Little Family in the Big Woods

  When my husband and I were dating, (more than 30 years ago) there was always someone stopping by his house to visit with his parents. I remember that as soon as a visitor came in the door, my husband's mother would disappear in the kitchen.  The next thing you know, the visitors would be sitting at the table eating this wonderfully hot dessert and drinking coffee.  I later learned how simple it is to make, so she always kept the ingredients on hand just in case.     You will need: 1 can apple pie filling 1 stick margarine melted 1/2 box yellow cake mix optional:  cinnamon optional:  pecans     Spray a casserole dish with Pam. A square cake pan is recommended, but I like to use this speckled enamel pan. Spread the pie filling over the bottom of the pan.     Sprinkle the half box of cake mix over the pie filling. Then pour the melted stick of butter over the top.    ...

  I love Shasta Daisies! I use to grow them in my garden, but since we have been living in the Big Woods, there is no sun for growing daisies. My Practical Sister had these growing in her garden, so I begged for a few to brighten my screen porch.     Precious Kitty immediately was curious.     She spent some time just checking them out.   She stayed just long enough for me to snap these pictures and then scurried away.  I guess she does not share my love of the daisy. 

    It is summertime!!! Every summer, my Sewing Sister makes a trip to visit her children who live in another state. In exchange for watering her flowers while she is gone, I get to pick her gladiolas.   They are just beautiful and last for several days.

  Looking for something different to cook for the 4th of July holiday... try these two great recipes. The link below will lead you to my no bake chocolate oatmeal cookie recipe.  All you need to do to make the peanut butter version is leave out the chocolate. http://littlefamilyinthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2010/04/chocolate-oatmeal-cookies-tutorial.html My son really likes these cookies.   Another great recipe if you are grilling on the 4th of July is bacon wrapped hamburger steaks. This is one of my family's favorite things. They are super easy to make, super good, and something a little different from the usual grilled hamburgers.   You can follow the link below to find this recipe: http://littlefamilyinthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2011/06/bacon-wrapped-hamburger-steaks.html Just be sure to watch for the toothpicks when you are eating these. Delicious. Enjoy. Happy 4th!!!

One of the things I love about summer is bringing "cuttings" inside my house.  These are pieces of impatients that I simply broke off with my hand. I made sure that I removed any leaves from the bottom of the stems, and then I placed them in fresh tap water that I put in this blue container. I will add more water to the container in the coming days. It won't be long and there will be roots growing out from the bottom of the stems. I will then plant the cuttings in some potting soil, and I will have new plants for my garden. The nice thing about breaking these cuttings from the already healthy plants in my garden is the benefit to the original plant.  Pinching back an impatient will keep it from getting tall and spindly; instead, it will grow bushy and full.

There is a new flower blooming in the Big Woods this week.  I do not know where it came from.  I am wondering if my Lynchburg sister may know. It is very hard to find flowers that will bloom in the deeply shaded woods. I would love to have more of this one. It is quite lovely.    

It is spring time in the Big Woods, which means it is time to try and add a little color to our surroundings.   Finding plants that will grow in the deep shade is very difficult. These petunias are beautiful now, but the blooms will probably not last long.     This basket of vine is doing well.     I usually have pretty good luck with impatients.     Planting in baskets is fun.  This is one of my favorites this year.     I picked these baskets up at Good Will. You can usually find some very inexpensive baskets there that are good for using outdoors.     School is now out for the summer.     I hope this will give me the chance to give my plants a little more attention.     Some perennials, like this foam flower require very little attention. These two plants came back from last year and are doing great.     These hostas and fe...