waxed out creative life

THANK YOU!

2012-02-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

A great big THANK YOU to all for the sweet comments, prayers and good thoughts for my baby Kiah, they really touched my heart! As of yesterday she really wasn't as 'back to normal" as we had hoped she would be so I took her in this morning to the vet clinic so she could get IV fluids all day in hopes of it doing the trick. Her Dr. decided to re-check her bloodwork today instead of waiting till next week and all kidney values are back in the NORMAL range!!!!! This means we have to monitor her Addison's disease more closely and give her shots for it more often, which is a wonderful thing compared to kidney failure, so it's been a GREAT day! She's still there getting her fluids but doing well so I'm hoping by the time we pick her up this afternoon she will be alot better:) Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers, I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart!

Prayers, please?

2012-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

It just seems like I go from one crisis to the next lately! It's only been 2 weeks since we lost the bunny and now our precious Kiah is sick! She's not been eating and had some blood work done yesterday that showed her potassium was high and one of her kidney tests were off. She has lived with canine Addison's disease for the past 6 yrs. and gets an injection every 8 weeks. Her Dr. thought she may need to get the shots more often as she is aging so we gave her one yesterday thinking it would perk her up. So far not much change:( She's 10 yrs. old and the most loving, best dog we've ever had, if you could be so kind as to please send some prayers or good thoughts her way (which ever is your personal preference) I would be so grateful!

Snow....then No snow

2012-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

What a very mild/strange winter we have had here in Pa, we get a dumping of snow, then it warms up to the 40's and it melts. Then another dumping...then it melts. For the last several winters prior I don't recall seeing much of the ground the whole season, it was always white and cold, but I'm not gonna complain:) I am finally starting to feel a bit better, let me tell you, some folks would read my last post about the passing of my bunny and think "WHY is she SO upset...it was just a bunny", well, NO, it was not! My rabbits are house rabbits (I still have one) they live in the house and use a litter box so they are no different than a cat or dog, you get very attached and my pets are my life. He was the "baby" of the family and he should have had many more yrs. with us. But as I said, the grief is starting to lift just a tad and I am thankful. I went into a very dark place, I've spent the last almost...2 weeks doing nothing, seeing no one and just really lost inside my own self pity. I am hoping things will continue to improve or I may be seeing my Dr.

This was the back of the house after one of our snows, notice how blue the sky is:) I am unsure as to whether I will keep this blog going, I've mentioned it before, I just don't have the things to post like I used to. In all honesty I don't want to delete it, but yet I am not totally comfortable with all the personal/family things posted here for *anyone* to read about. I guess time will tell, I am planning on def. keeping my new blog where there is less talk/more pics so we shall see. Hope you all enjoyed the weekend and thanks for stopping by!

A devastating loss

2012-01-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

We never know what each new day will bring . Today brought the loss of our precious Snickerdoodle and my heart aches! Tomorrow would have been his birthday, he would have been only 4 yrs. old. Yesterday he was fine in the morning then didn't touch his dinner. He's had issues before like this so i started syringe feeding him watered down baby fruits, water, and a bit of canned pumpkin as this usually does the trick to get things moving again. This morning he was no better so I called the vet. Anyone who knows rabbits can tell you that time is of the essence when dealing with a sick bunny, especially one who is not eating or pooping. The earliest they could see him was 11:30 so we took what we could get. I knew the waiting was not a good thing as he continued to deteriorate, but we made it over for the appt. he got X-rays that showed an abdomen very full of gas, possibly GI stasis or bloat, they gave him fluids as by this time he was dehydrated, a shot for pain and told me they would keep him and give him some oxygen. I knew he looked bad when I left and my heart was breaking already. I was not home 5 minutes when I got the call that he didn't make it. As long as I live and as many pets as I lose it will NEVER get any easier. If you have or are thinking of ever getting an *exotic* pet, this includes rabbits, lizards, birds, etc. I beg you to PLEASE find a vet who specializes in exotics for their care, it can make the difference between life and death. We don't have specialists here, and today my beloved Snickers paid the price and left us heartbroken:(

Daily dose of cute

2012-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Just had to share this pic of my grandson, he got a Bouncer! Just look at that adorable face:) I made a new post on my other blog imagesofasimplelife.blogspot.com if you want to see some pretty SNOW pics!

My dream house!

2012-01-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

Hi'all! Thought I'd pop in before ya'll think something dreadful happened to me:O The truth is I've been drooling over my new dream house, don't you LOVE IT???? I can't wait to move in!!! I have SOOOO much room and the view is to die for!!! Wanna come over and sit by that fire with me for awhile? OK, I'm pulling your leg, the truth is this is my dream house on Pinterest, LOL! I've been spending w-a-y too much time over there lately, I'm a bit addicted actually. I've been finding dream house pics to drool over, re-living my childhood through all the great old things like tape recorders, HA! Remember those?? You had to push 2 buttons to record and be very quiet in the meantime or your voice would be right on that tape with the song, ask me how I know LOL! I even found a doll family on there I had totally forgot I had as a child, they were hippies called the Sunshine family, mom, dad and 2 little ones, OH my they were adorable! I've been being very lazy lately, fibromyalgia has been acting up bad, NO energy what-so-ever, UGH! I need to get it in gear and get some creating done for the consignment shops because no creating = no sales= no paychecks:( and I'll definitely need paychecks to save $$$$ for my next trip to HAWAII:D Hopefully in July if all goes well. Little Tyler is starting to eat rice cereal and applesauce!!!!! He had a good check-up when the kids got back home and the Dr. said go ahead and start him, growing so fast! My son had his wisdom teeth removed yesterday so some good thoughts or prayers sent his way for a speedy recovery greatly appreciated;) Hope you all are having good starts to the new year and thanks for visiting!!!

This says it all...

2012-01-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

A very blessed Christmas with my step-father being able to meet his great grandson:) Most of you will remember we almost lost him 2 weeks before Christmas when he had an aneurysm rupture, the odds were great he would not be here to meet Tyler. However he beat those odds and we are grateful. He had another episode 2 days after Christmas and had to go to the ER, white as a sheet and very sick, luckily all checked out OK, they think it was a stomach bug or something he ate. The kids and baby will be leaving us very early in the morning, of course they are calling for some heavy snow for my husband to have to drive the 2 hrs. to the airport in so good thoughts or prayers for safe travels greatly appreciated! I hope you all have a wonderful New Year, not sure what mine will bring. I miss working since having to quit my job due to my back problems and fibromyalgia, so maybe a part time job somewhere if I can find something not too physically stressful. The lady who owns the one consignment shop I sell in has outgrown her small shop and is looking to maybe buy an old church and expand, so maybe more creating for me this year, we'll just have to see how it all plays out. I don't make new years resolutions because I *know* I won't keep them, do you make them and if so what are your plans? Happy New Year to you all and thanks for always being such wonderful, inspiring friends:)

Tyler's first date

2011-12-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

We are having SO much fun with this precious little guy:) Just look at that face! A friend of mine has a little girl who will be turning 1 next month so we thought it would be fun to get them together and see what they thought of each other:D
Tyler looks a little unsure of Miss Bristol here as she has his ball, LOL!
and here she is bopping her mama in the nose with the ball, notice how Tyler seems to be reaching for her?? HAHA!
Here Bristol is moving in to give him a kiss, so cute! I hate that my digital camera always seems to *miss* all the good shots, I totally missed the hug she gave him:( It was too cute!
My friend Casey holding Tyler:) We are down to only 2 more days with them and it's gonna be HARD to let them go, but such is life, we will just look forward to the next visit:) Hope you all enjoyed your holiday and I dread the cleaning up/putting away of all the Christmas stuff but it must be done. Thanks for stopping by to visit, have a great evening!

