Multitasking...

Multitasking might

lead to these sorts of things...

...if you are anything like me.

The waffle in the foreground was

cooked for about 25 to 30 minutes ~

It was as stiff as a board when I

rescued it from the waffle iron.

Which, by the way, was still plugged in!

The background waffle (for comparison) was

cooked for the usual 4 minutes ~

It was still edible. :)

How could this have happened?

I had gone downstairs to tear apart the bunk bed ~

Threw sheets in the wash, shook the quilts outside,

etc. etc. etc.

Oops! Please tell me you do things like this too.

Feel free to share in the comments...

I'm sure it will be an encouragement to us all. :)

Have a great day!

Camille

Summer Break

Good Morning to all our regular and faithful followers, Donna our Team Leader and Owner has decided to take a break till the 10th September, and I do hope that you will come back then.
She will be sorting out the winner of our last Challenge "Christmas in July" and also the Top Three places, so do keep an eye open over on Feline Playful.
Have a wonderful Summer.

Homemade Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars ~

Adapted from the recipe found at Lauren's Latest.

How fun is that?

These granola bars taste similar to the

Quaker Chewy variety ~ but, they're homemade.

Yes, they are sweet.

Yes, they are a treat.

No, they are not for breakfast.

But...oh...are they good! :)

On these HOT days of summer,

it is wonderful to have a treat to make

without having to turn the oven on!

Better and better.

I have a BIG jelly roll pan ~ 12" x 17" ~

If yours is not as big, you might want to make half the recipe.

I line mine with parchment paper ~

there is no need to grease the pan that way.

Here's what you will need ~

1/2 cup Butter

1/2 cup Liquid Honey

2/3 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

4 1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats

(Do Not use large flake oats for these!)

2 1/2 cup Rice Krispies Cereal

1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips for sprinkling on top

Here's what you do ~

In a heavy saucepan, bring the butter, honey,

and brown sugar to a boil.

Reduce heat and boil gently for two minutes ~ stir often.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Measure the oats and cereal into a large mixing bowl.

Pour the hot sugar mixture over the dry ingredients.

Stir until thoroughly combined and all dry ingredients are moistened.

Press into your large pan (12"x17"), or two smaller ones ~

be sure to line them with parchment for easy removal of the bars.

Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top and press in a little.

Set aside to cool a little.

I like to cut mine at this point,

and then I put them in the fridge while

they are still in the pan, to cool completely.

If there are any left over,

they may be stored in the fridge,

or even the freezer.

Be forewarned...

they do not last long,

and they taste good frozen!

Enjoy!

Many Blessings,

Camille

Four Months ~ An Update

"Great is the LORD,

and greatly to be praised..."

~ Psalm 145:3a ~

It will be four months ago tomorrow that

Austin was admitted to hospital.

He was in heart failure.

We had no idea.

Four months. A lifetime. Or so it seems.

On the other hand,

it almost seems like a distant bad dream.

How much has happened!

How much has changed!

It's as if we have been given our son back.

He is healthy and well.

The *old* Austin from about three years ago has emerged.

His personality had been slowly fading away ~

it happened so gradually.

It's been like watching a miracle take place

right before our eyes these last few months.

And we cannot stop thinking of all that the LORD has done!

And we cannot help but praise Him for all His goodness and mercy.

And we give HIM thanks.

How different things could have been.

Austin is well. He is healthy.

And we rejoice!

One day at a time.

Cherishing these moments.

Seeking never to take any of these things for granted.

We do not deserve them.

And God is Good. Always.

The future is the Lord's.

We do not own it.

We do not own our children.

We do not even own ourselves!

We belong to HIM.

How has Austin been doing?

Some have been asking.

Thank you for your kind interest.

Thank you for your prayers.

It all has been such a blessing!

Before Christmas, Austin got down to 100 lbs.

He is now stabilised at just under 130 lbs.

He feels the best he has in a few years.

He gets stronger all the time.

He is able to do so much!

Last Summer he said that he would never pick up a hockey stick again.

He has been recently found playing street hockey, and enjoying it!

