Happy Birthday

Today is Mike's Birthday!Happy Birthday Mike !

Thanks for being such a great Son-in-law. We love you♥

New Items in Etsy

I just added a couple of things to Pineapple Hill Etsy and Pineapple Hill Designs.
There are some fun things at Hearts and Hands too♥
Did I tell you?.......................I heart my new machine!

Happy Fourth of July Sign

from Country Living Magazine
Expect a Fourth of July filled with old-fashioned fun when you create easy, inexpensive decorations with paper, basic craft supplies, and enchanting Victoriana printables. Inspired by turn-of-the-century celebrations, this joyful tribute to red, white, and blue harkens to a time when impromptu hats were folded from leftover newspapers, and marching bands, firecrackers, and lawn games marked the day. "It was a very big holiday," explains expert crafer Melissa Neufeld. "Postcards with patriotic greetings were mailed out in much the same way as we now send out seasonal holiday cards." These projects by Melissa can be made ahead of time to decorate for the holiday, or assembled with the help of family and young friends at the party itself.
To print the the instructions, click here!

Win an Apple iPod Touch

Win an Apple iPod Touch by going here. Isn't this awesome? Devri has a great new twitter background blog. Good Luck!

4th of July Party Recipes

Featured 4th of July Party Recipes from Epicurious.com

White Balsamic Custard Tart with Fresh Berry ToppingBon Appétit | July 2004



The Ultimate Burger

Gourmet | June 2009

Firecracker Favors

Guests will get a bang out of these "firecracker" favors, which can be filled with sparklers. from Country Living Magazine
Wrap paper towel tubes with crepe paper; add favor, then hot-glue a cardboard circle to the tube's bottom. Insert a pipe cleaner "wick"; tie off
I love the vintage postcards.

Print the Victorian postcard images shown HERE

Rock my World

Ella and Addie totally "rock my world".

Look at these beautiful rocks they painted for me to put in the garden!

They went on a fun camping trip with their daddy and Meema, Papa and Chloe. Meema is always doing fun crafts with them. She helped the girls paint these pretty rocks. Thanks for thinking of me Diane! I love them. You are always so thoughtful♥.

Happy Father's (every)Day

(i started this Sunday.... truly! a few blogger mishaps and several miner interruptions)
Oh well, I'm sharing it anyway.....

I love my dad so much!
Then there's this other amazing guy, Mark.
He is such a devoted and loving husband and father.
and Grandad too♥
I adore him!

Happy Father's Day
X0

hilarious

One of the things we love about little Preston
is his cute spiky hair.

When I saw this little face to embroider, it reminded me
so much of Preston!
Every time I look at it, it cracks me up....

Doesn't this sound DEEELishOUS!

Artichoke, Cherry Tomato, and Feta Salad
with Artichoke-Pesto Crostini

Bon Appétit | June 2009

INGREDIENTS:
Pesto:

• 1 12-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 3 tablespoons (packed) finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Salad:

• 1/4 cup chopped shallot (about 1 large)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley plus additional for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 12 1/2-inch-thick diagonal baguette slices, toasted
• 3 5-ounce packages mixed baby greens
• 2 12-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 12-ounce container yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)

PREPARATION;

For pesto:
Place all ingredients in processor. Blend until finely chopped. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

For salad:
Whisk shallot, vinegar, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, mustard, and garlic in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Spread 1 tablespoon pesto over each baguette slice. Sprinkle parsley over crostini. Mix baby greens, artichoke hearts, and cherry tomatoes in very large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat lightly. Sprinkle feta over.

Serve salad with crostini.

Fettucine with Asparagus

Light and Creamy Fettucine With Asparagus

Photo: Mitch Mandel

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 pound fettuccine
* 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and diagonally sliced
* 2 teaspoons trans-free margarine
* 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
* 1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts
* salt
* coarsely ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the fettuccine and cook for 6 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the asparagus and cook 4 to 6 minutes more, or until the fettuccine is al dente and asparagus is crisp-tender. Scoop out 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and asparagus and return to the cooking pot; cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, about 5 minutes, or until thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat.

3. Whisk in the cream cheese and Gorgonzola until smooth and blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss, adding pasta water to moisten, if necessary. Sprinkle with the walnuts.

Recipe Notes
Add grilled chicken or shrimp to the dish for a protein boost.

Nutritionals
343 cal, 16 g pro, 54 g carb, 5 g fiber, 8 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 9 mg chol, 213 mg sodium

One Month Today

Little Preston is one month old today.
What a cutie!Snug as a Bug

Chillin' with Aunt Hope

My Funny Hair Day

Hearts and Hands

Hey all you Katy and Houston bloggers, I have a booth at Hearts and Hands again. Here's a sampling of some things I just added:

There are more cute patriotic bloomers at Pineapple Hill Etsy. I love Red, White and Blue!

June 10, 1994

SCOTT!

It's hard to believe another year has passed!
Today Scott turned 15.

When Scott was little, he was a real "NEAT FREAK". He collected match box cars and kept them perfectly lined up in a row by color. If someone moved one he knew exactly which car it was and the place it belonged in the line up.One of the funniest things he did was the night before his 4th Birthday. Kayley, who was 11 at the time decided to decorate his room after he fell asleep so when he woke up on his birthday he'd be ready to celebrate. She blew up balloons and put them all over his room. She had streamers from one corner of the room to the next. It looked awesome. (of course, Kayley did it)

Later that night before going to bed, Mark and I went up to check on Scott and Hope, our nightly routine. As we walked up the stairs and turned the corner we saw a row of balloons and a pile of streamers in the hallway. Scott had woken up for something and cleaned the whole thing up!

Scott 4 yrs.
(Today on the other hand, we could have a party in his room and he'd never know it.)
I'm hoping he'll revert back to his Neat Freak days....SOON.

Uncle Scott and Preston

summing up
scottscottscottscottscottscottscottscottscottscott

S- spiffy (hope's word-the ultimate compliment)
C- car expert
O- optimistic
T- tough
T- tremendous

Don't Pass It On

Gossip
I love the visualization of this video. It's pretty poignant, don't you think.

Thank You Thursday

..... little things that make me smile in random order

cupcakes

photo courtesy of Country Living


baby sugar

picture from Marci

watermelon on a sunny day



my kid's accomplishments

ribbons, ribbons, ribbons

photo courtesy of flickr

my favorite person on the planet

(grandad & Preston)


cafe rio pork salad
copy cat recipe and photo from" Favorite Family Recipes"

the Houston Temple

really there are so many things that make me smile.....
what makes you smile?

Something to Think About

"You can tell more about a person by what he says about others photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings
than you can by what others say about him."

~Leo Aikman

I'm in Love

Well, once again I'm madly in love or should I say obsessed....this new line of fabric from Paula Prass's newest collection, Summer Soiree' is amazing.

Gluten Free Yumminess

Delightfully light, these chocolate cupcakes rely on egg whites instead of flour and leaveners for texture.
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 22

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips)
• 6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Melt butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir to combine, then remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until peaks are stiff and glossy but not dry (do not overbeat). Whisk one quarter of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes are just set in centers, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes (their centers will sink). Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are baked; keep at room temperature until ready to serve, topped with scoops of ice cream, if desired.

See our
Father's Day Count Down
at
Pineapple Hill Blog
"21 Days Devoted to Dad"

Day 1