Some of our Christmas

2011-12-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it has come and gone for another year! Hope you all had a wonderful time:) Thought I'd share some of our pics with you all of our Christmas. Chris and I above, a.k.a the grandparents with Tyler, he was all decked out in his little flannel shirt and overalls for Santa!
Tyler studying a talking duck toy he got for in the bathtub, lol, he loves his baths! He has been quite fussy, reminds me of the colic days of my son's babyhood, you feel so sorry for them when they just cry and cry.....
At my parents' my son & dil both got orange hunting hats, LOL, kinda scary:O
My step-dad in the background, so blessed he was here to share our Christmas, he got my DIL her own hunting rifle as she wants to start hunting with my son when he gets out of the Army ( in 2.5 years....YES I'm counting;) he had a special *pink* camo strap added to it as she is a pink loving gal! She was very suprised by this gift:)
My son got a new gun as well, actually several, because on top of the new one, grandpa gave him his whole gun collection! He had quite a close call a couple weeks ago, and he seems very uninterested in material things now, he wanted to give the collection to my son in person rather than *by Will* it was a huge surprise to my son and very touching to witness, I still tear up thinking about it! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well:)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! Just wanted to stop in and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and many blessings and joys of this holiday season! We are SO enjoying having the kids and this little one here:) Tyler did well on the long flight, slept for alot of it and only got fussy near the end:) When we got them at the airport their luggage was not there, UGH, but they got it the following day.
Kiah has appointed herself *baby-sitter* LOL, she likes to keep an eye on Tyler, so cute! My DIL has requested we make some cookies for Santa today so that is the plan, should be fun:)
Yesterday my baby boy turned 20, I just can't believe it!!!! I am so very blessed that he got to be HOME for his birthday as well and what's even more special is that Grandpa could be a part of it:) You can see Ryan serving grandpa a slice of his birthday cake:) When I asked what kind of cake he wanted he requested HOMEMADE chocolate cake with white icing and crushed oreos on top, an old favorite, LOL, so that is exactly what he got!!! I hope each one of you has a wonderful Christmas and thanks for being so special!!!

It's almost Christmas!

2011-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hi friends, sorry I haven't been posting much or reading blogs for that matter, it's just been overwhelming with everything going on and it doesn't look like things will settle down anytime soon. my step-father got out of the hospital today with the condition that he has someone with him 24/7. So while my mother goes to work everyday he will come here where I can keep an eye on him and help him. He has a huge band that goes around his whole mid-section that has to come off every time he uses the bathroom then he needs help tightening it back up, it holds the muscles taught and keeps everything together snug. No driving for 8 weeks and so on, lots of dr. appt.s, so I'm sure it will keep us hopping. Tues evening we will be heading to the airport for the kids and baby Tyler, I tear up just thinking about it, just can not wait to see them!!!! My husband hasn't seen our son since last Christmas so he is super excited to see them all! I will try to pop in with some pics before Christmas, hope you are all enjoying this holiday season:)

God bless our military!

2011-12-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas Poem

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

This poem was written by a Marine. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men,women, and Canadian Forces for our being able to celebrate these festivities.
Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed

Holiday snowball cookies

2011-12-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much time for baking with all that has been going on, but I was home today and made these cookies and they are so good:) Here's the link for the recipe if you care to try them..http://bakingbites.com/2010/12/swirled-holiday-snowball-cookies/
my stepfather is doing OK, he has been graciously given a bit more time on this earth and for that we are thankful, but he is not in good shape. He was a smoker for most of his life and did manage to quit several yrs. ago after he had a quad. bypass, but since then he has turned to food and gets no exercise. His arteries are in the Dr.'s words "like lead pipes" so we still worry in that regard but for now he has been given more time with us all. Thank you again for all your thoughts, prayers and sweet words, I greatly appreciate them all:)

Thank you and update...

2011-12-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

I want to Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes for my step father, you are the best with such caring hearts! I truly believe the little family you see above is what made him fight hard enough to survive this, the Dr. said it is nothing short of a miracle that he is still with us! He told my step father outright before they took him into surgery "I will be honest with you, you have a 20% chance of surviving the operation" Statistics show that 50% of folks who have a ruptured aneurysm will not make it to a hospital, you bleed internally to the point of your organs shutting down. The last words he said to my mom as they took him into the OR were "I just want to be here to see the munchkin" his nickname for Tyler:) As of last night he was awake, alert and looking forward to mom & I coming to visit today! My son is sick, was in bed all day yesterday, so I am hoping he feels better soon because he is coming HOME in 10 days!!!!! Thank you all again, I guess Christmas really is the time for miracles:)

Prayers needed please!

2011-12-10T03:45:00.000-08:00

Just when life seems to be going smoothly and all seems well something will come along and throw you for a curve! My step father found out a couple weeks ago he had an Aortal aneurysm, it was small so they weren't too worried about it. Well yesterday he had a CT scan done as on a prior one there was something by his bladder and they needed to see what it was. He got very sick and in severe pain yesterday afternoon and my mother took him to the ER last evening. They had not gotten the results of the CT scan back yet so they did another and it showed he had another larger aneurysm there by his bladder and it had ruptured. Of course our local hospital sends all *true* emergencies to Erie or pittsburgh so they flew him to Erie. My mom was too shook up to drive (it's an hour and 20 min. away) and it was snowing so I had to have my husband come home from work to drive her up. He was in surgery 4 hrs. and I just got word that he is out and in recovery. He will be up there for a week and they also found his arteries are like lead pipes, in terrible shape. He had a quad. bypass on his heart several yrs. ago and they were not in good shape then.. Please send a prayer or some good thoughts his way for a quick recovery, they said he was very lucky he didn't bleed to death and that he came through the surgery as it is a very risky one. My son and him are very close, he is the only *grandpa* he has ever known.

