Recipe: Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Ice Pops

As a child I loved it when my mom made, what we called, popsicles. She bought this exact set of popsicle molds when I was a little girl and kept different kinds of pops going in the freezer for me all summer long. 

Photo Credit 

That, of course, was back in the days before home air conditioning was common and the long, hot days of summer seemed never-ending. Anything to help keep cool was always welcomed, but something cold that tasted yummy was a real treat! 😋

Fast forward...2018...

My husband and I were shopping at Walmart when I ran across these cute little ice pop molds. I asked my husband if he might enjoy some frozen yogurt pops and he said, "Yes! That sound like fun!"...so...we bought them. The cost per four-pack was under $1.00.

Fruit and Yogurt Ice Pops

Here is the recipe that I came up with. It was enough to make a dozen ice pops...

FRUIT AND YOGURT ICE POPS

2 cups mixed fresh or frozen fruit (I used 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup frozen strawberries and one fresh banana

2 cups plain yogurt 

1/4 cup sugar 

Put fruit, yogurt, and sugar into blender and blend until as smooth or as chunky as you like. Then, pour mixture into ice pop molds and freeze until frozen solid. Enjoy!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Today I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and
all of the wonderful ladies of Happy Homemaker Monday!

Good morning, Sweet Ladies! Happy Monday! And Happy Memorial Day! 💗

I had a great time at spring training last week, but was sure glad to get home. We had had terrible storms the night before I left and, sadly, the wind took down one of our redbud trees and the big cherry tree.

The Redbud Tree - Fortunately, it just rested gently against, instead
of crushing, the bench, but the tree is broken off at the root.

The Cherry Tree - It is loaded with cherries. We're going to leave it alone for the time being to
see if it's got enough life left in it to go ahead and produce this year's crop. We are hopeful! 

These particular cherry trees have very special meaning for our family. They originated on the place that my husband grew up. His dad had them and he gave my dad starts of them when John and I were just kids. Both of us grew up enjoying cherries from these trees. When my dad moved, he moved starts of the original trees and they've been producing ever since. I cried when the big tree went down, but, it was old and part of it was dead. It's being gone will make room for the new trees to grow and many of them are already producing, so that means that we're still in business! I love turning the cherries into pies and jelly! 🍒

Right now I am...

Eating breakfast and enjoying a cup of Twining's Irish Breakfast Tea while I work on this post.

On the breakfast plate...

An egg and egg white omelet with 2% cheese and fat-free turkey breast slices.

The weather...

Right now it is 82 degrees, hot, sunny, and humid. The high today, as well as every day in the foreseeable future, is supposed to be in the 90's. 😰 

Have I ever mentioned that summer is my least favorite season? We're not even officially there yet and I'm already tired of it. 😳 I don't handle heat well and, if I could, I would live in a world where autumn reigned supreme year-round! 🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

On my reading pile...

Life in the Spirit Study BIble, Along the Way: Building a Legacy That Changes Lives by Lynette Hagin, The Busy Woman's
Guide to Healthy Eating by Emily Barnes and Sue Gregg and Ella Mayfield's Paw paw Militia by Fay Risner.

I finished Osage Autumn by Patrick Brophy. In addition to daily scripture reading I am still reading Along the Way: Building a Legacy That Changes Lives by Lynette Hagin. I am also reading The Busy Woman's Guide to Healthy Eating by Emily Barnes and Sue Gregg and Ella Mayfield's Paw paw Militia by Fay Risner (a local historical fiction book). 

On the menu this week...

Monday - chicken with black beans and rice with homemade tortillas
Tuesday - split pea soup (freezer), orange tossed salad with sweet lite dressing, and whole-wheat popovers
Wednesday - baked Parmesan chicken, brown rice pilaf, and steamed broccoli
Thursday - feta turkey burgers and oven fries
Friday - broiled salmon, baked sweet potatoes, beets, and whole-wheat popovers
Saturday - stuffed shells, orange tossed salad with sweet lite dressing, and homemade French bread
Sunday - leftovers

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - Plan the week ahead, do my weekly "home blessing", do laundry, and enjoy the holiday
- Tuesday - Take a friend and my cousin grocery shopping
- Wednesday - Shop for garden plants with my husband and work on my Spring 2018 Bucket List
- Thursday -  Figure June bills and budget, change the calendars pages from May to June
- Friday - Go to the bank, pay bills, work
- Saturday - Work
- Sunday - Church, work

In the craft basket...

This is one of the little girls that attended my nature weaving class on
Saturday. She did a really good job and I love her selections of natural items!

Looking forward to this week...

I've not gotten a lot done at home since returning from spring training, so I'm hoping to catch up with myself and get things done and put away. I'm not even done unpacking yet! 😲

Something interesting I watched...

Hidden America: "Children of the Mountains" 

Although I've never been to Appalachia, my people come from there and I can relate to so much of what is portrayed here. I made me cry.