He walked the entire beach walk (over three miles)

and stayed ahead of me the whole way!

He didn't have to stop once, and I did not catch him!

He is constantly going places on his bike.

There is a new zest for life and living.

He is interested in things long forgotten or given up.

The driver's licence is next on his list of *to do's*.

He's even been helping with our renovations.

How all this warms my heart!

Austin still must take

three heart medicines each day.

Apparently, he will have to for the life

of this heart.

But, God is able to do far above what we ask or think.

We are asking for a complete recovery for our son.

We do not demand these things of Him.

But, we continue to ask.

His ways are higher than ours.

And, His ways are always best.

What a blessing it is to know that

He will do what is best for Austin and for us all.

He is Faithful and Good and Perfect in all His ways.

Even when the road is difficult ~

by His grace, and in His strength ~

we would change nothing.

One day at a time.

For His glory alone.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless His holy name."

~ Psalm 103:1 ~

Thank you to each one of you who

has lifted us up in prayer in these last four months.

You may never know how much it has meant to our family!

It truly has been such a great blessing to us all!

We are so very thankful.

May the LORD bless you all!

In HIS Love,

Camille

**Photos in this post were taken today ~

Austin built an Ikea bed with his Grandpa.

Staying Local

Summer took a LONG time to arrive ~

and now it seems to have disappeared again.

It's the way it is in this part of the world.

We make the most of it.

When the days are warm,

it's always a joy to go to the beach.

We have a local favourite ~

It includes a play area and fire pits.

We were there one afternoon/evening last week.

If you click on the image below,

and look into the distance,

you will see Calvin (in a red t-shirt ~

just to the left of the swing set pole),

and Austin (in a yellow t-shirt ~

at the very far right of the picture) playing Frisbee!

It was an unplanned surprise that I captured

them in this photo! How fun is that? :)

"Our spot" for the first part of the evening.

Can you see the white mountain-top

in the middle of the sky just above the umbrella?

That's Mount Baker ~ pretty, isn't it? :)

The boys had a little Frisbee game going while

Fraser and Emma were at the park ~ I even joined in.

Howie was with the other two ~

he got a chance to play a little later on.

Water activities were enjoyed ~ Of course!

We ended the evening with a cook-out ~

What a treat!

We were so smoky when we arrived home ~

showers were needed all around.

But, it was well worth it!

We have plans for day outings locally this summer ~

It's a blessing to block a day off here and there

to enjoy the area the LORD has placed us in.

What about you?

Do you have any summer plans?

Please do tell!

Happy Summer to you all!

With Love,

Camille

Chocolate Chip Scones ~ Oh My!

Scones are the best ~

But, these are even better because

they have chocolate in them. :)

For breakfast, a snack,

or anytime...you won't be disappointed ~

I promise!

There's one little tip to share with you ~

I can't remember where I learned this trick,

but, I love it!

Biscuits and scones do not like to be

over handled ~ they become tough.

Rolling and re-rolling is not a good thing.

Solution?

Pat dough into a rectangle.

Cut into three strips.

Then, cut triangles out of the dough strips.

They do not need any rolling or fussing.

Pop them on your parchment lined cookie sheet and bake!

Easy peasy.

Want the recipe?

Just click here to find it ~

thank you Trisha for sharing!! :)

Many Blessings,

Camille

Just a Little Heads Up...

Just a little heads up....

I am planning to remove some of the

blog links from my sidebar in the next little while.

If you come here to jump over to

any of the blogs listed,

please save them in your favourites

in case I delete the ones you like to check!

I am not planning on removing those who

update on a regular basis ~

Just those who have opted out of

blogging for the time being.

Just a little housekeeping...

It's not reflective of these lovely

ladies' blogs or anything of the sort ~

I still count them as friends,

and will miss them here!

If you are one of these precious ladies,

please be assured, I have saved you on my computer.

You are in my *favourites* in case you should ever decide to return.

See? I have not forgotten you!

Perhaps one day you will blog again ~

It would be lovely to reconnect! :)

Many Blessings,

Camille