forbidden

late last night the moon was a lemon slice hanging on the horizon on it's way to rising. it seemed a fitting logo to my day of domestic doings and babysitting. the girls were beautiful as always even as ms. ga was a sassafras girl full of vinegar water. all i can do is laugh at those moments and smile as she lays sleeping beside me in her tiger sleeping bag she's already outgrowning. the little one has found her 'no' phase and is in deep command of the word - two girls, such different personalities. i love the smell of curly baby hair doused with a good dose of coppertone to protect her scalp (they had been at the pool all day).

today was a bigger adventure as i was semi-thrown out of jasmine hill gardens. my sister and i drove the 15-ish mile trip to wetumpka to see this private garden that is generally open weekends only during the spring. i can remember going there as a child and it has been approximately 20ish years since i've been there. there was no sign at the gate saying it's closed. so we drove through, as we approached the visitor center it was deserted and we peeked through the back door. walking into the gardens, we noticed a big production being staged and decided a private party must be about.



as we were getting ready to leave, i spied a barn and decided to snap a few shots. as i did, an elderly couple were quite rude and informed me the gardens were closed. (duh - leaving anyway - the jeep was cranked) now looking at the barn, i wasn't really as crazy as i was about this poppy pod.



or this magnolia.



okay - so not an adventure but a decent way to spend the afternoon. plus, there was ice cream at dq as a reward.

the benefits of waking early

yesterday after getting lost going to the lake...i found sunflowers, stock and some old bottles at a new flea market. this morning i got up early for the farmer's market where i found peaches, blackberries, peas, butter beans, okra and fried pies. oh man - it's been so long since i've had a fried pie from the farmer's market. (nevermind the label saying 'not inspected by the health department - homebaked goods') it was ever so yummy with my morning coffee. you know you wanted a bite.

peas are already cooked. cornbread muffins (previously cooked) are the in the freezer. in about an hour i'll cut up the okra to fry - there will be sliced tomato if you want. i thought about meatloaf too but the veggies may be enough if include sliced peaches and blackberries for dessert. seems like i recall a cobbler recipe somewhere.

next...i need to tackle the yard.

the whole earth was brimming with sunshine that morning. she tripped along the clear blue sky pouring liquid blue into her soul.

there have been many posts about make-up today in my blog world so i will share with you my sister's secret. she's addicted to wet and wild's mega plump. it costs $2 and she goes through tubes like a maniac - to quote her, "i love it." so there you have my wild make-up tip. the good thing about not having a job - you save money on make-up. i rarely wear more than powder and mascara these days. yeah - i can hear the excitement of any male readers left out there.

to tell you how very bored i've been, i organized my computer cookbooks and have consolidated them into one. i noticed the following about that

:: though i dislike baking with a passion, there are a very high number of cake recipes in the cookbooks. i love cake - i am intimidated of cakes. it's all so exact and delicate. pies are easier.
:: i have at least five different recipes for shrimp and grits. i only use one. maybe it's time to let go of a couple.
:: i put overly ambitious recipes in the cookbook in hopes that i will be inspired - turns out they make me lazy and bring on unbridled use of cream of mushroom soup. i swear i'm going to make those empanadas from userealbutter one of these days.

i didn't do all of my errands yesterday but i did pick up chinese food. since moving home there has been a serious lack of chinese food in my diet. maybe that is the root cause in so many allergy attacks this year - the lack of eggrolls and steamed dumplings. i will investigate that possibility more.

clothes are washed (not yet folded), i need to pay bills (don't want to) and groceries need to be purchased. boredom has moved into the food area (part of the reason for the cookbook consolidation). did you know that 2% milk is named that because it only has 2% less fat than whole milk and not because it has 2% total fat? yeah, neither did i. now i know why there is such a drastic difference between that and skim milk. boo.

this morning i read a blog and was suddenly transported back to my childhood. something about summer does that to me and i think it's universal. summer is the time screams childhood, isn't it? the memory in particular is sitting on the steps of the front porch with the light off. soft murmurings of voices with the adults sitting in in the kitchen playing cards. running after fireflies and making wishes on dandelions. playing 'mother may i' in the dusky light and swinging until my lungs felt as if they would burst.

last night i saw fireflies as i took out the garbage. this morning i watched a bright red cardinal play among the leaves of the chinaberry tree. he hopped from branch to branch. i swear i heard him laugh, so i laughed with him. he flew way - but, i know he'll be back around. i think maybe i will too...some day...hopefully soon. i miss me.

how did it get to be wednesday already?

i swear i slept through the last day or so. sunday, while finishing up shopping for the holiday dinner, i also bought a box fan. i used to sleep with one but figured since i now have a beautiful ceiling fan in my room that i could be a grown up girl and ditch my former companion. i think i had forgotten that wonderful white noise drone of a box fan that is roughly similar to sleeping inside a giant airplane. i've been sleeping like a baby - in fact, except for a quick pee break in the early morning hours, i slept until 10:00 a.m. that's insane, but as a friend asked this week, is it really oversleeping if you have no place to be? *sigh*

the party was a great success. food was consumed, friend and family came over, the dogs behaved and i got maximum cuddle time with the nieces. my boys (the nephews) didn't come over as they were hanging out with their dad and older brother - i missed them. but, it was a housefull and i felt happy. cocktails and ribs - yum. the baby's face as she tasted lemon pie for the first time. ga playing tea party with my teacups and reading the book that i read as a child. all part of the quilt of warm and beautiful.

i need to run errands today and i need to replenish flowers. there is a shiny thing in the sky, my brother tells me it's called sol and if i go out it could warm me. i also have a ton of clothes to wash and a room to tidy up. but the sun is shining and housekeeping will....well, keep.

a parting shot of the wilted roses....these kept beautifully for ten days - i think that's a record for me.

Since you asked....

EAGLE BRAND LEMON ICEBOX PIE

1 can eagle brand milk

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 graham cracker crust

** This is for two generous pies so I tripled the recipe. I also used store bought crusts - making them at home is very easy with graham crackers, butter and a bit of sugar. But I cheated today - easy.

I hand-squeezed enough lemons for one and one-half cups lemon juice (it took about 14 large lemons). As I said, I had the concentrate handy if the lemons were not enough. Turns out, I didn't need it.

Open three cans of eagle brand and spoon into a bowl. Separate nine eggs. You can reserve the whites for making a meringue or use them later for an egg white omelet. Mix together the milk and the eggs until creamy.

Slowly add the lemon juice as you are beating the milk and egg mixture. The filling will thicken - continue beating to make sure it is smooth and creamy. Pour filling into crusts.

Some people have an aversion to uncooked eggs in recipes. I only use eggland eggs which are safe, however, if you like, you can put the pies into the oven at 350 for about eight minutes to make sure the eggs are cooked. Then you can cool the pies and put them into the fridge to completely cool.

This recipe is from an old cookbook but a classic. I got it on a recipe card during my bridal shower (everyone was told to bring me two recipes). I'm sure this was around in the fifties when my mom learned to cook. It is one of the few from that bridal shower collection that I continue to use.


Of course ... supervision in the kitchen is always desired if you're unsure of how to work the appliances or need a taster. Lizzie, the eternal optimist, tries to assure me that pugs indeed like lemon icebox pie.



and....the finished product (before adding a whipped topping or meringue).