What I found while surfing the net...

A Portrait of the Ozarks - Part 1 - Shannon County: Home

Shannon County Missouri is where my dad lived when he was a boy. We used to visit family there when I was growing up and many memories were made when we'd spend weekends camping on the Jack's Fork River. A lot of my ancestors, including my great-grandparents are buried there and those hills and hollers are filled with many of my cousins and their families. Shannon County, Missouri will always hold a special place in my heart and the mist in those mountains still beckons me to visit as often as possible. 🌄

From the camera...

Our next-to-the-youngest son and his wife had the family over for a cookout yesterday and I had a blast making memories with the grandchildren. They took turns riding with me as I drove each of them around the block on my son's four-wheeler. Then, their uncle hooked the trailer up and they got to go for a hayride. It was a lot of fun! 💗

Scripture passage...

Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! And I'll see you next week! 💗

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca

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Happy Homemaker Monday - May 21, 2018

Today I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and
all of the wonderful ladies of Happy Homemaker Monday!

Good morning, Sweet Ladies! 💗 HAPPY MONDAY! 💗

By the time you read this post I will be half way through my annual pilgrimage to Cuivre River State Park to spend a few days at spring interpretive training for work ...which has...absolutely nothing to do with homemaking...does it? 😨

It is a time that I greatly look forward to each year, though,  because, not only do I learn a lot and enjoy it, but my youngest daughter and I both work for the same state agency, so spring training gives us an opportunity to see each other and spend a little extra time together that we wouldn't get otherwise. For that I am very thankful! 

Plus it's just a beautiful place to be! And, even though the days are long and the schedule full, it's a great place to get out into nature and relax. 

🐍🌼🐌🍄🐢🐦🐸🌸

The village (group of cabins) that I stay in while attending spring training.
(This pic was taken back in 2016).
 

The sad part is, my daughter is a teacher at spring training and I'm a student...which, is kind of weird when you think about it... 😲 especially when you consider the fact that I home-schooled her and now she's teaching me! What a turn-around!!! 😆 Anyway, because of that fact, we don't get to room together, but we do get to take most of our meals together and do the evening activities together, which is really nice. 💗

Right now I am...

At this moment (if this post goes out on time, as scheduled) I am most likely having breakfast in the dining hall and getting ready to start a very full day of classes. Tonight, I get to present a program representative of the park at which I work for the very first time at spring training. I'm both excited and a bit nervous about it. 😳

On the breakfast plate...

There's no way to know this in advance. Most of our meals are catered in (lunch and supper anyway) and breakfast is usually cooked by staff...breakfast burritos, pancakes, etc, plus there is, generally, a choice of cold items available like yogurt, fresh fruit, milk, and juice. I just grab whatever appeals to me each morning and call it good! 🍎🍩🍐🍳🍓

The weather...

According to the forecast before I left, the high at Cuivre today was supposed to be 83 degrees. Last year at spring training it was so chilly that we about froze to death that first night. The next morning, one of the ladies ran into town and brought back blankets that had been marked down on clearance at Walmart for all of us that wanted them. They proved to be a real blessing the rest of the trip. I packed mine and brought it along this year just in case. I don't think I'm going to need it though. 😅

On my reading pile...

I finished That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright, but am still reading Along the Way - Building A Legacy That Changes Lives by Lynette Hagin. In addition to that, I have added a whole stack of new books (including Osage Autumn by Patrick Brophy) to my reading pile, but I will save most of them for next week. 😊

Life in the Spirit Study Bible, Along the Way - Building A Legacy That Changes
Lives by Lynette Hagin and That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright

Osage Autumn by Patrick Brophy

On the menu this week...

With me being gone a good part of the week, dh will be on his own, but, he's a good cook and as long as he's got plenty of pasta on hand, he's happy (he's half-Sicilian on his mom's side...pasta makes him very happy!). 😊😋🍝😍 As for when I get home, I'll just have to see what's on hand at that point and, maybe, make a trip to the grocery store before I figure it out, so I'm not even going to worry about making menu plans this week.

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - Spring interpretive training 
- Tuesday - Spring interpretive training 
- Wednesday - Spring interpretive training; travel home 
- Thursday -  Unpack, rest, regroup, and recover
- Friday - Run errands, go to the grocery store, and relax as much as possible
- Saturday - Work (nature bingo and Nature Weaving program)
- Sunday - Church; cookout at son and dil's

In the craft basket...

Paper Trade Beads - Am going to spend the
summer making these for Prairie Jubilee.

Need to make nature weaving samples
 before Saturday's program.

Looking forward to this week...

Attending spring training and spending time with my youngest daughter. Am also looking forward to tomorrow night's storytelling with sweet Libby and my nature weaving class on Friday. 

Libby's storytelling and music is always something to look forward to!

