Delicious: appetizers snacks and drinks

I love milk in glass bottles! I love looking at them and I love drinking from them! I buy a yogurt drink at the Asian grocery store called Yogu-Time and my girls love them... I remove the labels and hooray... vintage-looking milk bottles.

I discovered that cupcake papers and rubber bands make great toppers for the bottles. A lot of people used to cover their milk bottles with wax paper and rubber bands so this is a fun take on an old fashioned practice... plus it gives me an excuse to use the cute cupcake papers I collect but never bake with!

Why not fill a vintage metal basket with milks to pull out after dinner to go with brownies or cookies? Or keep them in the fridge for kids to drink in the mornings with breakfast? There are so many things you could do with these paper topped milks!

I love setting a pretty table! Eric and I have had the opportunity to have a few "just us" dinners so far this summer while our kids are spending time with their other parents. Eric has now had the chance to eat on china... for the first time ever! Crazy, huh? The first time he ate on china we used my great-grandma's dishes... it was perfect for his first time. Now he's getting used to a "fancy" table *grin*

Mason jars, old fashioned stripey straws and sparkling lemonade are a perfect match for a summer meal!

Delicious chocolate covered strawberries not only work as a great summer dessert, they look beautiful on the table!

I love strawberry season when I can get a 2 lb container for a little over $1!

Mmmm.... Steak is fabulous when marinated for a full day and grilled over charcoal!

Homemade spinach dip using fresh spinach and served on french bread is one of my faves!

Spinach Dip

10 oz fresh spinach
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayo
1 c. shredded Italian cheese
6.5 oz jar artichoke hearts, drained (if desired)
4 oz can diced green chilis (if desired)

Cook spinach in a covered saucepan with a small amount of water until done. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan or microwavable bowl and cooking until hot and cheeses are melted. Serve on french bread (my fave), bagels or with tortilla chips.

Chunk hashbrowns make a super easy microwaveable side dish!

Cheesy Potatoes

4 cups frozen chunk hashbrowns
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
paprika
shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients together and microwave on high until hot and bubbly and potatoes are done.

Dang! I'm drooling just uploading these pics! I love me some grilled meat in the summer!

We had a really fun redneck week a couple of weeks ago... we went to car races on Memorial Day, a country concert one day and a demolition derby another! Every now and then my redneck roots show!

At the races!

Charley Jenkins!

Chris Cagle!

Having fun at the concert! I love concerts!

Rockin' my Camero shirt for the demolition derby!

Nina had to babysit, but the rest of the kids went to the demo derby with us!

Caleb and Caleb

If you've never been to a demolition derby, you're missing out! You can't go wrong with cars crashing into each other!

It was a really fun week!

Now for a not-so-fun little end note...

We've had to postpone the wedding. It's still on and there aren't any problems between Eric and I, but we've had to postpone for other reasons. I'm really sad and frustrated, but it's out of my control. I'll keep you posted on what's going on. I've also deleted my facebook for a while. I'm going through a lot and need a little peace and quiet. Last time I deleted my facebook I had a hard time wanting to activate it again... I like quiet!

Eric and I could really use some prayers right now... (((hugs)))