Pink peony

The peonies this spring were especially nice.  They seemed more robust and colors were better than usual..I don't know why..I didn't do anything differently than I always do.. But, we had a cool, wetter spring so maybe they liked that for a change. This pink has a full, sweet fragrance.  The white Festiva Maxima in the background has a pleasant fragrance also.  They make nice cutting flowers so try planting some if you do not already have them in your garden.. Photo by me..Kari Scott

Fragrant Cloud Rose Bouquet

This was one stem of roses so made a bouquet all by itself. Fragrant Cloud is a robust rose bush and so very fragrant. One year there was a particularly long new growth stem that had 37  buds on it  It was hard to believe..All bloomed pretty much at the same time so was really spectacular..Only 10 buds on this one. Picture by me..Kari Scott ,  of one of my favorite rosebushes..

An Old "45"

This is one of my old  45's.  Vernon "Speedy " Price did the  steel guitar work on it.. On cd In The Beginning  vol 1..On iTunes .. Link on   kariscottmusic.com    Check it out.. Recorded at Bill Wiley Studio in Tacoma WA  some time back..  I usually did the basic arrangement then let the musicians add as they wanted.

The Coupon Craze

     I am glad to see all of the couponing thereby saving money but I do  get a kick reading about the "new coupon craze."   "They" talk about it like it is brand new and "they" discovered it.. Well, they didn't.  "They" are not the first to do coupons.
     Years ago when coupons really first came out, in full bloom, a good share of the housewives realized how much they could save by couponing, so did.   We cut out all kinds of coupons from food to oil changes for the car,  movies, anything that helped stretch the paycheck.
     Along with that were the end-of-season sales at stores other than food stores.  I always shopped those sales...end of winter the winter jackets were half price.  So, with kids in tow, we hit the sales.   They tried on jackets until we found fits, then those were their winter jackets for the next winter.  We went to the store sidewalk sales, usually in the summer.  There I found pants, shirts,  pillowcases and lots more at fire sale prices.
     I saved boxtops and labels and sent in for things like monopoly games, clamp on roller skates, basketballs, baseballs dishes, silverware and anything else I could get that could be used by us or as gifts.  All free with boxtops, labels and coupons. (Betty Crocker coupons got to be a way of life ).
     So, while I understand their enthusiasm, I don't get too excited about it anymore since I've "been there, done that" my whole life.     But, do keep on couponing.   It still helps stretch the budget..

Best Quick And Easy Cake Recipe

Here is the recipe I was talking about in my last blog...Several years ago I found it in our local newspaper.  After trying  the recipe, it became a favorite. Whenever I take it to a potluck, I am always asked for the recipe so usually have a few copies along.
   Ione's Hawaiian Wedding Cake.
1    twenty ounce can crushed pineapple with juice
2  cups flour;   2  cups  white sugar;   1 cup shredded coconut;    1 cup nuts (optional  )
2 eggs;   2 teaspoons baking soda
Combine all cake ingredients and mix well.  Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan and bake  30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees F... Watch carefully  so it doesn't get  overcooked or burn.. Should be a medium brown color when done...
Icing....  1 stick  butter (1/2 cup)        8 ounces  cream cheese (I use  the whipped )
2 teaspoons vanilla;    1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Combine icing ingredients adding more powdered sugar if needed... Spread over cool cake.
This cake is good without icing also.. Good when warm, too.   I don't use nuts in the cake..  Enjoy...

Cleaning cupboards , etc.

When at last summer comes here and the weather gets too warm for me to be comfortable working outside, I try to find quiet things to do in the house.   I had saved  a few different magazines i.e. had  a one year subscription to  three or four then stopped each as they ran out.  Of course  the magazines had so many good recipes and articles that I could not bear to  let them go...Well, I was looking at them in their neat plastic crates and thought  there must be  a better way to use the space...maybe leave it empty?  So a few days ago  I set them all out..If I start a project I usually finish it in due time.. My Dad always said I had stick-to-itiveness.   So today I sat down with a stack of Family Circles.. Now I have a stack of recipes that I hope to try as I go along..There were so many that looked easy and good that I tore the pages out..Then saw some articles  that I thought would be good for me and a couple of others to read...So my  pile of magazines has gotten considerably smaller but  I just cannot help myself when I see good recipes...
Many years ago I saw a recipe in a local  newspaper  column..It looked so easy i.e. put it all into a bowl and mix then into a pan and bake.. I use that usually when I have to bring something to a potluck and everyone  is impressed and wants the recipe..I try to remember to have a few copies along so they can take  a recipe along home with them..  So, no matter how many recipes  I gather, I am always looking for another easy and good one..  Still have quite a few magazines to go through so will have to be very selective  as I read the rest of them. Maybe next  blog I will write out the special cake recipe.