July is peeking around the corner!

Monday, yup it's Monday. It's been a good day though, even for a Monday. I worked at school this morning, trying to get the remainder of my school things out of my old room and into my new room so that my friend Sarah can make my old room her new room. Got that?? Still a bit to do, I'll try to finish up tomorrow so that I can begin to make sense of my unorganized explosion in my new surroundings. My one comfort is that my computer is plugged in and when I don't know which way to turn, I can always sit down and feel at peace. :-)

A wonderfully gifted young man named Jeremy Scott was trying to make it to the Olympics in pole vault and didn't make the height he needed in his jump yesterday. He tied for 6th place and needed to be in the top 3 to be a contender. I admire Jeremy so much! He graduated with my son James, and they have continued to be great friends even though the miles have split them far apart. They stay connected playing video games online, they are lucky to have such a great friendship. I've never met anyone that is a better role model for today's youth. Jeremy works so hard and has such a wonderful attitude, I'm proud to call him a friend. Only 4 more years until you can try it again Jeremy!

Today I'm going to share a recipe for Calico beans. Sometimes is nice to have this meatier version of a baked bean. This was really popular about 15 years ago, so maybe some of you youngsters haven't tried this. ;-) Instead of baking it in the oven, you could throw it into a slow cooker and let it marry on a low setting for several hours.

CALICO BEANS

1 lg can pork and beans, not drained
1 can kidney beans - drained
1 can butter beans - drained
1 can butter beans - drained
1/2 lb bacon, cut up
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion - diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

In a skillet brown the bacon, ground beef and onion, drain off any fat. Stir in the four cans of beans and pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and salt - pour this evenly over the beans. Bake 1 hour in a 350* oven. (If you are using a slow cooker, fold the sauce directly into the beans and stir it occasionally)