{Who says that you can't have a beach in your back yard?}

Aren't they beautiful? The heat is killing them so I have to keep them watered daily but oh they have been so pretty this summer. I will miss those cuties! 

I bought this little pool for my 2 year old grandgirl to play in when at Nana's and needless to say I decided to use it for Nana! I had some time recently to chill out and relax and I thought, "If I can't make a trip to the beach then I will bring the beach to me". I grabbed my lawn chair, the beast as my man calls it. LOVE that chair too. My girls bought that for me a couple of years ago for Mother's Day and I have used it well. I grabbed my beach towel, suntan and sunscreen lotion, bottled water, Bible, and set my phone to play the sounds of the ocean and there I sat...for two hours. Soaking up some Vitamin D and God's Word. AND yes I splashed some of that pool water on me occasionally when I got hot. YEP...you make do sometimes with what you have to do with right? 

I even treated myself to a Popsicle. 

These two sisters have stayed with me through the summer months on Monday nights and Tuesdays. Back to school they go now. I will miss them snuggling next to Nana at night. You know what's really sad? My 10 1/2 year old can wear my shoes! YEP...

Tried a new recipe. I had a jar of Lemon Curd that a friend gave me for a gift and decided to make a lemon curd cake. That old pound cake pan looks bad I know. It is really clean though. It belonged to my grandmother and that old pan bakes the best pound cakes ever! I wouldn't trade it for a new pound cake pan either.  

Don't know who grabbed a little tiny slice of that cake either...........................

Lemon Curd Cake

2 eggs

3/4 cup of milk-I used coconut milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla flavoring

1/2 cup of coconut oil (liquid state)

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of lemon curd

Use a 9x5 loaf pan or a pound cake pan. Just remember if you are using a pound cake pan your cake will be thinner. Spray with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350. Mix eggs, milk, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. You can use a whisk but I used my hand mixer. Slowly pour in the coconut oil and mixing it consistently until combined. Add in the baking powder and salt and mix. Finally mix in your flour a little at the time until mixed well. Spread half your batter in your pan and drizzle half of your lemon curd onto the batter. Pour the other half of batter on top of lemon curd and then top with remaining lemon curd. I took a butter knife and swirled the lemon curd around because I thought it looked pretty. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and turn out onto your cake dish. I made a powdered sugar glaze to drizzle over the cake and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

AND....Count your blessings, even if you must have some "beach" time in your own back yard.

Praying good things for you all this week as we journey through this life together.

Hugs and blessings, Cindy

{Beach Tablescape, Family Fun, and Yard Sale Goodies}

I am still in a "Beach" frame of mind. Before we went on our annual Family Beach Vacation I decided to do a little beach tablescape. 

I am so enjoying having that cute chair that holds that little drawer in a corner in my kitchen. Being able to change the decor around some has been fun. 

It is hard to read the scripture here but it's Psalm 139:9-10. 

The beautiful picture is one that my youngest daughter took while traveling once.

I found the table runner at a yard sale for 50 cents and had it stashed away so grabbed it and that determined my color scheme. Cute little salt and pepper shakers winded up being perfect. 

I grabbed my bag of sea shells to use as well.

I have several sets of dishes that go well with a Beach theme tablescape but decided my cute little fish dishes would be the ones I used. I even have the child's plates that match these. I actually lucked up one year at the end of summer and found these cuties at Walmart on clearance for 50 cent's a plate. 

Decided to keep the centerpiece simple. Sea shells and candles. A lot of the sea shells I used was from beach trips past. I had a small bag of decorative shells I had bought for a project and added some of those as well. 

Blue flatware and blue and green coasters added to the table went great with the plates.  

I decided to intermingle the green and white napkins. 

Simple and cute but makes me want to go back to the beach! And I might just do that even if it's for a day. LOL! Planning on changing the tablescape out maybe the end of  the month. I needed wanted more dishes so decided to buy me some Sunflower dishes to use next.  

We had a little family fun over the weekend  at my fatherinlove's home. Ice cream social and water fun with slides, pools, bubbles, and squirt guns. The kids had such a great time.  It's so fun to see the big cousins and the little cousins with one another. Just makes me smile. 

 Such fun times making sweet memories.

I stopped at thrift store on my way back home from several doctor appointment's that I had and found 8 white coffee cups. $2 brought them home with me. You can't go wrong with white. 

Oven and microwave proof bowl for 50 cents was a steal to me.  

This cute doe just had to come home with me too. I couldn't pass her up for $1.99. 

She looks great in our little "Buck Room" at home. We have a spare bedroom that is decorated in a hunting theme and we call it the Buck room.

And I managed to pick a few hot peppers and whip up a jar of pepper sauce. I see some greens being cooked before long at my house!

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Counting my blessings today and thanking God for blessings undeserved. 
 I hope that you have a wonderful week and be sure to count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings and see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings and see what God has done. 

Hugs and blessings, Cindy

{Family Beach Vacation}

Our family beach vacation surely went by too quick. We had such a great time. I could so be a beach bum. It must be in my blood because I can sit on the beach all day long. Give me a chair, water, a few snacks and a good book and well...time somehow just manages to slip by me. 

Nothing like the sound of the ocean.

From day one I piled up in my chair and read. I read off and on the whole week. Went through two books. 

I have other readers in my family too. Makes me happy they love to read.

We spent lots of time on the beach. We only had one day that we had to hurry and pack up as a wind storm came through as well as the rain. One day we packed up too soon as it looked like a storm was brewing but it passed us by. So we headed to the pool. We entertained ourselves. We played games and cards. Never a dull moment with my crew. 

Even the youngest grandbaby loved the beach. 

Marty wanted to buy a kite for the kids to enjoy on the beach. So I thought we would just run to Walmart you know and pick up a $5 kite. I mean...it's just a kite, right? Oh no! He wanted an Eagle and something large. We ordered the kite online. It came in just in time for our trip. DON'T ASK ME WHAT WE PAID FOR THAT KITE!!! However, we had the best kite on the beach! LOL! It is boxed up for next year.  

YEP, I spent my early mornings sitting on the balcony drinking my coffee. Loved every minute of it too. 

We went out to eat several times and we all took turns preparing some evening meals. Oh did we have some good eating!  

We went crab hunting a couple of nights and if that isn't just a hoot with my bunch. The kids all have gloves and catch the crabs and then at the end of the crab hunt before returning back to the condo we turned them all out. It is so much fun to watch them. I have some competitive grandchildren too! LOL! 

We had sparklers one night.

We went out for ice cream twice while there. The Twisted Spoon is right across the road from the condo and the kids love it. And the ADULTS too!We go there every year for ice cream when on our family beach vacation.  My favorite is salted caramel. 

I enjoyed spending time with my girls. I am so blessed that my family likes to spend time together and enjoys doing things together. No doubt I am blessed and I do not take it for granite I can assure you.

My oldest daughter and her husband celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary while there. They will be actually celebrating this coming weekend with a 3 day trip. 

I sure enjoyed my Happy Place. 

Missing the beach already but so thankful for the opportunity we had as a family to enjoy our trip together. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have Beach Blogger's trip? Oh what fun we would have. 

I can't go to the beach without thinking about the Star Fish story. It always melts my heart. Maybe it's been a while since you have read it. Enjoy...

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I hope that you all have a great week. 

Hugs and blessings, Cindy