The Countdown Begins

Yay, the countdown begins for my high school graduation from homeschool!  I can't believe I am a senior already, I am so excited, but at the same time a bit nervous as I think about attending community college next year.  So much to do during this school year......order my cap/gown, get graduation pictures done, get a class ring, write an essay for scholarship money, go visit a college, and plan a graduation party.  I am also getting started with my college-prep math so I can score better on the college entrance test and not have to deal with many pre-requisite math classes.  I am all set for freshman college English since I already tested into that.  Along with the map prep, I am also taking Bible, Government/Economics, art, practicing my music, and currently reading the "Hobbit". 

The rest of my summer wasn't too bad, I enjoyed my 4-H field trip and visiting friends...plus my big brother came home from his summer missions trip, it was great to see him again.  I also found out that the dentist will be needing to refer me to an oral surgeon to have my wisdom teeth removed about six months from now.....yikes!  I don't really want to have that done, but the dentist says that, if I don't, then my wisdom teeth will misalign the rest of my teeth.  And then I would have to get my braces re-done all over again, so it just can't be helped.  Sigh!

Well I need to get going here, I didn't sleep too well last night so I am tired.....ugh, stupid allergies again!

Catlover2

I'm melting

Ok, I am positively melting here, lol.  After getting a bunch of rain all last week, the temperatures are now in the 90's.  I am so ready for a trip to the lake so I can cool off .  I have mostly been staying inside, except for going outside to help mow the lawn.  Thing is, I literally bake in the sun if I don't use sunscreen, so I always make sure I use plenty of it....and drink tons of water too before I go out.  Even then, my cheeks still get red, not from sunburn, but from just being hot.  I also got all hot and tired from chasing our younger dog Milo , he got loose out of his collar when my sister was taking him for a walk.  One time we chased him thru the neighborhood for 20 minutes, the next time we had to chase him for 30 minutes before I finally caught him.  Aaaargh, I was so mad at that dog , guess you can see why I like cats better .  I was so hot after chasing that dumb dog.  Sigh...definitely time for a trip to the lake!

Not much has been going on here.  My mom and I and my younger sister all went to see the fireworks  , they were great!  We had managed to get a good spot on the dock, right on the river there where the fireworks were going to be shot off  of a barge in the river.  It kind of felt like the fireworks were shaking the deck we were on.....it was fun!  Both my mom and dad each had a birthday after that, their anniversary is on the 26th which makes July a busy month of celebrating, lol.  I continue to practice my driving, I have to practice a certain number of hours before I can go in and try for my limited provisional license.  Once I have that, I can drive alone or take along one of my sisters with me....and maybe try out driving on the highway.  But I am still going to have my mom with me when it comes to that highway driving, people are such insane drivers it makes me nervous . 

Well, as I said, not much going on for now, although I am looking forward to a 4-H activity, my brother coming home from his missions trip, and meeting up with friends.  Have a cool day!

Catlover

4th of July Angel Food Flag Cake

  With Independence Day coming upon us in a couple of days, I thought I would post a tasty recipe for the holiday.  It's called Angel Food Flag Cake and it looks delicious.....especially the blueberries, lol!  Enjoy!



Angel Food Flag Cake

 

Ingredients

1   package Betty Crocker® white angel food cake mix                       

1 1/4

cups water

3

cups fresh or frozen unsweetened (thawed and drained) raspberries

3

tablespoons sugar

3

tablespoons seedless red raspberry jam, melted

1

container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed (3 cups)

2

cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blueberries

 

