Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

With July being National Ice Cream month, we've been taking full advantage of that fun fact and enjoying a few yummy ice cream events!

The first one was at our church on what we named Ice Cream Sunday. We always share a meal after church, but this time, we decided that everyone should bring ice cream (or toppings) for dessert. It was so much fun! Five of the children and I worked together to prepare and serve the ice cream.

We had a great variety of homemade ice cream, store ice cream, and Braum's ice cream (Braum's happens to be right next door to where we meet for church :)).

Everyone enjoyed creating their own ice cream sundaes with their choice of ice cream and toppings!

I made two different types of homemade ice cream, but my absolute favorite was the Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream! This is the best homemade ice cream recipe I've ever had! It's really easy and SO creamy and yummy! The original recipe calls for blueberries, but since I prefer other berries, I've tried this recipe with strawberries (last year) and raspberries (this year). Both varieties are delicious and got rave reviews from nearly everyone who tried them, but I think I prefer the raspberry just a little bit better.

Pairing the fruity tartness of the raspberries with the crunchy goodness of the graham cracker crust swirled in the sweet, creamy cheesecake ice cream makes an absolutely delicious special occasion treat!

Our second event paired ice cream and politics. Every election year a local group of Republican ladies known as the Lincoln Ladies host a free Ice Cream Social where anyone in our county can come and enjoy ice cream and cookies while at the same time getting to hear from the candidates who are running for election at the state or local level.

Our family went not only to hear the candidates and enjoy the ice cream, but also to show our support for Congressman Todd Akin who is running for Senate.

How have you been celebrating National Ice Cream month? :)

Lilla Rose Clearance Sale

Come take advantage of this 4 day clearance sale at Lilla Rose!

Quantities are limited, so you'll have to act quickly!

July Update and New Skirts

Can it really have been a whole month since I posted last time? It doesn't seem possible that it's been that long, but I guess it has. :)

These last few weeks have gone by quickly, and I've been keeping plenty busy. I thought I'd just share a few photos to get caught up a little, and then hopefully I can do more regular (or halfway regular anyway) posting. :)

 The beautiful daisies that we've been enjoying this summer.

 Dazzling Sparkling Fireworks Flexi Clip - Perfect for the 4th of July or any patriotic event. It's especially fun to have this year since it's election year. Stay tuned next week for a new Lilla Rose special!

 I made these Cake Pops as gifts for the children I teach Scripture Memory to every Sunday. These make such fun treats, and there are so many ways you can decorate them!

 We love to feed our squirrels with crumbs, stale bread, or other such things, and it's so cute to watch them eat or sprawl out for a rest as this one is doing.

 

My sister found this Baby Cardinal in one of our Cedar trees the other day and called me to come take a picture. I don't think he quite knew what to make of us.

 I've been sewing up a storm in these past couple of months working on custom orders as well as making a bunch of new items to restock my shop.

Eight new girls peasant skirts are in the process of being listed at Joyfully Sewn Designs! If you've been looking for a size 6/8 or 8/10 skirt, I now have several new ones of each size in stock!

Looking for baby clothes? I just got a new model and photographer, so now I can easily add baby items to my shop. Three new outfits (including the one above) will be added very soon!