Spring Phenomenon

We don't remember our two cherry trees ever blooming at the same time, but this year they did! I think they are breathtaking!My mountain pinks are also blooming!
Are things blooming in your neck of the woods?

Time for Tea!

In honor of my Sweet Mother's Birthday...my daughter Briana and I had her and her friends for tea! Above, the table is all set and waiting for them. BUT WAIT! Guess what!? There was a surprise on this table! The dishes are a present for Mom's birthday! She admired this lovely Mikasa china at Goodwill, and didn't get them...but I sneaked back and got them for her. :) She screamed when she saw them on the table! LOL

We had veggies and fruit for these dear ladies...

We had a spinach salad with mandarin oranges and almonds, and we made chicken salad with bacon, and put them on croissants, (Sorry, the only shot we have of them is when they were wrapped up to keep them from drying out)

We made Cherry Punch-that was a big hit! The recipe is at the end of this post.

What you see in the center of the bowl is an ice ring I made of pineapple juice w/lemons in it.

My Mom's sweet friend (and my adopted Aunt) Aunt Ree came and helped Bri and I--boy were we glad she did! Thanks Aunt Ree!

Here are our lovely guests--my mom is sitting in front of the china closet.
After they finished eating, we served them mini eclairs and cream puffs on a darling stand (sorry we forgot to photograph them though) If you look hard at the picture above you can see them in the middle of the table). Then, some of the ladies had to leave, but some stayed and played SkipBo
Cherry Punch Recipe
Ingredients:
1 can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 can (6 ounces) frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, undrained
2 cups water
2 liters cherry soda, chilled (we couldn't find this, we used (2) Cherry 7UP's instead)
2 liters ginger ale, chilled
Lemon and lime slices, optional
Directions:
In a blender, combine concentrates and pineapple; cover and blend until smooth.

Pour into a gallon-size container; stir in water.

Store in the refrigerator.

To serve, pour the mixture into a punch bowl; add cherry soda and ginger ale.

Garnish with lemon and lime slices if desired. Yield: about 6 quarts.

Project complete!

Brad finished up his project on the portable chicken house, and he looks happy about it too!
Great Job Brad!

What's up in OH?

The chicken coop--that's what! :) Here is Brad working on the portable chicken tractor for the new chicks to go in when they're big enough. It received some storm/wind damage over the winter. His pal Kyle watches on.
Brad and friends taking a break!

It goes without saying that we're really missing our guy!

The Apprentice

Brad continues his farm adventure! Over the weekend he had a whole lot of fun between church and visiting, but Monday found him doing some chores-above he's taking care of the baby chicks.

Here he is moving the fencing around for the sheep and lambs-giving them new grass to graze.

Looks like he found a friend! :)

Fun-ology

Fun-ology
I saw this over at Canadagirl and thought it might be a fun post. :)

***********FOOD-OLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Right now I'm hooked on oil and vinegar, but I also like raspberry vinagrette
.
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Red Lobster
.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Ohhhhh ice cream for sure ! Or peanut M&M's!

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Lotsa cheese, mushrooms,bacon, and sausage! (we make ours homemade)

What do you like to put on your toast?
My strawberry freezer jam with butter.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Both
.
***********TECHN-OLOGY***************
How many televisions are in your house?
One-used for videos

What color cell phone do you have?
silver
.
Do you have a laptop?
Don't have one but I want one !
.
***************BI-OLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
right
.
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Wisdom teeth and tonsils

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Heavy wet load of laundry to hang outside.

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Only by an anesthesiologist

************DUMB-OLOGY******************
.
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
I think 3.

Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
Never
.
Last person you talked to on the phone?
My wonderful son!

Last person you hugged?
My dear husband.

**************FAVORITE-OLOGY****************
.
Season? All of them, but especially Fall.

Holiday? Christmas (again ALL).

Day of the week? Saturday
.
Month? September.

***********CURRENT-OLOGY*****************
.
Missing someone? My son.

Mood? relaxed
.
What are you listening to? A house in which everyone but me is asleep.

Watching? My computer screen.
.
Worrying about?
Trying not to about anything, but have to admit I do worry about our country

***************RANDOM-OLOGY****************
First place you went this morning? Bathroom
.
What’s the last movie you saw? Skylark.

Do you smile often? Yes
.
Do you always answer your phone? If no one else gets it

It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it ?
I don't get texting sooooo no one then.
.
If you could change your eye color what would it be? I like my brown eyes.
.
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Never been to one.

