Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Hi everyone!  Are you ready for the weekend?  Week before last, I made some homemade chocolate ice cream.  We purchased a Cuisinart ice cream maker about six years ago, but we haven't used it a lot.  We used it the first summer we had it, but after that we kind of forgot about it.  We probably wouldn't have bought one at all, except that my mom got one, and she really liked it.  She used it a lot before my dad passed away, but she hasn't used it much since.  He really loved homemade ice cream, and he was the official ice cream churner (before the electric ones came along).  However, he got too weak to use the ice cream maker before he died, so my mom got the Cuisinart.        

   

The Transition

Hello September and Happy Labor Day everyone!  I hope you're all doing well.  I guess today is the unofficial last day of summer.  

     Time to take down the summer mantel decor.        

Hello August!

Hello Dear Friends and Happy August!  Perhaps in colder climates, by the first of August, summer is starting to wane?  Here in North Carolina, it is still quite hot.  My mom's air conditioner has been out for over two weeks, but thankfully, she has a separate air-conditioned room where she can sit during the day and a place to sleep at night.  I've heard about other folks who are not so lucky.  I hope you are comfortable wherever you are during this current heat wave. 

   
  

The Summer Porch

Hi everyone!  It's been a minute, hasn't it?  I can't believe I went almost two months without writing a post.  I have truly been getting some things accomplished around here, so I finally feel like I can take a little break.  In addition, we went to the beach again in the third week of May and spent some time there with our son.  The weather wasn't good, but we still had fun.      This summer, I've been planting flowers in much of my free time.  I'm slowly adding perennials in our natural area, and I'm starting to see such a difference in that section of our yard.  We have a mature maple tree there, and we planted two limelight hydrangeas about three years ago.  They bloomed nicely last summer, and they're full of blooms starting to open this year.  We also have azaleas and Lenten roses there.  This year I've planted several more things, and I'll tell you all about them in another post.  Right now, I'm going to share the flowers on our front porch and in front of our house.     

Easter Tablescape

Hello all!  Today I'm sharing some images of my Easter table from April.  Yes, this post is a little late.  😏  I had the table set up before Easter, but since we left town the day after, I just got the pictures made this week.  Last week, it was cloudy and overcast here all week, which doesn't make for good pictures.  With the lighting in our dining room, I struggle to get good pictures even on sunny days.

   

April Days

Hello everyone -- I hope you had a good weekend!  It's been a few weeks since I've posted because we have been busy.  We had a nice Easter, and I hope you did, too.  We enjoyed Easter lunch at my in-laws' house, and Hal's maternal uncle was there with us, too.  It was so nice to see everyone.  We had a Honeybaked Ham, creamed corn, green beans, a gelatin salad, rolls, and deviled eggs.  I made a lemon loaf pound cake for dessert, and it seemed to be a big hit.     

   

What I've Been Reading

Hi everyone!  I meant to do a book post long before now, but better late than never.  These are some recent reads, as well as a few that I read last year.