Elena's Garden: July 2016

Friday, July 29, 2016

Sunflower Cookies

Mary and I finally got around to making the sunflower cookies that we had said we were going to make on the post at the beginning of this month. We have been enjoying our sunflowers so much! Here is a photo collage of our lovelies this year. We grew a dozen of them. We just love seeing them peek over our fence as we drive up our drive way when we come home!

I made the cookie dough the night before and put in the fridge over night. I had never used this recipe before. I was so pleased how it turned out. It was easy to work with, kept the cookie shape when baked and was very tender to eat. I plan on using this recipe for our Christmas cookies too!. I put yellow food coloring in it, to make the sunflower pedals.

Mary had so much fun rolling out the dough and cutting them out.

They came out so pretty right out of the oven. We dipped the centers in chocolate frosting and used chocolate chips for the seeds.

They turned out so pretty and Mary had a blast. She did most of the decorating.

So happy with her sunflower cookie garden. The recipe made a lot. So we had plenty to share with friends and family. Rich also took a plate of them to work and shared them with his co-workers.

Here is the recipe we used that came with the cookie cutter set.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

One of our favorite things to do is to go out to 7 Oaks Farm in the summer time when their sweet corn is ripe. We love the fresh produce, locally grown. The farm is only 10 minutes drive, if that, from our house. Mary is growing so quickly, she is not 5 foot yet, but almost there.

Not only do they have wonderful produce

they have a beautiful flower garden.

Here is a passion flower.

Zinnias and a pine cone!

I loved this with peach glads and purple morning glories.

Lots of cone flowers

Mary really liked the little windmill

We also have some wonderful black berries growing over our fence in our back yard. I had picked a big bowl the day before.

and the farm had local peaches for sale

So I made a blackberry peach pie and it was delicious. I learned a new trick that if you make an egg white and water wash and brush it on the pie crust before you put the filling in, it will keep the crust nice and flakey and not soggy and it worked. I just bought some store dough and just used a black berry, peach pie recipe from the internet for the filling. Pretty easy and yummy!

Lunar Landing

Three days ago was the 47th anniversary of man walking on the moon. I remember the day well in my childhood. I was 9 years old, listening to the news on TV about it and I remember going out to our backyard and looking up at the moon at dusk and thinking to myself, "Wow, there are men up there!" It was a very profound thing and something that has always stuck with me.

Well this year, on July 20th Mary was 9 years old. So after dark we went outside and looked up at the moon. She loves going outside and looking up at the night sky. That is one of the reasons I am so looking forward to camping this year as up in the woods away from all the city lights, the night sky is so brilliant and we have so much fun looking at the stars! Anyway I told Mary the story of my memory at 9 and how the United States was the first nation to put man on the moon. She enjoyed that piece of history and mostly loved running around in the back yard in her night gown, enjoy the warm summer night and gazing at all the beautiful creation that is spread out like a canvas on the sky and thinking of the One who created it all.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

Psalm 8:3

We Found It!

We found our camping spot for this year! We will be going to Rogue Elk park on the upper Rogue River. It is such beautiful place right on the river with fishing and boat and raft launching. Nice lawns and bathrooms with showers. We went there for a pic-nic last week and fell in love with it. It is so wonderful to have such beauty only 1/2 hour away from our front door.

Rich was in heaven!

We reserved this camp site for 2 nights! We are so excited!

Mary showing points of interest

What would a trip to Shady Cove be with a stop at Phil's Frosty!

See You at the Fair!

We really enjoyed the Jackson County Fair. Rich took two days vacation so we could spend it going to the fair. We love seeing the animals and eating the food and going on the rides. We couldn't of order better weather! It was a little warm but we always had a lovely breeze. We love making special memories with our girl.