Do you own a digital camera? yes, I love it.

Have you ever had a pet fish? yes! Tropical and goldfish

Favorite Christmas song(s)? Silent Night.

What’s on your wish list for your birthday? quiet dinner w/my hubby
.
Can you do push ups? ??? only girls!.

Can you do a chin up? Uh, no. Yeah, right!
.
Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
I used to be excited, but now I'm struggling with nervous.

.
Ever been in a car wreck? Yes, one was a bad one.

Do you have an accent? I say no, but when I lived down south, they said I had a northern accent.

What is the last song to make you cry? I don't remember
.
Plans tonight? Sleep.
.
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Yes, when I realized that I needed God, then He lifted me up!

Name 3 things you bought yesterday:
Pineapple corer, lapdesk (only 2).

Have you ever been given roses? Yes.

Current hate right now? Debt- we are working away at not getting into anymore and getting rid of what we have !
.
Met someone who changed your life? yes, Jesus!
.
How did you bring in the New Year? With my family :)

What song represents you? I was lost and Jesus found me.

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Yes.

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
Yes.

Do you have any tattoos/piercings? Just the ears – no tattoos
.
What songs do you sing in the shower? Mostly Hymns

Ever had someone sing to you? Yes.

Do you like to cuddle? Only with my hubby and children.
.
Have you held hands with anyone today? Nope
.
Who was the last person you took a picture of? My hubby.

What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? pop

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? both .

Do you like pulpy orange juice? yes.
.
What is something your friends make fun of you for? My Goodwill shopping habits.
Have you ever ridden an elephant? Yes.

Do you like to play Scrabble? Yes.
.
What are you saving your money up for right now? Car Insurance

When is the last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? About 3 weeks ago.

What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Sleeping!
.
What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Better get started on my Bible reading

Whatz Growin' On??

We have about 3/4 of an acre in a neighborhood that we call home. We all like to grow things, and I thought I'd show you what is happening around here in the garden department.

Above is our rhubarb

These are asparagus, YUM! They're growing quickly!

Above are our snow peas.

Tiny baby lettuce.

This spinach is getting it's second leaves now!

The two pictures above are of our apple trees, they're in full bloom!

The strawberries are blooming too.

These raspberries don't look like much now, but they grow fast.

I'm happy these herbs wintered over. I used some in my chicken soup today.

And this is our grape vine starting to unfurl it's leaves. I got some great grape juice from these 2 vines last year!

Hope you enjoyed your garden tour!

An Ax To Grind?

Mr. Mike and Brad got a workout on Saturday by chopping nearly a cord of wood. How do you think they feel today? LOL Ouch!

I'd say they're glad that today is a day of rest-how about you? :)

Yes, we're weird.

Before my son left to go on his trip, we had a little going away dinner for him. After dinner my son wanted to show Mommom how Chippy goes nuts when he puts on this leopard mask...
But, once he takes if off, Chippy just loves up on him!

Yes, we have a weird family!

Remember those crazy squirrels I posted about?

Well, now that Spring is here, they are out sunning themselves on the top of my neighbor's shed! LOL Boy, do they have the life!

There was a little squirrel.

He ran up a tree.

When he turned around

He threw a nut at me

Anon.

Brad's Adventure begins!

Our son, Brad, has had dreams of being a farmer. And so, our dear friends in Ohio, Mike and Marci have invited him to come there and learn "the ropes" of farming for 2 weeks.

We are praying for him to have a great time, and learn whatever God has for him there. We also hope that he is great blessing to our friends!
And, we miss him terribly already!

Giveaways!

Here are a couple of Giveaways that you might be interested in!

Over at Yard Sale Mama you can win a vintage apron!

And, over at Sweet Home you can win a child's apron or a crocheted dishcloth.
Hurry on over and enter! It's almost over!

Welcome Spring!

I adore Spring!
It transforms my world into my own private garden. :)
Ah...Lilacs...my favorite flower (and fragrance!)
Doesn't this red just pop!?

I love these little grape hyacinths (but they are the bane of my dear hubby!)

Spring brings with it some showery weather. This was our sky last night before it rained.

The poem below really describes how I feel! :)
I Meant To Do My Work Today
Richard Le Gallienne

I meant to do my work today,

But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,

And a butterfly flitted across the field,

And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,

Tossing the grasses to and fro,

And a rainbow held out its shining hand--

So what could I do

but laugh and go?

Take some time to really, really enjoy the Spring! It only stays a short time!