Wishing You......

Joy

It's been a long time since I've shared anything. I've been sad. I've felt overwhelmed. So I took some time to step back and rethink it all.

I've been thinking a lot about my blog and what I want it to be. I'm by nature a careful, cautious person. But I also speak freely, off the top of my head, what's on my mind. I've had a lot of events in my life that have altered me. In the end this is what I think, I'm going to keep the blog name. I don't live on Cherry Lane anymore, but it is where I started this blog and my business. It all started in Pennsylvania and now we are in Indiana.

So here I am in Indiana writing a new chapter in my life. I can feel good things coming. So I hope that you take some time out of your day to share in my joy, my ramblings, my life.

I Am Grateful

  

I enjoy a healthy life.  I live without pain or daily medication, for that I am most truly grateful. Sure, from time to time I get caught up in things that put a bend in my path. But it's the love I give and the love I receive that helps me live the good life. 


Hope that your Sunday's a good one.

This Moment

A single picture capturing a snippet in the week. No words, just this moment in time.

Join in the fun with a group of bloggers sharing their moments. The movement started with Soulemama, you can see more moments in the comments section.

Happy Hour Soap

Who doesn't like a Margarita? Close your eyes and take a deep breath, lime, salt, and hint of tequila. When I made this soap, the whole house smelled like a margarita, yum.

This soap is a true delight to your skin with a blend of olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa and shea butter. It starts with large bubbles and works it way into a luxurious creamy lather.

Tonight I think I'll have a margarita in the tub. I'm quite sure that this one is safe to indulge in any hour of the day.

Parades, Fireworks, And Cookie Dough Dip

Here in Center County the 4th of July festivities go on for days. Each small borough had a parade and many have firework displays, all of this happening on different days. 

Our city had their annual Fireman's Parade this past Saturday. After the parade my neighbor hosted a  party. I had intended on bringing a tray of cake pops to the party but could not bring myself to turning on my oven to bake the cake needed to make the pops. So I had to rethink my plan. I had pinned a recipe for a dip on one of my boards on Pinterest. I took another look at it and decided to take a chance on it. I'm glad that I did. It was a hit with everyone.

I had to leave the leftovers behind because I knew that we could consume all of the leftovers that evening. Better that all of the kids eat it and not me.

This dip comes together in less than five minutes and is ready to head out the door without any time in the refrigerator for all of the flavors to mingle. It is very akin to a decadent frosting that you dip a cookie into. Feel free to put as much on a cookie as your heart desires.

Cookie Dough Dip

1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits


1. Cream together the cream cheese, vanilla, and butter.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix till well combined.
3 Serve with graham cracker, vanilla wafers, and apple wedges.

Source: Add a Pinch

Avalanche Bars, Yummy Gluten Free Goodness

I love these bars, they are gluten free and don't require the use of the stove or oven. They are a great last minute dessert option when you don't know what to take to a party or just want a sweet treat. Best of all they are delicious.

To make this delicious treat you will need one bag of white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup peanut butter, three cups rice krispies, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows. A pretty simple list of ingredients.

Before you begin, prepare a 8 x 8 pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying it with non-stick spray.
Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave bowl and heat on medium power for 30 seconds at a time till melted. This step took my microwave four 30 second increments. Add the peanut butter and mix to combine. Stir in the rice krispies and combine till  all of the cereal is mixed  and well coated with the peanut butter and chocolate mixture. Lastly mix in the marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. 

Pour or plop mixture into the prepared pan and lightly press into pan. Lastly add an additional 3 tablespoons of mini chips on top. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Source:Cookies & Cups

Sharing Your Passion

Just one of the many beautiful plants that Dot shared with me, coneflowers. 

This past week my neighbor passed away and it's made me think about the mark we leave on people when we are gone. Dot loved to garden, like me she could get lost in a plot of dirt. Over the past couple of years she has shared with me many cuttings from her garden. She was generous with her love and her passion for her garden was infectious.

So, like Dot I hope to inspire those around me to be more and lead an uncommon life.

Playing With New Fragrance

A couple of months ago I poured a batch of soap with a new fragrance. I test all new fragrances before offering them to my customers. I like to know the behavior and mostly the staying power of fragrances. There is nothing worse that a fragrance that starts out strong and then fades to nothing but a hint of it's former self.

I am happy to say that I will be adding Sun Kissed Laundry to my line of soaps. I love how this fragrance lingers on my skin after a bath, leaving you with a clean fresh scent. It smells like a pile of clean laundry, neatly folded and ready be put away. That image alone is one of my happy thoughts.

I hope that your Saturday is a cool safe one. 

This Moment

A single picture capturing a snippet in the week. No words, just this moment in time.