I'm ready:)

2011-12-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last few days getting my son's room all ready for the visit, you may remember what it *did* look like HERE not a pretty sight, LOL! My friend brought all the things she is loaning me today so I got it all set up:) I also have diapers, formula, wipes, etc. and as much as I used to complain about buying all those things when my son was a baby it sure is fun this time around :D I ended up moving the bed and night stand to make a little more room:)
She also brought me a swing (Tyler loves to swing;) and a carseat so they don't have to bring theirs! It even has one of those snuggle bags you can put them in so they don't need a snowsuit:O I'll tell ya, they've got really clever things these days! So we are less than 2 weeks to go and everyone is super-excited!!! Hope you are all getting all your ducks in a row as well, it will be here before you know it!!!!

A piece of cake!

2011-12-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hi friends:) Hope your weekend was a good one! Are ya'll getting your presents wrapped and cookies baked yet?? I spent the evening making these candles, they are cherry crumb cake slices, LOL, look yummy:P I've been making a few things for the consignment shops for (don't panic....Valentines;) I don't plan on doing any crafting at all while the kids are here, just enjoying every single minute:)
3 slices are better than one, yes? I've deleted my online selling blog because for all the more I sold on it, just wasn't worth the effort to keep it updated, if you have ordered items from it and want more of them please let me know, I can still make them for you:) I think with candles and scented items they do much better in the shops where folks can smell and see them in person. Not sure which direction I will go with my crafting but wax and fragrance oils are getting very pricey, not to mention the shipping fees:O Since I haven't worked outside of my home since I had to quit my job almost 2 yrs. ago I need something that brings a better income:) I've been busy as a bee in my son's room, all crafting tables, supplies are gone, bedding washed, floor vacummed, furniture clean,walls wiped down, now just waiting to get the baby stuff I am borrowing from a friend:) I'll show pics when I get it all set up, I think you'll be amazed at the transformation! She even has a car seat I can borrow so they don't have to bring theirs which is good because underneath the plane where checked baggage goes is not a clean place for baby things:) Well now that your all hungry for cake...LOL, I think I'll go clean up the mess I made!

Liquid hand soap

2011-12-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

I've been spending alot of time browsing on Pinterest lately and found this easy recipe for making your own liquid hand soap..on familyoffarmers.blogspot.com/2011/11/liquid-hand-soap-diy .html so thought I'd give it a try. They called for using an 8 oz. bar of soap so I picked up a big bar of lavender shea soap at Big Lots for $1.00, mixed it with the water and let it set for the recommended time and it was pretty well gelled, so per instructions I added a bit more water and whipped it in with my mixer.... and all in all turned out well!
I ended up getting a gallon & a half from the one bar of soap! Very thrifty in my book! I know some of you are pinching your pennies so thought this was a good one to share:) I've been busy finishing up Christmas shopping, almost done, and on the count down for the kids to come....18 days!!!! My DIL is sick with a terrible cold so please send some healing thoughts her way so she is all better for the long flight and I hope little Tyler doesn't get it! Hope you are all getting all your shopping/wrapping/running around done as well and thanks for visiting!

Find of the day!

2011-11-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hello all, hope your weekend was a great one! Very busy here, finishing up Christmas shopping, it's been years since I went to a store on Black fri. but I went out with 2 friends to a cute country shop not too far from here, they were packed, I only got a couple small items, not even worth uploading pics of! Today I went with my mother to TJ Maxx and just LOOK at this skate I found!!!! It was the only one they had, only $12.99 and I just HAD to bring it home, although I do not need any more decor, had a hard time finding a place for it so I ended up putting a screw into the door of my shelf cabinet and here she is:D
I've been busy getting my stuff cleaned up in my son's room getting ready for the big visit...only 23 days!!!! Not sure how they are gonna get Tyler's gifts back to HI , LOL!!!! My DIL made Thanksgiving dinner and it turned out good (her first BIG dinner, so proud of her;) My son had a friend from his unit over to eat and he told her it was the best Thanksgiving dinner he's ever had:) It's a wet, dreary, chilly day here today, hope you all have nicer weather than we do and enjoy the rest of the day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to stop in and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! This will be our first without our son at the table but yet I am truly thankful he is where he is and not in harm's way as so many of our brave military men and women are. Please keep every one of them and thier families in your thoughts or prayers as you sit down to eat thanksgiving dinner, there are so many who will not be able to join their families, some won't even hear the voices of their loved ones via phone or Skype. I hope your day is full of love, thanksgiving and many blessings, enjoy! OH...the kids are COOKING a turkey:O and my son has invited a friend over to eat who is there all by himself, I hope it turns out delicious for all of them:)

Floor, finishing touches and a special birthday!

2011-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hope your weekend was a good one! We did some Christmas shopping at Target today for the little one and had dinner at Chili's, glad to get home though as always:) We got our new laundry room floor in, still have to put up molding so the room isn't finished yet but the floor is nice:) looks like tile but it is laminate, it locks together in sheets, so fairly easy to install. Slippery for Kiah so I still have my area rugs down;)

With the new pencil tree my old tree skirt was way too big so I am sending it off to the kids and I wrapped this tea stained fabric around for a more primitive look, love it! I love my electric stove by the tree, no risk of fire but so pretty!
Here is a better view of my new tree *skirt* Well someone very near and dear to my heart had a birthday today....Miss Kiah turned 10. I don't like the fact that she is a double diget now but at least she is still active and healthy:)
"OH MOMMA!!! Did ya have to tell them my age???? I'm still a pup at heart!" She got some treats and a stylish new collar as her gifts and she LOVES to open presents, LOL, so much fun to watch her! Hope your week is a good one and thanks for visiting!

Christmas is HERE! Picture Heavy post!!!

2011-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for Christmas *sneaking* in to my home, it is here...complete and unashamed, in all it's Glory;) LOL!!! Sorry I haven't been making it around to all the blogs, my sciatica is acting up big time and I can't sit for too long at a time, hopefully I can make it around soon and get caught up:) As you look at these pics keep in mind this is just *me*, I am not one of those who spends hours making sure everything is just so, I am what I am and you can take it or leave it if you choose;) I only decorate my Living room and Kitchen for the holidays, other than a small stand at the end of my hallway back by the bedrooms (which I haven't got a pic of yet:O Notice in the pic above, my baby boy gets ALL those candy canes all to himself;)
OH...I see I forgot to put the chimney back on my oil lamp, LOL!!! Below my soldier sign that my friend Lynn made for me, I lined up my skating snowmen:) The lil' simplify sign up there is from my friend Jessica:)
Tyler's rocking pony decked out with Kiah's stocking:)
My tree...we got a "pencil" tree this year as we decided the huge one from last year was a bit too much for us "grandparents" to handle, this one came from Home Depot and very simple to assemble, I actually put it up all by myself:D Now my treeskirt is too big (see pic) so I am sending it off to the kids as they don't have one;) I will just use some dyed muslin and gather around.
Candy cane lights on my window shelf that I made a few yrs. ago, Hot cider anyone??
This shelf hangs by my farmhouse table in the kitchen, my friend Debbie made that crow from salt dough last year, love it!!!
Just some bright red berries here... and OOPS, I just deleted the next pic, guess I'll show it to you another time:(

A cute vintage cookie tin...no cookies yet but there sure will be before those kiddos arrive!!!!
another corner of my kitchen, not a whole lot of holiday added here, just a tad....
This is my stand that was shown in an earlier pic changed already, HA! I like it better now;) still no chimney tho on the lamp:/
A closer view...I made that arrangement in the tin last year, love it!

