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

Bye-bye Popcorn

I did something this past weekend I swore I'd never do. It all began here:

This is my laundry/pantry room here at the farm. Unorganized and needing some help. But it has great shelves to the right as you walk in. Lots of them which I like a lot!

However, there was this:

The cabinet above the washer...too high for me to reach the laundry detergent comfortably. So I asked Bruce very sweetly if he could remove it. He made some kind of teasing remark. Um, no, seriously - I want it gone...I think he may of grumbled but in the end, he tore it out.

And then there was this:

Whoever had built this, had nailed a board to the ceiling so no popcorn in that place. Bruce was a little miffed...probably thought I was going to make him try to match the texture of the existing popcorn.
"Oh no," I told him. "I will just have to scrap it off ."
Then he really frowned because I'm sure he thought it would be hard and I'd want him do it. I was pretty sure I could handle it. (I could) And that is how I ended up doing the one thing I said I'd never do...scraping popcorn.

And it was messy; very messy.

Sometimes, we just have to go with what we're handed. I did and although messy, it was fairly easy to do. I won't tackle the other ceilings however unless I'm forced to. :o)

My next laundry room project will be a little more challenging but I think I've figured it out. I've been playing with different techniques. But that's a story for another time!

Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
Cecilia

Please visit these parties I'm linking with below. Lots of talent showcased each week!
Life On Lakeshore Drive Come-share-your-talent-at-bouquet-of talent
DIY Show Off That-diy-party