A "Sunny" Lantern

I have tucked-away the patriotic décor and added new summer touches throughout the house. Inspired by the sunflower fields I enjoyed last week, I decided to make my lantern "sunny".

I love decorating my tall antique-looking lantern for the seasons and holidays! Let's open its door and take a look. I think the stems look realistic.

One of my sisters-in-law gave me the galvanized pitcher with the dragonfly on it. Isn't it cute?

I hope your Monday made you feel sunny and bright!

A Field of Dreams

Off the road in northern St. Louis county lies a hidden treasure. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and spans more than 4,000 acres!

Columbia Bottom Conservation Department
801 Strodtman Road
St. Louis, MO 63138

The MO Department of Conservation owns the property which is home to a variety of wildlife. It is a great spot for birdwatching, fishing, wildlife sightings, hiking and...sunflower viewing! 🌻

Most years the staff plants 14 fields of these sunny delights for mourning dove management. Not only do the birds enjoy the seed, but they seek refuge in the dried stalks after the blooms are gone. They are also hunted there (🙁). Flooding prevented sunflower planting last year, but they were able to resume in 2020. Seed sowing is staggered so that visitors can enjoy the beauty from early July through mid August. Most of the fields are a short hike from the road, but some will be visible from the car in coming weeks. 

My mother and I thoroughly enjoyed a visit to see the spectacular sunflowers today. The contrast of the yellow blooms against the blue sky is certain to make anyone smile! 

You can't beat an outing like this on a pretty summer day. The song of birds in the background, the warm sun shining brightly, bees and butterflies floating in the air all make it a sunflower field of dreams. 

Blessings to you!

Bee Happy!

My mother has three matching resin stepping stones in a garden area and was ready for them to bee refreshed. 

She selected green for the new color, so I picked up some Rustoleum green apple. This type of paint works well on most surfaces and withstands outdoor use. The green alone just bugged me, though, as it did not look quite right. We decided it needed a little depth and so I added a fine mist of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze to give it more of a mottled finish.

Now all three are ready to go, so I will buzz them over tomorrow and put them in place in the garden.

Bee happy!

Tuesday Tablescape

Nothing says summer like a bouquet of fresh flowers for the table. As you know, I snip blossoms from our yard so that I always have at least one vase full from the time things start opening in the spring until fall's frost.

Bee balm, coneflowers, hydrangeas, black eyed Susans, ninebark, gloriosa, snapdragons and Queen Anne's Lace are showy right now. In addition to their striking colors which please us, they are great pollinators and that pleases the bees and butterflies. 

Happy Tuesday, dear family and friends!

National Ice Cream Month

Here's the scoop. July is National Ice Cream Month and if your weather is as hot as ours is here, I thought it might be cool to revisit these recipes from previous posts. Both are sweet treats.

Ice Cream Cake

*Prepare and bake a boxed cake according to the package directions, using two round pans. When cakes are finished, remove from pans and set aside to cool. Loosely cover to prevent drying out before assembling dessert. 

*Allow ice cream (flavor of your liking) to sit on the counter for a few minutes just so it's slightly soft and can be easily scooped. Line one of the clean and cooled pans with waxed paper. Press in enough ice cream until it comes up about 3/4 way on the side of the pan. Use the back of your spoon to smooth the surface and firmly press the ice cream all the way to the edges. Place the uncovered pan in the freezer and allow to remain for a few hours until it's very firm throughout. 

*Center one of the cake layers on a your dessert plate. Remove 

pan of ice cream from freezer. Invert and set on top of the cake layer. Gently tap the bottom of the pan and lift straight up, leaving the wax paper covered ice cream layer in place. Carefully remove the wax paper. Top cake and ice cream layer with the second cake layer. Frost top and sides with a tub of prepared whipped cream.

*Keep in a sealed cake keeper and store in the freezer.

Click here for a printable recipe. 

Do you want to make your own ice cream? It's very simple and you can customize it by adding your own goodies to the base. I happened to use fresh peaches when I whipped up a batch a few summers ago, but you could incorporate chopped pecans, crushed sandwich cookies, miniature chocolate chips or anything you like!

Easy Freezer Ice Cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

sea salt (a sprinkle)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pint whipping cream

Place a large bread pan in the freezer to chill.

In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, salt and vanilla extract; set aside. In its own bowl, beat the whipping cream to form stiff peaks. Fold the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the whipping cream and blend well. Pour into the well-chilled pan and slide back in the freezer. About 90 minutes later, you may swirl in "goodies" of your choice if you wish. At that point, the ice cream will be partially set. Return the pan to freezer and allow to completely freeze.

Click here for a printable version.

I have heard it said that since life is short, you should eat dessert first! 🍦

Happy Fourth!

Have a happy July 4th weekend! 

Bunwiches

This is a recipe of my mother's which we have been enjoying since I was in high school. They are very easy to prepare and are tasty. If you like corned beef, this will hit the spot.

Bunwiches

1 can corned beef (sold in the section with other canned meats)

2 heaping tablespoons of Miracle Whip

very finely diced onion (to taste)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Flake the corned beef and mix with Miracle Whip, onion and cheese. Spread on silver dollar rolls or small egg buns. Wrap each sandwich individually in foil and warm in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through. These sandwiches may be frozen.

To print this recipe, click here.

Remember to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click on "print page" to get only the recipe. Otherwise, your copy will print the sidebar listing. 

By the way, you may notice the new look. That is in honor of

the blog's anniversary today.