My year round tree with colored lights, blurry pic, but it sits in a crate that is filled with cloth presents:)
Little wax dipped gingermen I made look good enough to eat
A closer view of my baby boy and my old world santa, he looks so rugged and handsome;) Well that's all for now, hope you all enjoy the day and have any of you started your decorating yet???

It has begun.....

2011-11-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Ever so slightly and quietly, Christmas is *sneaking* in to my home:) I always do something festive with my kitchen window sill, making it different each year. This year I decided to go with fake pine boughs:)
each section had to have something to hold the boughs into place, LOL, so the middle got the candle lamp and each side got a jar filled with epsom salts (it looks like snow;) and a tea lite! Shhh...don't tell, but the jars have rolled up duct tape on the bottoms to secure it to the sill, otherwise the wt. of the pine would just make it slide right off:)
I found these cute fake candy piks, so each side has one of these tucked in, yummy:P gonna be a "hard candy Christmas" as Dolly Parton would say;)
here's a close-up of the jars with the epsom salts! I wanted to add a ribbon but it blocked the lite, so they stay bare.
In other news we are getting ready to tear up the vinyl tiles in the laundry room, which is also for the most part my craft room, so all my junk has been temporarily re-located...can ya'll guess where??? LOL! We have found that some of these vinyl "tiles" separated with time and there are gaps in between some of them so they need to go and we are putting in Laminate that looks like tiles. I'm getting SO excited for Christmas time to come and this little one........................
Honestly, doesn't he just get cuter by the day??? That smile just melts my heart, and he doesn't know it yet, but there is NOTHING this grammy wouldn't do for this little guy, NOTHING AT ALL:) Just can't wait to have him in my arms again!!!! I went to a baby shower yesterday for a friend and there was a 4 month old there and my gosh he looked like Tyler when he was born, LOL, he is a big boy! Hope you all had a great weekend, still trying to get all my inventory for the shops finished up and out the door!

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

Let us all remember the true meaning of this day, a tribute to those who so selflessly defend our freedoms, past and present, let's make sure they know we appreciate them...not just today but every day, take some time to just say *THANK YOU*, it will mean more to them than you'll ever know:)

At first glance.......

2011-11-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

You would think this is the house of a HOARDER:O It is BAD!!! I am happy to say though it *is* contained to just one room....my son's;) Tee-hee, if he could see it now (OH wait, he has been known to peek at my blog on occasion, so guess I'm busted! It's all in the name of creating though, trying to get all my stuff done and in the consignment shops before Black friday;) I really need to get me a workshop *sigh*
I only made 2 of these little trees in cans, they were alot of work but love how they turned out and hoping they will sell!
Goodies being boxed up to head to the mall shop..... it's the most wonderful time of the year, gotta love it!!! In additon to all this, the bed in there is covered in Christmas gifts I have purchased so far, and a baby shower gift for my friend Michelle, her shower is Saturday so at least that is ONE item that will be moving out;) Then after it's all gone I will be transforming the room back to a bedroom complete with bassinet for my very special Christmas visitors!!!! Hope you all have a wonderful day and for those that stopped by to visit on this fine day, thank you:)

Tis the season...to be busy!!!

2011-11-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hi friends:) Sorry I haven't been around the blogs much lately, I have been working my tail off on Christmas Inventory! I like to have all my Dec. items in the consignment shops by Thanksgiving so I am set for those black friday sales:) I made the above candles in spiced cranberry and OH my they smell so good! I'm not able to put them on my selling blog as they are a bit too delicate to ship but hoping they sell well locally! I've been battling a nasty cold the past few days and my nose just runs and runs, UGH, nothing more annoying to have to stop what your doing to go blow:(
Little Tyler is growing so fast it just amazes me, 10 weeks old and TEETHING:O yup, 2 little white buds on his bottom gum! See his new friend?? The kids like to eat at Dave & buster's restaurant, they have games sort of like a Chuckey -Cheese (?) and you can win things or buy things when you get so many tokens, well daddy got Tyler this huge bear and he just loves it!!!
SEE?? LOL!!! He's been drooling like a St Bernard, just look at his shirt:O I just can't wait to get my hands on him again and my son is already packed! Gonna be a wonderful holiday season for sure;) Hope you all had a great weekend, we had a bit of a warm up again here in Pa but oh this daylight savings just makes it get dark SO early!

Quick, easy project and Grammy's lil' clown!

2011-11-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever look through a decorating/craft magazine and see a page or image you really like and think "that would make a cute picture"? I found two pages in recent create & decorate magazines that I liked and got this easy idea. I simply tore out the pages, cut off the torn edge and the bottom (where it shows the page number;) Then found a piece of plywood and cut it about an inch larger all around than the images. I used spray glue to adhere the page to the wood after staining the edge with some rubbing stain.....
and then adhered the second image the same way to the back of the wood. Then simply went over the whole thing with some Modpodge. So here you see the first image of the jam tart cookie recipe for display year round....
but for the holidays I have a Christmas image and it's as simple as flipping over the plywood;) I hope you will give this a try, SO easy! Also if you like the *old* look as I do, before staining your wood edge or glueing on the images simply pound around the edge of the wood with a hammer a few times, gives it a bit of character;) I got an e-mail earlier from the kids and just about peed my pants laughing when I saw this....................

LOL!!!! Not sure if little Tyler was startled by the flash or what but something has him excited:O gotta love his onesie too!!! Well that's all for today, I need to go un-mold some beeswax lotion bars I made today, hoping to add them to my selling blog for holiday sales!

I'm on a roll now!

2011-10-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, Happy Halloween! As you can see though, I've already moved on and have CHRISTMAS on the brain;) I'm sad to report that the snowmen lamps from the last post did NOT turn out (sniffle*sniffle) the dough just wasn't hardening and when it started to dry a bit it was all cracked looking...yuk! So they went in the trash and I have found a new friend named Joint compound! Such a versatile medium to work with, I made up some new snowmen lights!
Then figured while I had a mess, may as well whip up some snowballs, and then some smaller snowman head ornaments:D
Then I put together a few of these candy stick jars with greenery and some berries, and now I am whooped:( Enough work for one day! As you can see in the above pic I have taken over my son's room again, tee-hee, I have till mid Dec. to get my stuff out and the baby things in, so it's all good;) Hope you all enjoy your Hallow's Eve and don't go eatin' too much candy!!!!

