Purple Feet at the Grape Stomp!

I'm a little slow in getting this post written. Just been taking it easy and enjoying summer.

One of the enjoyable things we've done is the Grape Stomp our neighbor holds each year. The crowd gathered under the trees:

The grapes are ripe and ready:

And there is always good fun as in the "Lucy Look Alike" contest (from the "I Love Lucy" show where Lucy and Ethel stomp grapes) and of course, getting to stomp the grapes ourselves:

Friends stomping the grapes

That's me stepping into the grapes

 ooo, squishy...

Stomping fun!

  and then stepping onto a t-shirt:

Friends stepping onto their shirts

The finished T

Purple feet...ok, they weren't this purple
but trust me, they were purple!

Grape Stomp T-shirts all over the place, hanging to dry:

Great music too. This year we got to hear Purple Velvet Fox, a jazz band, (don't you just love that name? They were fantastic!):

Really bad picture of them; they were staying in the shade of the canopy

and the Rankin Twins, country-ish. Such tight harmony and as cute as can be:

Good food and wine - of course. All done to support the Volunteer fire departments of Montalba and Elmwood.

Bruce and I had such fun:

Actually got a picture of Bruce. He usually has the camera.

 We'll be back next year! Thanks, Simon.

Weekend of Fun Plus Best Pancakes Ever!

I didn't get a whole lot done this weekend. Instead we had friends up for a visit.
We met them in town and checked out the Pop-Up Art Gallery, then we had lunch at a great sandwich shop in downtown Palestine. Later, we headed back to the farm to get ready for an evening of fun:

You see, we are neighbors with a vineyard/bed and breakfast/bistro and they had their very first Grape Stomp!

So of course we went and stomped the grapes ( well, our guys didn't - haha).

Me and Susan stomping the grapes

We also enjoyed good Barbeque and great music in the vineyard. My feet still have purple stains on them but I got a cool t-shirt with my footprints on it. :-)

Grape-stained feet!

We enjoyed the evening - the weather was perfect; not too hot- which is rare for July in Texas!

Scott, Susan, Me, and Bruce

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The next morning, I made pancakes from the best recipe ever. My sister shared it with me when she came up to visit. This will now be my go to recipe for breakfast/brunches with family and friends. They are absolutely yummy! You make up the mix and just use what you need.
I love just putting fresh strawberries on top. My homemade blackberry sauce tasted great on them too. Of course, I didn't get a picture...in too big a hurry to eat them. ha!

Here's the recipe:

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

4 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup instant dry milk

3 Tbls baking powder

2 Tbls cinnamon 

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cream of tarter

Mix all ingredients together well and store in a gallon zip-lock bag or airtight container.  Makes 10 cups of pancake mix.

To Make Pancakes:

2 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil 

2 cups mix

1 cup water

Beat eggs in a large bowl then beat in oil. Alternately add pancake mix and water to eggs and oil. Blend well. Cook pancakes on a hot griddle. (350 degrees on electric skillet) Makes about 10 pancakes. Good with chopped pecans added in.

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After our friends left, we did get the laundry ceiling painted and started working on my replacement door. I am trying not to feel like this project needs to get done by a certain time. However, it will be great to have this room bright, fresh, AND organized, so I really want it done! I will definitely paint the walls and hopefully get the accent wall done the next time we go up. I will share some of my projects in the meantime, so stay tuned!

Feeling relaxed and happy,
Cecilia