Something interesting I watched...

Woke up just in time to see the archbishop declare Harry and Meghan husband and wife live on Facebook, then watched a good portion of the coverage that followed. I've never been a huge Harry fan and knew absolutely nothing about Meghan, but I was a Princess Diana fan and know that, had she still been here, she would have been right there in the middle of everything, enjoying her son's wedding. For her sake I'm glad that both of her boys have have found love and contentment. I believe that William has in Kate anyway. Let's hope that Harry has in Meghen (and vice-versa).

What I found while surfing the net...

Crazy Crow Trading Post - I ordered a 1/2-kilo of reproduction trade beads from them and they are beautiful! 💗

Chevron Assortment Trade Beads From Crazy Crow Trading Post

Authentic Native American Trade Beads
on Display at Prairie State Park

(Is it my imagination or do trade beads just keep coming up?) 😆

From the camera...

Cuivre River - Cuivre River State Park

Scripture passage...

Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! And I'll see you next week! 💗

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca

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and all the wonderful ladies of Happy Homemaker Monday!

Good morning, Sweet Ladies! 💗 Happy Monday! 

I pray that last week was a good one for you and that the one ahead is even better! A belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Hanging Basket of Mother's Day Flowers From DH

My week last week went well. It was kind of the calm before the storm. Had a couple of down days, which was really nice...tea with my eldest daughter and one of her girlhood friends on Monday and a day spent exploring area museums and discovering area history on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were spent working in the yard, reading, and working around the house, and Friday it was back to work. In fact, I'm in the middle of a seven day work stretch right now as we get in the last of this year's school groups (year-end field trips). Granted, am only working half-days on some of them, but, still...it's a little bit different than what I'm used to. 

Hanging Basket of Mother's Day Flowers From DD

I've got a crazy busy week ahead and have been working on this post...a little here and a little there...ahead of time in hopes of having all but the last minute details done before having to leave for work this morning...and I think I've managed to do it. 

Basket of Mother's Day Flowers From DD

Let's get right on with this week's post...shall we??? 😊

Right now I am...

Working on this post while eating breakfast and getting ready to head to work.

On the breakfast plate...

THM Sweatpants Oatmeal and a piping hot cup of Twining's Irish Breakfast tea

The weather...

Much hotter than I would like for it to be! At the moment it's 74 degrees and sunny. The high today is supposed to be around 90 and we do have a slight chance of pop up thunderstorms throughout the day. The ten-day forecast promises temperatures that are a little cooler on some days, but, for the most part, it's going to stay pretty warm. 🌞

On my reading pile...

In addition to daily scripture reading I am still reading Along the Way - Building A Legacy That Changes Lives by Lynette Hagin and That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright

Life in the Spirit Study Bible, Along the Way - Building A Legacy That Changes
Lives by Lynette Hagin and That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright

On the menu this week...

Monday - split pea soup, orange tossed salad with sweet lite dressing, and whole-wheat popovers
Tuesday - tamale pie, orange slices and pineapple on leaf lettuce, and steamed broccoli
Wednesday - leftover meatloaf (freezer), cheese scalloped potatoes, carrot-beet salad, whole-wheat popovers
Thursday - chicken with black beans and rice with homemade tortillas
Friday - broiled salmon, baked sweet potatoes, beets, and whole-wheat popovers
Saturday - stuffed shells, orange tossed salad with sweet lite dressing, and homemade French bread 
Sunday - out of town

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - Work in the morning (school group), plan the week ahead, do my weekly "home blessing", laundry, wash bedding for spring training
- Tuesday - Fox in the Forest library programs (11:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.)
- Wednesday - Work in the morning (school group)
- Thursday -  Work in the morning (school group)
- Friday - Shopping for (and before I leave for) spring training 
- Saturday - Pack then spend a quiet evening with my husband
- Sunday - Leave for spring training

In the craft basket... 

Fox face preschool craft for upcoming Fox in the Forest library programs.

Looking forward to this week...

Getting through the last of the school groups for the year, heading for spring interp training, and getting to spend a few days with my youngest daughter.

Something interesting I watched...

The water of the Marais des Cygnes River (Marsh of the Swans in French) flowing slowly east-southeastwardly under the bridge at Papinville. Just a little further down the way, the Marais des Cygnes joins the Little Osage and, together, they form the Big Osage.

The historic Papinville Bridge was constructed in 1884 and is the only remaining nineteenth century pinned Pratt through-truss bridge in Bates County Missouri. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

What I found while surfing the net...

A new book of interest...

Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia - A Civil War Saga in Vernon County, MO

I ordered it and can't wait to delve into it. I have an insatiable appetite for Civil War and local history...especially where the battles fought on the Western Border are concerned.

From the camera...

My three-tier tea tray filled with scones and wrapped
chocolates from last Monday morning's tea.

Scripture passage...

Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! 

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca

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