Snowman head lamps

2011-10-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

LOL, aren't these funny? I've had this idea swirling around in my old brain for awhile now, I wanted to cover small electric candle lamps with clay to make snowmen! I knew I wouldn't be able to put the lamps in the oven for the clay to dry so I searched online for an air-dry clay recipe. This is similar to a salt dough but much softer so I am *hoping* it eventually dries hard...not sure on that we are on day 3 and it is just barely starting to dry some so we will have to see....
I had some left so I made some ornaments as well, studded out with peppercorns and cloves with a bit of glitter:) Thank you for the comments on my last post, it is always hard when your day to day life comes into contact with evil. I am glad that it has been reported and the police are investigating this senseless crime, I pray they find who is responsible! RIP sweet Buddy, you will be missed! We are supposed to get some cold, rain-snow mix weather here in PA, I guess it is that time of year but that doesn't make it any easier:)

I'm sick of the evil in this world!

2011-10-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder where evil in people comes from, surely they aren't born that way. What happens along the way that brings it on? Our neighbors accross the road from us are wonderful folks, he is a truck driver so he's gone alot of the time. Above is his dog/companion of 10 yrs. "Buddy". Buddy is a rott./lab mix and one of the sweetest dogs you'd ever meet. Sadly none of you will ever get a chance to meet Buddy though, he was shot and killed last night. Not out driving around or at some truck stop or far away, but right here at home! Our neighbors have a big lot of old farmland behind their property so he used to run loose a little back in there, never bothering anyone except he did go to the next neighbor's down the road and sit at their back door to get a few animal crackers given to him. He never crossed the road, he knew better. Our neighbor found him dead at the back of their property this morning with 2 gunshots, one to the upper body and one to the hip. No one heard a thing, it's not known if he was shot there or had wondered away and then was shot and managed to come home to die. My heart is saddened over the senseless loss of a beautiful creature and I hope and pray they find the low-life scum that shot someone's pet and left a huge hole in his owner's hearts!

Why am I smiling???

2011-10-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

I took this new pic of me this morning for my FB profile and found out that later on this wonderful day I would be smiling a whole lot more! Why?? Well it has alot to do with this little one......
and the fact that he will be at my house for Christmas!!!!! Not just Christmas alone, but for 2 whole weeks!!!!!! Yup, my son's leave was approved and they are all coming HOME !!!!! Can I just say that I am thrilled?? I need to get out now and buy the little squirt some warm clothes, lol, he only wears onesies and shorts in HI:) I also already have a bed lined up for him, a friend I used to work with has a pack & play that converts to a bassinet that we can borrow, it is PINK, but Tyler won't care one bit:D What a wonderful, blessed day!

Me from A-Z and the sweet-pea;)

2011-10-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Just look at my precious grandson...7 weeks old and already lifting his head! There are NO words to tell you how much I love this little guy!!!! Well alot of you are doing the A-Z game so thought I'd join in, I first read about this on Carmen from Primcats' blog, so here we go...and sorry I'm not including pics as it takes my computer forever to upload that many;) So here we have Carmen C. from A to Z!
A~Autumn, my very favorite season!
B~ BUNNIES!!! Of course!
C~Car...I drive a Bronze 2001 Grand Am, love it, and paid for;)
D~drink of choice...Diet Dr. Pepper!
E~Energy?? wish I had some!
F~ Fibromyalgia, I have it and I hate it:(
G~ German shepherd dogs, my favorite breed!
H~ Honesty, it's the best policy for sure;)
I~ Irritable, yes, I get this way alot!
J~ Junkin', such as in antiques;)
K~ Kiah of course!
L~ LOVE Lilacs~
M~Middle name...Claudia, hence my bloggin' name, Carmen C.
N~Nature, love spending time outside:)
O~ Only child, no siblings for me:(
P~ Petite...I'm 5'2''
Q~ Quilts, love them to pieces:D
R~ Ryan, my soldier-boy!!!
S~Soapmaking and sunflowers, love both!
T~Time...cherish it, we can never regain that time which we have lost.
U~ underwear, tee-hee, silky but comfy and covers me well;)
V~visiting with friends and of course family:)
W~ wax!
X~ X-rays, yeah I've had my share!
Y~ Youth, wish I could regain it:(
Z~Zodiac sign, I'm an Aquarius!

Hope you enjoyed reading a lil' about me and if you haven't yet, join in!!!

A crafty weekend

2011-10-16T17:59:00.001-07:00

Hi there! What a wet and windy weekend we had here in Pa, just ugly outside, but toasty warm inside as I crafted the weekend away:) I had ordered this new pattern from Dee Duncan folkart and couldn't wait to get started on these adorable BIG (13.5" tall) gingermen! Alot of work but worth it, love how they turned out:D I have these and the mittens shown below for sale on my selling blog if anyone is interested;)
Here I was in the mess-making process:O
and a bunch of warm mitten hangers I made from a pattern I drew up myself:) Love how they turned out as well but found out sitting at the sewing machine REALLY aggravates my back issues, UGH!
For those of you who are not on FB, I got this pic from the kids today, just look how little Tyler is growing *squeal* 7 weeks old and STANDING, LOL!!!!! My son has put in for Christmas leave, I am hoping he can get it, the kids are so excited to come home it would be devastating if they couldn't, and grammy wants to lay that precious bundle under her Christmas tree!!!! Hope you all had a great weekend, have a wonderful start to the week:)

I'm thinkin' Christmas:)

2011-10-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Have any of you crafty ladies started on holiday stuff yet? I know those of you that do shows probably have;) I'm just starting on some new ideas for the consignment shops, I came up with these adorable jars full of cookie tart melts and just love how they turned out!
Here's a closer view of the tags! These are in my selling blog shop (link on left) if anyone is interested;) Rainy day here in Pa, but we had several really beautiful, warm days in a row so guess we can't complain! Hubby is sleeping, he works nights so he gets off at 7 am and goes to bed till 1 or 2, then we are going to Pat Catan's, which is a big craft store and about a 40 minute drive for us, then stop at Fashion Bug, I saw these clogs on their website and they are just calling my name:O so we'll see if they have them and how they fit;) Hope you all have a wonderful day, thanks for stopping by:D