Join in the fun with a group of bloggers sharing their moments. The movement started with Soulemama, you can see more moments in the comments section.

Happy Fourth of July

Wishing you a safe and happy Fourth of July. We will celebrate by barbecuing and watching fireworks in State College. Bellefonte will have their annual parade on Saturday July7th and fireworks Friday July 6th. So I guess that it will be a long weekend full of festivities. 

Boys Who Photobomb

We were out on a walk along one of our favorite trails, enjoying our time together. My son went off to explore and climb a rock wall. As we waited for him I decide to take a picture of some wildflowers along the path.

Such pretty wildflowers with boy sliding down wall of rocks in background. I say that it is more interesting that way. Life is always interesting around here.

I Am Grateful

 "Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

  Nora Ephron

Sometimes I find it hard to move forward, afraid of any missteps or failures. I've found it hard this week to write, edit, make decisions on my next post. I guess that I would call it writer's block. It's easy not to move forward. 

I'm grateful for those who believe in me and are always in my corner. I lead a blessed life.

This Moment

A single picture capturing a snippet in the week. No words, just this moment in time.

Join in the fun with a group of bloggers sharing their moments. The movement started with Soulemama, you can see more moments in the comments section.

Little Library

I had never heard of this until recently and can't get it off my mind. I really want one of my own to share. The concept is so brilliant and right down our family's alley, in other words, we have a lot of books.

The Little Library above is near us, a couple of miles away. The one below is also near us.

 Here's an excerpt from their website to help you catch the vision: “What’s in the library today?” people might ask as they stroll through their neighborhood.   Maybe one library has mystery stories, one has picture books for kids and another has memoirs.  Down the block, an English teacher shares her favorite novels and a historian puts out a new book every month about “the old country” and her Norwegian heritage.  Some fifth grade girls exchange American Girl stories about girls growing up at different times in history.  A wooden bench shows up next to the Little Library in front of Mrs. Argelander’s bungalow.  The nightly walkers, children and elders alike, sit and read to each other.   

I especially like this little red library. I would love to see one in my neighborhood. But, something more quaint would better be suited to my neighborhood.

I hope this inspires you to find a little library near you and share a note or book. 

I would like to give credit to Bookusbinders for the great photos that I found to share here.

I Am Grateful

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.

Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.

Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Grateful for the love and beauty that surrounds me.

This Moment

A single picture capturing a snippet in the week. No words, just this moment in time.

Join in the fun with a group of bloggers sharing their moments. The movement started with Soulemama, you can see more moments in the comments section.

Another Soap to Share

I have another soap to share today. It is call South Pacific. Why South Pacific? Well, it is a blend of tropical flowers with some orange blossom. It has a blue accord that brings a clean breezy note to the soap. It just smells like a warm tropical evening.

This soap is made with skin loving olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. It also has rice bran oil that is rich in many skin loving vitamins. To bring more lather to the soap I included castor oil and some silk to add a touch of luxury.

Icebox Cheesecake, From My Mother's Recipe Box

My mom would make this pie when strawberries were in season. In California it seemed like a very long season most of late winter and all of early spring. Here in Pennsylvania strawberry season is short, you can blink and miss it.

So with a few jars of fresh homemade strawberry jam I decided to break out this recipe and treat my family. I will be honest, we don't often use cool whip. I prefer fresh whipped cream. But since I wanted to make it like my mom did, I caved in a bought a tub of it.

My son whooped with glee when he saw the ingredients. He knew there was a cream pie in his future. "When are we going to eat it?" was his first question. The day was a very long one, anticipating the evening when he would finally able to have a slice of pie.

I used strawberry jam that I made a couple of weeks ago for the topping. I also garnished it with a few fresh berries before I served it. I made an almond crust and used a tart pan. One piece of advice, place the jam on the pie just prior to serving. My mom made a glaze and placed big mounds of fresh berries on top. Do as you choose, either way is delicious.

Icebox Cheese Pie
fills one regular pie crust


2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 8 oz. tub of cool whip thawed
1 pie crust


1. Beat cream cheese till fluffy, add in sugar and combine till mixed well.
2. Add in cool whip and mix till well blended.
3. Spoon into crust and refrigerate for at least three hours or until firm.
4. Before serving add fresh berries of your choice.


Enjoy

A Weekend Full of Late Late Nights

The days full of outside activity and the evenings full of movies and Big Bang Theory. That kind of sums up our weekend.

I picked the last of the bok choi that was hiding near the swiss chard and a lot of kale from the garden. I really need a dehydrator to make kale chips. Most of the tomatoes are staked and have plenty of support.

