Crafting: A Flag Centerpiece

I have been thinking about a centerpiece for our Fourth of July Party and came up with this simple and pretty idea.



After a trip to the hardware store, here are the items you need. Table legs, the square wood corner thingies and the adapter for table legs.



I attached the adapt with the screws provided.


Next I screwed in the leg.



After measuring the end of the flags I was going to use, I chose the correct drill bit.




And carefully marked where I wanted the flags to be on the stand. A very important step, drill the hole, initially at a 90 degree angle to the flag stand and then turn the drill to a 45 degree angle to finish drilling the hole.



After drilling all the holes, I sanded both the leg and the holes.



Next, prime the flag stands.



And then paint the color you want.


I need a round dremel tip to sand the holes better.


Fill with flags....


I needed three flag stands... one for the entry way and two for the patio.

Getting Ready for the Fourth of July

We are getting ready for our large Fourth of July party... about 75 coming for fun,



Bubbles,



food,




festivities.



The patio is decorated....


The flag is hung....



The fireman have been invited...



And I can't wait for some blueberry pie. We picked our blueberries last week.




And they come hungry. So here is our menu:

Burger Sliders
Hot dogs
Bacon Potato Salad
Baked Beans

Blueberry Pie
Peach Crisp
Cherry Pie
Cupcakes

Everyone is bringing a side dish or dessert. I am baking pies... I love to bake pies!!!! We have some fun projects this week getting ready for the party. You will love them.


Bacon Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 6 cups cubed Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• Salt
• 2 ounces bacon (2 or 3 strips)
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions (about 2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Put the potatoes in a large pot; add water just to cover and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels and finely chop.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, chopped bacon, bell pepper, onion and scallions.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the potato mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate or serve at room temperature.

A Beautiful Thing: Gift Boxes for the Troops

My daughter's fiance is in the Navy and on deployment for the next six months. Specifically for the next 22 weeks, at least. So she and I devised a plan to make sure he receives a gift box every week while on deployment.


First, we researched for ideas online for a sailor on a carrier and any great suggestions from Moms of soldiers online. These items are found in the ships store but they run out very quickly.

• Laundry detergent
  
• Handy wipes
• Soap
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Deodorant
• Batteries
• White socks
• Underwear
  

Next, we stocked up on his favorite foods.

• Salt water taffy
• Gummies
• Fruit roll-ups
• Peanut butter
• Ramen Noodles
• Mac and Cheese

Thirdly, we were very surprised by the Unites States Post Office's partnership with the military and how they are supporting their troops.




Their website offers free deliver on Flat rate boxes which allows you to send boxes to the troops.


In addition,

• Only $12.50 when used to send to APO/FPO addresses; $2.00 less than our domestic pricing.
• Box features the “America Supports You” logo and APO/FPO addressing block.
• Commercial Base prices are available for postage paid through Click-N-Ship service at usps.com, authorized PC Postage vendors, and other authorized postage payment methods. The APO/FPO price is $11.95.
• The U.S. Postal Service offers free Package Pickup from your home or office at a time and place convenient for you. To schedule Package Pickup and for other pickup options and availability, visit usps.com.

We set up a staging area so if the store runs a special on an item we think he will like, we get a bunch and put several in each box.



My daughter set up a station to keep up with the paper work to ship the items. Tuesday is the day we ship... Less traffic.

You can put together a box for a soldier. The soldier will really appreciate it and you will feel good doing it. With the boxes from the post office, it is inexpensive and easy to send.

Gardening: A pretty vegetable garden

After spending almost two weeks weeding the garden, I am finally caught up. My knees feel good but I use my garden stool to weed. I cannot tell you how satisfying it is not only to have the garden caught up after two knee surgeries but to be able to work in the garden and not have the knee pain I have had over the last eight years.

On another note, many of you don't know my obsession with making a vegetable garden pretty. I mean a garden can look like a hot mess unless you focus on making it "pretty".



So how do I make the garden look attractive?

First I added a bird bath in the middle of the garden. It was a $5 yard sale find and you cannot imagine how many birds we find in it during the day.



Next, these bamboo trellises add style and function.




Even my compost bin has to be "pretty". The bin looks like a beehive house but really does produce sweet compost.


The garden paths are neat and covered with mulch.



Herbs add flowers throughout the season.



As do the green beans


and peas.



And the pretty black fencing, a Wal-mart find, makes the beds look neat.




Lastly, as the vegetables ripen, the whole garden is attractive and ready for picking. Yesterday, I picked the first green beans, some cherry tomatoes and the second bath of banana peppers.

Baking: Strawberry Bread

Strawberry season is over in Eastern Tennessee. Sadly, I had forgotten about a package of strawberries I had purchased and when I finally remembered them.... they had a few bruises on them.



Well, that made me kind of excited to make one of my favorite things but never make it because, I hate to use up pretty strawberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.


Slice 2 cups of strawberries, and sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing the dry ingredients.


Combine 3 1/2 c. of flour, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 2 t. cinnamon, 1 t. salt and 1 t. baking soda in large bowl: mix well.



Blend 1 1/4 cup of oil and 4 eggs, slightly beaten, into strawberries.



Add flour mixture to strawberry mixture, fold gently not to break up the strawberries and mix until just moistened.



Stir in 1 1/4 c. of chopped pecans.




Divide batter into pans.


Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.


Look how pretty. This recipe makes two loaves... I plan on sharing one with a friend. I hope you enjoy!



Strawberry Bread

Ingredients

* 2 cups fresh strawberries
* 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Cooking: Menu Week Ending June 26th

Sunday: Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
Corn on the Cob
Cesar Salad

Monday: Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Head of Romaine Lettuce
4 green onions – chopped

2 stalks of broccoli, tops only

Saute 1 package Ramen Noodles without seasoning packet

1 c. pecans

¼ c real bacon pieces

½ stick butter or margarine

Let Cool completely. Meanwhile, mix the dressing and chill for at least one hour, ½ c. oil, ½ c. sugar, ¼ c. red wine vinegar and 1/8 c. soy sauce

Tuesday: Chicken with Herb Goat Cheese


Roast Potatoes
Grilled Zucchini

Wednesday: Seven Layered Mexican Dip



Thursday: Chicken Salad with Apples


Friday: BLT Pizza


Saturday: PW Flank Steak

Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Snow Peas

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best dad and husband in the whole world!!!