A day in Amish country, Ohio

2011-10-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Hi friends:) We got an early start today on our trip to Ohio Amish country! We found after going several times that if we *just-ever-so-slightly* exceed the speed limit on the interstates we can be there in 2 hrs. and 40 minutes;O One of our favorite stops while there is Kaufman's Bakery in the village of Bunker Hill, they have the best treats, including these huge pretzel shaped cinnamon doughnuts (above) See how big??? almost the size of my whole face, eh? My diet sure didn't need that but guess what, I ate it anyway, LOL, Every bite.....!
Here is hubby posing, hehe, wearing his Schofield Barracks t-shirt I got him in HI;) Lucky for me he likes to go to amish country too:D
Close by the picnic tables where we sat to eat our GIANT doughnuts was a small pasture with this lonely horse so I thought I'd go see him and say *HI*:)
We didn't stop but passed this quilt shop and I had to snap a pic, so pretty! BTW.....there are more pics of the lovely scenery on my new blog imagesofasimplelife.blogspot.com, go check them out!
Of course we had to get some goodies!!!!!
I found this prim calendar in a shop, never knew they made prim ones:O
A book that sounded interesting....will let ya'll know if I learn any secrets from it;) Some yummy tart melts and a BIG mitten cutter. I got a new tart warmer as well but forgot to show it here:(
and THIS!!!! Got this at Lehman's for my grandbaby Tyler for Christmas! It's a soft quited barn and inside are stuffed farm animals, a cow, pig, duck and rooster and when you squeeze them they oink, quack, moo or crow, LOL, how cute is that??? Gotta get him started on loving animals and respecting them like his grammy does;) We stopped at Walnut creek flea market as well, they have this "petting zoo" type thing there and oh my, my heart just broke for those poor souls made to live that life:( There were rabbits, one was missing an eye and another had a hole in his cheek (perfect site for maggots to move in) just horrible, I wanted to let them all loose and run! Well that was my fun filled day, hope you all have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!!

Apple cider season!

2011-10-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My it has been chilly and rainy here in PA! My husband has been busy this weekend making apple cider with his homemade press. Gina from catnapinnprimitives blog suggested I do a post on it so here we are;) We don't spray our apples so they are not *pretty*, but here is a big tub of them being washed....
Then they go into a grinder and get all chopped up....
the cider man...LOL! Almost looks like he's having a bit too much fun:/
After they get all chopped up they look like this:O, then they get pressed and the juice goes into another clean bucket. In the end.....
Ta-Da! Apple cider! There are still more apples to press and a russet tree that we haven't picked as they aren't ready, so this process will be ongoing:) In other news, I started a NEW BLOG! Yes, I had the bunny blog, then the mom of a soldier blog and gave up on both, so we'll see how the new one goes, it will be more pictures and less chit-chat, so hope you all head over and check it out, and sign up to follow as well......Imagesofasimplelife.blogspot.com

Down a fur covered memory lane

2011-09-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

Now don't panic by my title...NO ONE passed away;) I've come to the point in the land of blog where I am truly wondering if I have anything interesting to share anymore. I was looking through some older pics of the furry ones and thought I would share, LOL, if your not interested you can always leave, HA! Above I am with Miss Truffles, you can see by my scrub top with bulldogs on motorcycles that I still worked at the animal hospital;) Not sure what was up with my hair that day, just ignore it and admire the bunn:D
and here we have Mr. Snickerdoodle, isn't he so handsome:) He always layed like this when he was young, to the point I wondered if something was wrong with him, LOL! Just liked to have those rear hoppers close by so nobunny would get them I guess;)
My son and Miss T, wasn't he just too cute??? Hard to believe he's a soldier and a daddy now, how the time flies:O
and of course my beautiful Kiah in her younger years:) She has a birthday coming up next month and she'll be 10, I just can't believe it!!!! Not much else going on around here, the weather is chilly and wet, fall is definitely here to stay in PA! Hope you all have a great weekend, I'm trying to figure out my new laptop I got, and hubby is making apple cider all weekend with his cider press:)
OH....and a special hello to my son (just in case he's reading this;) Love ya!!!!

A touch of fall~

2011-09-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Wow, seems like forever since I did a normal post, what with all the Hawaii pics to share, LOL! I don't do much decorating for fall, just a few simple touches here & there so thought I would share them with you. Sorry the above pic is so blurry, UGH! My prim tree all lit up:)
It has candy corn lights, salt dough leaves and pumpkins on it! They will stay until I re-do it for Christmas, as I'm just too lazy to re-do too often;)
I found this neat pumpkin at Jo-Ann's for half off, only $4.99, so cute!
My lil' pumpkin that is battery operated and lights up, I moved my dough board from the kitchen to on top of my stove, easier to move the stuff off when I want to turn the stove on now!
And that's about the extent of it! I haven't been blogging much, I have been very sad and depressed since leaving the kids and little Tyler, it is SO very hard!!!! The kids are so sad as well and homesick, I had told them before if they were maybe able to come home for Christmas we would do what we could to help pay for the flights. At the time, my son had said he doubted he could get time off as his shop is normally busy. Well he called yesterday and we had the most long, wonderful conversation (YES...mothers of teens, they *DO* grow up;);) he said they were talking and would love to come for Christmas if he can get the time off! He has twenty two days of leave but they still have to approve for him to take it at any given time, so please say a lil' prayer that they will say it's OK, I can't imagine having them and the baby home for Christmas, tearing up just thinking about it!!!! Also if you could say a prayer or send some good thoughts, whichever you personally do...for my good blog friend Lisa, she is very courageously fighting breast cancer and was admitted to the hospital yesterday with an infection. She is a wonderful inspiration to all who know her! Well, that's it for today, hope you all had a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!

Wanna fly to Hawaii with me?

2011-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Before I left on my trip some of you had told me you have never flown on a plane, so I thought it would be fun to get some pics from way up in the sky and share them with you! I will also share flying times as well so you get an idea of just how long of a trip it was! We flew from pittsburgh to Chicago (an hour and 20 minutes) I didn't take any pics in Pittsburgh. We had 2 hours to kill at Chicago's O'hare until our next flight from there to Honolulu, which was 8 hrs. and 45 minutes. The pic above is after leaving Chicago, all electronics must be turned off during take off and landing so this is the best I could get;)
This was a little while later...NO idea where we were, LOL! As you can see I had a great view of the wing, or a small part of it anyway!
For a long time this is what I saw out my window....I was in line to use the lavatory and was talking to a nice lady who was on her honeymoon and she had asked the flight attendant what all that brown was down there and it is flying over Utah! It looks like desert lands with big canyons!
Cruising altitude, pretty sky and clouds:) Somewhere over the pacific ocean!
Getting closer....this is a small island we passed, no idea what it is...Gina...maybe this is Gilligan's island as you mentioned, LOL!!!!
Almost there:)

Oahu! Notice how the ocean water turns from bright blue to aqua green closer to shore, so beautiful!!!! Again at this point we had to turn our cameras off, and missed the most beautiful views of coming in for a landing at Honolulu airport! Can you all even imagine how excited I was at this point???? I was in tears, I just wanted off that plane so fast to get to my loves!!! I hope you enjoyed your flight! This will be my last post on my trip, I think I shared all that we did, luckily my son was able to get leave the whole week we were there so we got to spend some good quality time with them all:) Thanks for stopping by and sharing my trip with me....until next time, have a great day!

