinds of ground cover.

Each one was given to me by friends.

This one spreads very quickly and has a large purple bloom in the Spring.

This one is a little more decorative and has a larger purple flower that blooms on the tips of the vines.

This is Vinca Vine with a little Ivy mixed in.  The Vinca has lots of small purple blooms in the Spring.  We also have a couple of beds of just Ivy.

We mow around the beds to keep the ground covers from spreading too far.  There is no grass to mow...just moss between the beds that give us a path for walking.

The ground cover can also be clipped and brought inside for arrangements.

Flower Arrangements

Sometimes, I need a little lot of motivation to help me clean my house.  It helps when I finish a room, if I can arrange a small bouquet of flowers to brighten it up.  This is my screened porch bouquet for this week...all picked from our yard in the Big Woods.

This Kitchen window bouquet is from a dragon wing begonia.  The nice thing about this bouquet is that the pieces will root, and I can set them out in pots to have more flowers in the yard.

This bouquet was placed in our bathroom after cleaning...another dragon wing begonia is in this arrangement.

Yes, stargazer lilies will grow in the shade.  I had to put this arrangement on the screened porch because the fragrance is sooooooo overpowering.

Now, if my house would only stay clean for as long as the flowers will stay pretty.

Lemonade Pie

If you are looking for a quick and easy 4th of July dessert...this is the recipe for you.  This lemonade pie is cold, light, and delicious.  And...it is super easy to make.

You only need 4 ingredients:

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 small frozen lemonade (or half of a large)

1 can eagle brand milk

8 ounces cool whip

Blend the cool whip, eagle brand milk, and lemonade together...stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl.  Blend until ingredients are mixed well.

Pour into a graham cracker pie crust.

Add the lid and place in the freezer.

Yes,,,this is a dessert you can make a couple of days ahead of time.

I like to cut and serve my lemonade pie frozen; some people prefer to serve it thawed.

Only a few more preparations and we will be ready to celebrate the 4th!!!

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Casserole

This is a very simple chicken casserole that even picky eaters will enjoy.  The only problem I had with this chicken casserole was that there were only enough leftovers for one person. 

We were all fighting over the leftovers. 

 I think if I make it again, I may double the recipe and use a 9 by 12 pan.

Start by cooking a chicken and picking the chicken from the bone.  Set aside 2 cups of this chicken that has been chopped for your chicken casserole.  Use the rest of your chicken and broth for other dishes.

Mix the 2 cups chopped chicken with

1 cup cooked rice,

1 can cream of chicken soup, and

3/4 cup mayonaise.

I also stirred in 1 teaspoon onion powder.

(If your eaters are not picky like mine, you could add some chopped and saute'd onion and celery.)

Spread this mixture in your favorite casserole dish.

Crumble 1 cup cornflakes or bread crumbs in a bowl.

I actually used "chick n biscuit" crackers.

Mix crumbs with 2 tablespoons margarine.

(Add 1/2 cup chopped almonds if that is something you like.)

Spread this crumb mixture over the top of the chicken casserole.

.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

Enjoy!!!

Mid South Land Clearing

This is the "before" photo from a patch of pines that my husband recently cleaned with his Fecon machine.

This is the "after" picture.  After seeing what this Fecon machine can do, I am still amazed by how quickly it can clear an area that is overgrown with brush.

Just like that...a tree becomes mulch...with no piles of debris left behind.  Land clearing made simple with a Fecon Bullhog machine.

Cake Mix Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

 Here is an idea if you are looking for a different way to make a cake.

This recipe calls for a melted stick of unsalted butter, 1 cup water, 3 eggs, and a cake mix.

The recipe is intended for cupcakes, but we used it to make a cake.

Go to Tidy Mom's website to see more about the cake recipe:

http://tidymom.net/2009/wfmw-the-perfect-cupcake-using-a-mix/

We used a peanut butter icing recipe from Southern Plate:

http://www.southernplate.com/2011/01/peanut-butter-fudge-iced-brownies.html

This icing is very easy to make...you just have to be fast pouring it on your cake because it sets up really fast.  You can't spread it after you pour it...just be sure to pour it evenly on the cake.