Sadly I did not work on my scarf. But I did start and finish two books this past week. Night Road.and Sarah's Key, both page turners and quick reads. I'm not sure if I can say if one or another was a favorite. I enjoyed them both. Now on to this book. I have a goal of reading two books a month, pretty achievable as long as I stay on track.

Tonight I am making an ice box tart from my mom's recipe box. I love taking my time with these types of recipes, memories flooding back of my mom, sister, and I in the kitchen learning from her and and just being close to those I love. I hope to share this recipe with you tomorrow.

On Being a Father

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.
Bill Cosby

I'm not the father in the family, but Tony is. We've been parenting together, a team in sync with one another so long now that without him I'm a bit lost.

Sure, I've done a lot of nurturing and I'm in charge of the whole homeschooling bit. But he has done so much and has added so much to Nathan's life that it's hard to put into words. He has been a selfless father. Giving up sleep so that he can take his son fishing in the wee hours. He's been a baseball coach, rushing home from work to be a leader, mentor, and playmate.

But mostly he has been here for all of the moments. With his gentle guidance helping our son become the man that he will one day grow up to be.

In Tony I see my own father who did the same. Thank you Dad for being an anchor in my life and thank you Tony for being a great father. I love you both.

A Well Planned Day

Today I want to spend some time in the garden, tending the flowers and veggies.

I need to come up with a way to outsmart the birds so that we can harvest our blueberries that are starting to ripen.

I need to spend some time staking our tomato plants. I know all of the supplies are in the basement, I just have to dig them out.

When all of the chores outside are done, I want to sit down with this project and finish it off. After all, I will need it one day. It has been on my needles for over a year and it's time to finish her off.

Sure there will be cooking and some other projects to work on, but these things are on my to do list right now at the start of the weekend.

I hope that your weekend is a good one filled with what you love most.

This Moment

A single picture capturing a snippet in the week. No words, just this moment in time.

Join in the fun with a group of bloggers sharing their moments. The movement started with Soulemama, you can see more moments in the comments section.

On Homeschooling

We are a homeschooling family. We have been homeschooling our son since he has been on this earth. We have had our ups and our down. I've struggled with my own self doubt. Early on I chose not to listen to my own voice, but listened to others. I should have been listening to my mothering inner voice. I might have had more courage in the beginning.

We are about to finish our first year of high school. I'm proud of our accomplishments. It's been a busier year, a tougher schedule, more to do, longer days filled with tasks to check off. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

When we started this journey, there were fewer homeschooling families. But now in 2012 our numbers continue to grow. Most of us know a homeschooling family. We come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes.
 

I think that if you ask my son, he would agree. It has been a great year. As we say hello to summer, we look forward to different learning experiences outside of the traditional curriculum. One never stops learning just because they are not in a classroom.

My Sorbet Recipe

Yesterday I shared with you pictures of my strawberry sorbet and a memory from long ago. I was thinking about memories for a while yesterday and how smell is one of the biggest triggers, bringing back scenes both good and bad. Sometimes my son will get a whiff of something and say, "This smells like Sherry's house!" Sherry babysat Nathan for years. We all have fond memories of her and the love and care that she showered down on Nathan from such a young age.

So on to the recipe that I promised yesterday for the sorbet. A word about this sorbet recipe. I use it to make many different kinds of sorbets, mostly fruity one. You will need to make a simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water that is heated till the sugar crystals are dissolved. Make sure that your simple syrup is cold before you begin.


Strawberry Sorbet or Granita
The night before you make the sorbet make the simple syrup and freeze your ice cream maker insert.


2 quarts of strawberries hulled and rinsed
1 cup simple syrup

1. To a food processor or blender add the berries and blend till you have a fruit puree with no chunky bits.

2. Strain into a container that you can chill the mixture in. Strain until you only have seeds left in the strainer, yo may need to use a spatula to push that last bits of strawberry through.The container will need to be big enough for the fruit puree and the simple syrup  addition.

3. Start by mixing in 1/2 cup of the simple syrup and taste. Most of my sorbets require 3/4 cup. Give the mixture a good stir. Place in refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours.

4. Follow manufacture instructions for your ice cream maker for sorbet. I use a KitchenAid ice cream attachment and it takes about 20 minutes for my mixture to become firm enough to scoop. You can now freeze the sorbet to firm up even more.

5. To make granita place the cold mixture into a freezer safe container and freeze for one hour. Starting at this time pull out the container and using a fork give it a stir, making sure to get the bottom and edges. Repeat the stirring every 30 minutes until you have small uniform ice crystals. Place lid on the granita and sever that evening. It will take about 5 repeats to get to the granita stage if you start with a cold mixture.

I hope you get a chance to make your own frozen concoction this summer.