July Glimpses

It is summer.  It is hot.  Money is tight with a few extra bills and our plans for vacation next month, but we can still squeeze out a couple dollars for a treat at Sonic's happy hour - limeades and slushies for half price!  We can get something for all of us for just four little dollars!
We made apricot jam today with a box I bought using some of my grocery budget this week.  What we didn't make into jam I put in the dehydrator to dry, and of course left some for munching fresh.  We will so appreciate the sweetness of the fruit this winter when there is nothing local and fresh growing. There is very little that beats fresh fruit picked down the road, and the gorgeous orange of the jam... well, it's in a class of beauty all its own!

Rosemary Joy is growing so fast I can't believe it.  She is my delight and her middle name was well-chosen; sweet, smiley, a pretty good sleeper most of the time.  My two older girlies like to "help" in the garden, although that often means trampling young plants or yanking the pea vines so hard they are uprooted... and other very helpful things like that!  :)  It is nice to have their company out there when I am pulling weeds though, and they are learning all about the different plants and I love that.  Our first tomato will probably be ripe tomorrow or the next day, and I was reflecting on how we watch so closely for the first one to fade from green to pale pink into deeper reds, and then all of a sudden - BOOM - we are overrun by tomatoes and I will be looking for canning recipes for them too.  I am feeling more adventurous about canning and will try some new things on my own this year.  

I think an angel food cake needs to be one of my kitchen projects tomorrow too, since I just love them; they are light and delicious and Weight Watchers friendly, and I have an abundance of fresh eggs to use up!