A peek at Honolulu

2011-09-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Honolulu airport is on the island of Oahu, the one we visited, so there was no need to go further, however if you are visiting a different island you would still land in Honolulu and take a smaller flight to whichever island you are going to. This was part of the outdoor walkway to get from one section to the other...so pretty!
another view....you can see some of the mountains there in the background!
This was on the freeway on the way to Honolulu, at some points it is 6 lanes wide and OH BOY, I was nervous, LOL! I told my son Hawaiians drive alot like Germans, just not as fast:O He told me when someone cuts in front of you on the freeway they stick their hand out the window and give you the "hang loose" sign, better I guess than that other gesture more common here in PA!
In the city of honolulu, gorgeous buildings!

Lots of skyscrapers and of course lots of traffic! The most beautiful part of Honolulu is Waikiki which I never knew was actually a *part* of it. Waikiki beach is very famous and busy, alot of surfing competitions are held there, but we didn't go there with the baby;) Maybe next time! I am hoping to go back sometime next spring or summer, my husband is going in Jan. or Feb. and I get to stay home and take care of the furbabies as he did for me:) For those of you who have never flown, next time I'll show you some pics from the air on the way over, I had a window seat;)

More of my trip~ Schofield Barracks

2011-09-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Are ya'll tired of Hawaii yet?? I hope not, I still have more to come:) This is the apartment building the kids live in, I love how they each have their own parking space numbered so no one else can park in your spot. Also they are covered, which makes it nice with the baby on the rare occasion it rains, they can get in the car without getting wet:) They live downstairs, right behind where they are getting out of the car;) The apts. are really nice and all have air conditioners.
Schofield Barracks has a HUGE bowling alley on post and the kids like to go bowling twice a week, of course that may change now that they have the baby;) My son asked us if we would please come bowling with them our last night there, and i haven't bowled since high school, LOL, but *HOW* could I say no? So off we went! Above is my mom & son, mom & I actually didn't do too bad, my son was a bit surprised, HA!
Here is my DIL up for a turn and mom's ball rolling down the pike..LOL!
These are some of the older Barracks on post, my son stayed in one of these when he first arrived.
The PX, we went here quite a few times;)
This pic is not on base, it was a fountain outside a gift shop at North shore beach, so pretty. Sorry it is out of place here but when you have around 200 photos it gets a bit confusing!
This is one of the security gates to get on to base, you need to show your ID everytime you return to post after leaving or you won't get in;) Hope you enjoyed your peak into Schofield barracks, next time I'll show you some of beautiful Honolulu! Have a wonderful day!!!

My Grandson:)

2011-09-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

This has to be my favorite pic I took of little Tyler, I love the way he's holding his legs & feet, LOL! My son would have him dressed in camo everyday if mama would allow it;)
Everyone who is a grandparent told me before he was born "being a grandma is the BEST" and I would have to agree!!! All you have to do is love them and spoil them rotten, LOL, no worries about when they sleep, eat or get cranky....just the FUN stuff;)
I was amazed to see my son changes diapers...so proud of him!!!!
It was so hard to leave them all, my heart is sad, but I will look forward to the next visit!

Pearl Harbor

2011-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Our trip to pearl Harbor was a bit disappointing. We didn't know ahead of time that security was extremely tight, I'm assuming due to the 9-11 anniversary, which is understandable. We were in line to go through the security gate when we heard them announce that NO purses or diaper bags were allowed in and would have to be checked in and left at another gate to be claimed on your way back out. First of all, how do you tour something without a diaper bag when you have a week old baby with you??? Mom & I were carrying all our spending money/ID/ credit cards in our purses and were not too happy about leaving them with strangers...so, we all opted to just get some pics from outside of the fences. Maybe next time we go we can go in....and leave our purses in the car trunk;)

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

New car and more Hawaii!

2011-09-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

I had quite a surprise when I got to HI and we were walking through the parking garage at the airport! I was looking all over for the green mustang, finally I said where is your car??? My son said "Oh yeah...about that...." Here they had to go car shopping 2 days before the baby came because THAT is when they figured out the baby seat wouldn't fit in the mustang....REALLY???? It had the hump in the center of the back seat, and I remember asking him when he bought it "are you sure a baby seat will fit in there???" OH MY! Anyway they found a new *family car*, LOL, 4 door and everyone fits;)
Here the kids are posing outside of Chili's after we had lunch there, Tyler was snoozing away:)
Hawaii has Walmart...OF COURSE!!! We went in a couple of them actually and they are very similar to ours here in PA except each one has an "Aloha gift section" where ypou can buy Hawaiin keychains, postcards, mugs, etc.
We saw some really beautiful flowering trees and shrubs while driving around and of course i had my camera in hand;)

Hard rock Cafe, Waikiki

2011-09-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

One of the places we went to eat at was the hard rock cafe in Waikiki, the food was delicious and the atmosphere beautiful! We had to park in a parking garage and ended up paying $7.00 to park there just long enough to eat...WOW, felt like I was in Beverly Hills instead of Waikiki (it must BE the B. Hills of Honolulu;)
The bottom part is a gift shop where you can buy T-shirts, key rings, etc. The upstairs part is the restaurant & bar. They have live bands alot but we went mid-afternoon, so it wouldn't be too noisy for the baby:)
The ceiling that is covered is filled with guitars, so cool!
We were seated right out front with a great view below and a cool breeze blowing in on us:) Me & my DIL, don't mind me *melting* it was a HOT day;)
Not sure what my son was looking at, LOL, but another part of the gorgeous view we had!

North shore, Oahu

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I told my son I wanted to see a beach, LOL, although I didn't want to *go* to a beach with the baby, I just wanted to see one! Probably the most popular and busiest beach on the island is Waikiki beach where alot of the surfing competitions are held. I didn't really want a ton of people and skinny bikini clad girls in my pics, so my son took us to North shore. This is at the top part of the island, where Waikiki is south. There were a few boats and surfers out but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.....the beauty was almost breath taking:)
a stone brake wall
waves
the beach

and one perfect palm tree:)

BIG thank you's!!!!

