Summer’s End

By Nancy Hughes
No flowers to plant,

No garden to tend,

As summertime lazily

Comes to an end.

It’s time to sit back

and deliciously savor

The beauty of the season

and the fruits of our labor.

Farewell to summer;

for autumn make way,

With this last celebration

We call Labor Day!

  

Poor Princess has been recuperating from minor surgery this week! She is on the mend and enjoying the cinematic classic “Barbie in Fairytopia”…for the 100th time. 

Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop. Inspire me Tuesday.  Make it pretty. Art of homemaking. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Share it. Brag about it. Wow us.     Talk of the town. Moonlight and Mason jars. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden. Welcome home. Thursday favorites waste not. Friday features home sweet home. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at home.  Morning cup of joe. Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create  bake grow. Sunday at home. Snickerdoodle Simple Saturday. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday. DI&DI. Amaze me. 

Excited to be selected as a Fan Favorite at this great Linky party!

Make it Pretty Monday@ The Dedicated House

 Still enjoying the last of sweet sweet summer…relaxing on the porch is encouraged!

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Maisy at Becoming Alice – FB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage Presents – Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo Blues – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things – Pin

Penny at Penny’s Passion – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

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DOES YOUR CHILD LOVE COMIC BOOKS?
HOW ABOUT SUPER HEROES?

Parents!

David C Cook is proud to introduce the newest book in the Action Bible collection: The Action Storybook Bible (coming October 2017). Pre-order The Action Storybook Bible from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ChristianBook.com to reserve your copy today. Plus click the graphic below to enter to have a chance to win an illustration of your child as a super hero by Action Bible artist Sergio Cariello (who has also illustrated comics for DC and Marvel!).

The giveaway is open until September 11, 2017, 5:00pm MST. Your entry must be received by then to be eligible. Five winners will be chosen at random from eligible entrants.

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{THE ACTION STORYBOOK BIBLE}

Families see the Bible in motion and put their faith into action!
The Action Storybook Bible invites families with young children to explore God’s redemptive story together. An entry point into the world of The Action Bible, it tells of the amazing creation story, powerful kings who reigned over ancient Israel, God’s miraculous gift of eternal life through Jesus, and more! God’s promise for the world is displayed throughout every page. Discover your family’s place in God’s incredible story and together put your faith into action!
Interactive features include:

• Fifteen key episodes from God’s Word-each one loaded with several stories along with over 350 brand-new illustrations throughout.
• Short and easy readings-for children ages eight and under with rich, colorful images.
• Life, Faith, Action! features-conclude every episode and invite families to talk about how God moves in the stories, how to see God in life today, how to put faith into action, and how to easily talk to God with a suggested prayer.
• Hall of Fame visual index-the place to look up favorite Bible characters by discovering their icon connections and finding them in the stories.

Learn more and purchase a copy here.

The other evening I was watching Martha Bakes on PBS and my ears perked up when I heard mentioned a yummy delicacy that originated in Baltimore…a city just a stone’s throw…but seems hours away with traffic…from Annapolis. A quick Google search turned up the following article…

http://www.citypaper.com/eat/bcp-081016-feature-peach-cake-20160810-story,amp.html

…but I’m up for a baking challenge!

The usual cast of characters

2 tablespoons sugar

 1/2 cup whole milk

One 1/4-ounce envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature, plus more for bowl and pan

3 large peaches, pitted and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup sanding sugar

 2 tablespoons red currant, apricot, or peach jelly

The Steps to Glory

Combine 1 teaspoon sugar and milk in a glass measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and whisk to combine.

Whisk together flour, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place bowl on mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and beat to combine. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Add butter, piece by piece, and continue to knead until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and remove from bowl. Pat dough into a buttered 13-by-9 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange peaches on dough in a slightly overlapping pattern and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown and set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Brush peaches with jelly. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy during these last fading days of Summer

Best by a large body of water…and it tasted perfect to us. 

Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop. Inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Art of home making. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Let’s talk vintage. Wonderful Wednesday. Share it. Brag about it. Wow us. Talk of the town. Moonlight and Mason jars. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden. Welcome home. Thursday Favorites. Wasted not.  Friday features. Home sweet home. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. grace at home. The gathering place. Morning Cup of Joe. Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Vintage chic. Funtastic Friday. Best of the weekend. Create Bake Grow. Sunday at home snickerdoodle simple Saturday. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday. DI&DI Amaze me smell good Sunday 

I was a featured Blogger at You’re the Star July Linky Party.  What an honor.  Check out the inspiration from the lovely hostess!

Plenty of this going on this week…enjoy your last few days of Sweet Summer.

 

 

 

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Maisy at Becoming Alice – FB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage Presents – Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo Blues – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things – Pin

Penny at Penny’s Passion – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

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You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! Continue reading →

About the Book:

Finding grace and laughter when motherhood gets real

Soon after Jessica Kastner became a mother, she wondered if she was the only mom who found pretend play more boring than watching playdough harden and who dreaded yet another friend’s Instagram post of homemade deliciousness.

In Hiding from My Kids in the Prayer Closet, Kastner shares her experience as an “unmom”-a mom who loves her kids more than she loves the daily experience of mothering. She helps readers laugh at the ridiculous, delight in the unpredictable, and enjoy being the mothers God made them to be.

My Review:

This book….there were times I laughed out loud…in public. The joys, sorrows, longings and dreams are beautifully and humorously expressed by the author in a very open and transparent book. Divided into chapters that could stand alone, it was an easy read and the perfect book to tuck into my bag for a quick glance in the few minutes I could steal away to read.  I loved the honesty of the stories from her early days as a young single mom through her later working mom tales.  All moms can appreciate the trails and tribulations of a rambunctious house of toddlers. I found her genuine and heartfelt experience as an unmarried and unexpectedly pregnant college girl powerful…she is very dedicated to the pro-life movement.   

 If I had to criticize anything it would be the mention of poop….a lot. But I have a girl and perhaps mothers of boys would shake their heads at me knowingly. The important thing is our common goal of mothering our children well…and it was nice to experience this particular funny voice.  

* I have been given an advanced copy for review by the publisher but the opinions are completely mine*

“Hiding from the Kids in My Prayer Closet: Finding Grace and Laughter, When Motherhood Gets Real,” (David C. Cook, 978-0781414845, Paperback ) releases July 1, 2017.

Now available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, ChristianBook.com and wherever books are sold.

…but it has been an awesome few months. Time to slow down and enjoy the last of this carefree season! The question remains, how do you decorate when it is too late for Patriotic Splendor and way too early for pumpkins and apple? This is how late summer looks at my house…how about your home?

Sunflowers and touches of gold…

….and those last few beautiful days by the water.

The colors of the summer sea…

…And finding treasures by the shore.

The soft afternoon light through aged glass…

…and making a dream come true!
Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop. Inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Art of homemaking made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Let’s talk vintage. Wonderful Wednesday. Share it brag about it. Wow us. Talk of the town. Moonlight and Mason jars. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden   Welcome home. Thursday favorites. Waste not. Vintage charm. Friday features. Home sweet home feather nest. Friday friendship. Funtastic Friday grace at home. The gathering place. Morning cup of joe. Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake and grow. Sunday at home. Snickerdoodle. Simple Saturday. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday. DI&DI amaze me 

Excited that my Trade Card collection was featured at this great Link Party! Check out all the great inspiration there!

Snickerdoodle Create Make Bake