{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