I'm drowning!

That's what it feels like, at least!
I was curious this morning so I went outside to check the outdoor thermometer.

"123 degrees", it said.

"Pfft, I knew it!" I said.

Jer thinks we are both being overly dramatic. Or maybe we just need a new thermometer.

Really, though, it's not so much the heat that gets me, it's the humidity. It gets to Kade, too. The sun sucks the energy out of his little body, replacing it all with torrid exhaustion.


I guess one nice thing is that even on the burning days of August, we still get to see sights like this:

and the winner is.............

Hmm, lets count up to thirty... OK.... HERE SHE IS!!!

WOOHOO!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll send an email your way and get your prize out to you! Here's what you won:

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I just wanted to say a big *THANK YOU*

...to every person who entered!! You all are so great, thanks for visiting my blog, you are welcome back any time! I really loved doing this giveaway, and I am planning more for the future! Maybe even a sock monkey...
who knows?! :)

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Sometimes it's good to keep secrets

The giveaway ends TOMORROW!!! You still have time to enter, just click here!!

I love hiding places... little corners and nooks, closets under the stairs, crawl spaces under bunk beds, secret diaries with combination locks, old boxes with hidden compartments... I don't know why, since I'm not the kind of person who has anything much to hide. I guess it's just the knowledge of being the only person to know about something. That if I DID have a secret that needed a safe haven, I would know where to put it!

That is what sparked the idea for this guy.


On the outside, he looks like an innocent plush buddy, a little pillow to decorate your bed or sit on your shelf. Or even to cuddle with!


But, he is hiding something. He's got a secret, and as you can see by the look on his face, he'll watch after it faithfully, day and night.


Are you dying to know his secret? Fine, I'll show you. Just don't tell anybody!


He's got a concealed pocket! It's perfect for all your special little treasures that need a safe spot. Maybe some extra spending money, notes from your best friend, pictures, who knows what else! This owl is a faithful keeper, and I hope his new human loves his secret as much as I do!

Perfect Peanut Butter Bars

Hey, are you here to check out my giveaway? If so, scroll down to the post below, or just click here! There is still one more week left to enter, so don't miss it! :)

Our church is having a dessert auction tonight, to raise money for Wordsowers International. Since Jeremy and I love peanut butter and chocolate so much (remember these Buckeye Balls I made in April?), we decided to stick with that theme.

Jeremy made the most delicious peanut butter bars ever, and I cut them up, drizzled the white chocolate, and did the fancy display. There wasn't enough room on the platter to include all the bars, drats! I guess I'll have to eat some myself!


The pressed glass serving platter was a thrift store find, in perfect condition, so pretty and only $2! I also found about 2 yards of gorgeous linen (the background for these pictures!), a wooden spool and bobbin holder, 4 Land Before Time movies for Kade, and a cool old glass jar I'm going to use for a moss terrarium! I love thrift stores :)

So, these bars are too good to not share the recipe! Here ya go:

*Perfect Peanut Butter Bars*

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• .5 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Refrigerate.

2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

3. Melt the white chocolate chips in a glass or ceramic cup. Pour or scoop into a zip lock sandwich bag. Cut off one of the corners, make the opening as small as you can. Squeeze the bag gently and move your hand back and forth to drizzle the white chocolate over the bars. Refrigerate until white chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.

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I hope they do well at the auction, especially since all the money is going towards a really great organization! I know bars aren't the fanciest dessert ever, but that's about as fancy as we get here in this house! Unfortunately, Kade has one of his mysterious fevers again, so we are stuck at home snacking on the leftover bars, while Jeremy goes to the auction. Now I'm going to go read, "Are You Ticklish?" for the 8th time! :)