Homemade Lemonade

We have been making lots of fresh lemonade. Suddenly I have tons of friends who have tons of lemons to give away. And I am taking them all. Lemons are great to have on hand. They can be added to ice tea, used in recipes, and frozen for future use. I wash all my lemons and whatever I don't use I cut up and freeze. A frozen lemon is much easier to zest then a ripe one. I always use frozen lemons when I poach chicken. Anyway back to the fresh lemonade. The recipe is so simple: 6 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar, and about 4 large or 6 small lemons. We have a neat lemon squeezer which we use and we make the whole thing in a drink cooler. I add tons of ice an shake it really well. Then I pop it in the fridge. When we are ready to use it I just grab the cooler and go. The kids love it. It has become a standard at all our play dates.

Tote Bag

I love to make bags. I don't always use them but I love to make them. I think it is because they are fast projects and I can use fabric I wouldn't normally use for a quilt or clothing. This was a great pattern that I found at thimble, things I make and do.

I added a zipper pocket and even a magnetic latch.

This bag was really easy to make and the directions and photos were helpful and concise. I plan to take this on an upcoming trip to Hawaii. It is very roomy and will hold all my necessary laying by the pool items.