Directions

• 1 Move oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350°F.
• 2 Beat cake mix and 1 1/4 cups cold water in extra-large glass or metal bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 1 minute. Pour into 2 ungreased loaf pans, 9x5x3 inches, or 3 ungreased loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches.
• 3 Bake 9-inch pans 35 to 45 minutes, 8 1/2-inch pans 28 to 38 minutes, or until top is dark golden brown and cracks feel very dry and not sticky. Do not underbake. Immediately turn each pan on its side on heatproof surface and let rest until completely cool. Run knife around edges; remove from pans.
• 4 Line each same loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing wrap to extend over edges. Place raspberries, sugar and jam in food processor; cover and process, using 3 quick on-and-off motions, until coarsely chopped. Cut each loaf cake horizontally into 4 slices, using serrated or electric knife. Place 1 slice in bottom of each pan; spread 3 tablespoons of the raspberry mixture over each. Top with another slice cake. Repeat with remaining raspberry mixture and cake slices. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled.
• 5 To remove loaves easily from pans, place serving plate upside down on top of pan; turn pan upside down onto plate. Remove pan and plastic wrap. Cut each loaf crosswise into 8 slices, using serrated or electric knife. Serve with whipped topping and blueberries

 

Catlover

Resting my brain!

School is done for the summer, , now I can rest my brain.  But don't think I am going to be bored, I still have plenty to do.....music, computer games, reading, practicing my driving, housework, 4-H activities, cooking, and having fun with my baby sister....she is starting to smile and laugh a little now, so cute .    This past weekend I entered a blueberry recipe contest.  I didn't win this time (two years ago I got third place) but I still had fun making blueberry banana bread.  It was kind of funny when I brought my entry in the day of the contest.  For some reason they put my entry on the table for the youth category (youth category is for ages 9-15).  I told them, "No, I'm 17 yrs. old"....guess they thought that I was a kid since I am kind of short, sigh.  Anyway, here is my recipe for blueberry banana bread, enjoy:

 Blueberry Banana Bread

 

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of fresh blueberries

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a large spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour and mix. Then add in blueberries and mix.  Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

 

Catlover

 

I'm a big sister....again!

 

  I'm a big sister...again!  Here I am holding my new baby sister for the first time, isn't she cute?!  She arrived the morning of May 1....we were all excited at her arrival.  She weighed 6 lbs. 5.19 ozs, and is 18 1/2 in. long.  While at the hospital I had the chance to practice changing her diaper, lol, she was real wiggly the whole time.  She is a real sweet little sister, I can tell she already has a sweet personality and loves to be talked to, lol.  I have enjoyed picking out an outfit for her to wear and helping my mom get her changed.  My sisters and I have also kept real busy helping keep things going at home while my mom was in the hospital.  We managed to do pretty well, lol.  I still can't believe how cute she is, I love being a big sister...again! 

 

 

Catlover

Rainy Days

  Along with Spring comes a lot of rainy days for us.  I've been needing to get out and tend to my flower bed but the weather has not been cooperating...although I'm sure the rain has been good for my flowers .  Since going to my friend's wedding, things have been pretty busy around here, along with the usual stuff of schoolwork and music practice.  Homeschooling is winding down since we only have a month to go...I'm so excited to be nearly done with my junior year .  In music, my younger sister and I have been practicing a piano/guitar duet of "I See the Light", which is one of our favorite songs from the Disney movie "Tangled".  We will be playing it in front of a crowd of people at our town's local Strawberry Festival in a couple of weeks.  I love going to the Strawberry Festival here since it has so much fun stuff to do and great food to eat ....looking forward to this!

My mom will be having her baby anytime now, so excited that my baby sister will be here soon.My sisters and I have been busy helping my mom around the house and helping get baby stuff out such as baby clothes.  We also got down the baby bassinet and got that all set up, baby sister will be sleeping there for awhile right next to my mom's bedside, lol.  Along with this excitement, my older brother will be getting home from college next week...yay!  As I said, lots of excitement going on around here! 

Catlover   

A wonderful day!

 Today was a wonderful day as I got to attend the wedding of a homeschool friend...it was simply beautiful!  I have to admit that I almost cried , such a happy occasion, and I am very happy for her!  After the ceremony, we went to the reception where we ate some food, along with some tasty cake and cookies .  Later on, the bride and groom came in to cut their cake, drink some punch, and talk with everyone.  Then it was time for the bride to toss her bouquet.....and guess who caught it?! Yes, that's right, I caught the bride's bouquet! Exciting!  Below is a picture of me with the bouquet:

 

 

What a great way to end the week!

 

Catlover