It's hard to believe that Amera leaves this coming Sunday for the mission trip to New England. She will be going with her youth group and she will be gone for nearly two weeks. They will be helping out with a "VBS" (Vacation Bible School) and also going to a Christian camp.
We are wrapping up the final details and mentally preparing to miss her immensely. We have appreciated the "Rent a Teen" opportunities that our church family provided for her to earn the funds for the trip. She did some outdoor work, she cleaned blinds and she had the unique opportunity of shelling a substantial amount of pecans! She is still working on them...about an hour each day, and she is almost finished. She also participated in selling some fundraiser coupons and the youth group had a big yard sale, many of the items were donated by fellow church members. It was a huge success!
Today we are all excited to celebrate Clara's fifth birthday/our nation's independence. This will be a first. ;) We decided that since my husband had the day off and we want to grill and make cupcakes anyway...why not just celebrate our little girl's birthday while we are at it! We're pretty excited to give her a little robot to help her learn more about the alphabet and numbers. We might do a little craft and learn a bit about "Independence Day" as well.
It's just us today. Not much fanfare. Oh, we'll have fun, I'm sure. But these days we tend to avoid the crowds at fireworks shows. Maybe it's because we haven't found a place we'd really like to go yet. We can usually see some from our backyard and I guess I feel satisfied with that. We are not the firework purchasing type. Too much like our money going up in smoke I guess. ;) Last night, around midnight, people in our neighborhood were setting them off and it sounded like agonizing screams of torture. Seriously, my kids were all asleep in their beds and I was just waiting for them to wake up crying in terror. It never happened though, thankfully. Anyway, that's just me, I'm not saying you're bad person if you set off some fireworks. Just please don't do it in our neighborhood at midnight. ;)
On another note, have you ever tried a peach crisp? This recipe will set off some fireworks! Talk about explosion of flavor! The tartness of tender, ripe peaches combined with the crispy sweetness of the topping make for an amazing dessert. Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and eat it quick before it melts!
peach crisp
ingredients:
3/4 cup quick oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 plus 1/8 cup (3/8) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 plus 1/8 cup (3/8) butter, cut in small pieces
12 medium peaches
directions:
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Using tongs, place peaches in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Then place them in the bowl of icy cold water.
Transfer the peaches to a cutting board to remove skin. Using a sharp knife, slice around the peach in several sections. The skin should peel off easily. Use a fork, if necessary, to begin the peeling. Slice the peaches (I cut mine into small chunks). Spread the peaches into a 9x13 casserole dish to form an even layer on the bottom.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly (I preferred to use my hands). Sprinkle this mixture on top of the peaches and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.
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