2011-09-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just look how nicely this little guy fits into my arms:) I miss him and the kids SOOOO much:(
Right before I left my good friend Gina from catnapinnprimitives.blogspot.com sent me a couple things for baby Tyler and she made me this heartfelt purse! Gina... I cried when I read it, and it went all the way to HI with me!
Here we are getting ready to go out for dinner and I took it with me:) Thank you all who sent things for the baby ( and me) the kids were so excited and loved everything!!!! They wanted me to bring all the addresses of those who sent gifts so I did and they will be sending out thank you cards! I have lots more to share from my trip but right now I have laundry and cleaning to do...BLECH! You know how it is when husbands are left with the house:/

Dole pineapple plantation

2011-09-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

What a nice sleep I had in my own cozy bed, I SO needed it!!! As any of you who fly know what a nightmare it can be trying to sleep on a plane, unless you fly first class which unfortunately was not me, LOL! One of the places my son took us during our stay was the dole pineapple plantation. If you ever go to the island of Oahu I definitely recommend seeing this gorgeous place!
The landscaping is just beautiful, here we are posing in front of some of the lush foliage!
Just gorgeous! they also have a huge maze here you can go through with a giant pineapple in the center, of course we did not go in since we had the baby;) There is a big gift shop where you can buy t-shirts, jewelry, fresh pineapples, foods and a host of other goodies.
Here are some of the small plants with different types of pineapples growing on them....
and little baby ones, so cute;)
These bushes were really neat so I had the kids stand in front of them...my son looks real happy doesn't he??? LOL! Over all he was really good about me taking pics though so I can't complain:D
Hawaii has the most beautiful flowering bushes and trees I've ever seen!!! I took a close up of this flower on on a bush, I *think* it might be a hibiscus, anyone know???? Have a wonderful day and thanks for visiting, I may do another post later if I have time as I have LOTS to share!

I'm home

2011-09-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

It took this little guy no time at all to get grammy wrapped around his finger! See how he is whispering in my ear what he would like for Christmas???? LOL!!!!!

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you all know I made it home safe and sound but OH MY was the leaving HARD!!!!! I had the most wonderful week in paradise with my son, dil and my grandbaby Tyler!!! He is the cutest little guy, looks JUST like my son!!!! We had a busy week and saw a good part of the island, Honolulu, Waikiki, North shore (shown above) Pearl city, Pearl harbor, Wahiawa and of course Schofield Barracks. I have lots of pics to share, I took around 160 pictures so def. can't share them all, LOL! I will post as time allows me, right now I am totally exhausted, 10 hrs. of flying each way is too much for this stiff old body:(

Just one more before I go................

2011-08-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

LOL! Are ya'll tired of baby pics yet?? I hope not because I will have a TON when I get home;) Just had to share this for those of you who are not on Facebook, my son ordered this onesie for little Tyler to wear home from the hospital:) Like father, like son! I thought it was so cute with the mittens (boxing gloves) LOL! I can't belive I'll be there and HOLDING him on Sunday!!!! He looks so much like his daddy! I am packed and ready, I won't be on the computer while I'm in HI, just enjoying every single second with my Loves, making every day and every minute count! I get home on the 12th, so I'll have lots to share:) Thank you to everyone who has shared in this wonderful time in my life ((HUGS))

Grammy's lil' peanut!

2011-08-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Or maybe I should say...BIG peanut, LOL!!!!! This is Tyler being weighed after he was born, look at those chubby little arms!!!! I just can't wait to get to him and kiss every one of those precious little toes:) I am in a state of mind that nothing matters but me getting to HI, my mind is not functioning normally, I can't concentrate on anything, all I do is sit here and wait for new pics of him or calls from the kids! Tyler and momma are doing great, so good in fact that they might get to go home today!!!!! My son told me yesterday "he likes me, I can get him to stop crying", LOL, I asked him "what do you do differently?" and he said " I wrap him real snug in his blanket, like a burrito, and he likes that", OH MY, LOL!!!!!! I'm not sure if I'll be posting again before I leave on sunday, I guess it depends on if my brain will cooperate long enough to do so! I've got my clothes, baby gifts and purse packed ready to go, just need to add my makeup and toiletries at the last minute, hair is freshly colored, so no signs of gray, and I've lost 9 lbs to boot...life is good:)

Here he is!!!!!

2011-08-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

Grammy's bundle of JOY!!! 9 lb.s 11 oz. and 22" long! I kept telling my DIL my son was 10 lbs and boy was she close, LOL!!!!! Can't wait to get my arms around him:)

I'm a GRAMMY!!!!

2011-08-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie, and so sorry but no pics, my son's cell phone is dead. What an emotional day spent waiting, and waiting, and WAITING! No calls, no texts, no nothing (we didn't know he would not think to take his phone charger!!!!) finally hubby found the number online and called the hospital, they said they were in delivery, so 2 hrs. later still no news, hubby calls again and they said she's in her room sleeping and my son is sleeping too, so hubby asks "did they have the baby?" They reply it's against hospital policy to give out that info, which is understandable except by this point we are both frantic and thinking the worst because SURELY our son would have called! Oh my! So finally got through to her room and talked to my DIL, she said my son was with the baby in neonatal ICU. He was having some trouble breathing so they put him in an *inky*? I'm asuming incubator? anyway, he weighed in at 9 lbs 11 oz.:) Please say a prayer for him and I'll share pics when I get them!!!

On pins and needles!!!!

2011-08-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! I'm still here, LOL, just not functioning very well mentally:O We still don't know for sure if my DIL will be induced today or tomorrow, she has to call the hospital later and find out, I am SO hoping it is today!!!!! They e-mailed us some pics of the baby's room, here is his crib waiting for him:) I can't believe I will be there in 9 days, where has the time gone????? See those Pooh wall hangings there? I sent those to the kids, they hung in my son's nursery when he was a baby:) My poor Kiah had to go the the vet this morning, she had an infected anal gland (VERY painful for a dog) and this morning it ruptured, poor baby! Luckily no damage was done to her bum so she will be on a nice round of antibiotics! I really miss working there at the animal hospital alot but I know my back just can't handle it! Wondering what else I might enjoy that I could handle physically, not sure! Hope your all enjoying the day, will hopefully be back soon with some exciting news!!!!!

Up to my neck in the garden and packing!

2011-08-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone!!! Today is my mom's birthday she's a young 62, so we will be spending some time with her today:) I am down to only 2 weeks till my trip to HI!!! WOW, where has the time gone?! Still no baby, I'm a basket case, jumping every time the phone rings! I was up late last night snipping and freezing chives from the garden, I have a ton! They are great in place of green onions in the winter months.
Remember the beans I had hanging in the garage?? well here they are being shelled! They were nice and dry so I tackled that chore as well. I must say, for what you pay for kidney beans in the stores, this was ALOT of work:O but something new for me and I bet these will make the BEST pot of chili we've ever eaten;) I ended up getting 2 half pint jars full of beans, but I only planted half a row so not too bad.
Someone here is sleepy today, he was dreaming too with ears and feet twitching, so funny!!!! I want to say a big THANK YOU to those who have sent things for the baby, sorry I haven't been posting them but I've been so busy with packing, gardening and getting hubby ready to be on his own for a week....ya'll know what that's like;) They are USED to having us gals around!!!! But it touches my heart deeply and I'm sure the kids will love all the gifts:) So, better go get myself ready to go to momma's, my step-dad is making us grilled chicken salad to eat, I've been watching what I eat and have lost 7 lbs...woo-hoo, wish I could lose 30 more! Have a wonderful Sunday filled with many blessings!!!!

Nothing new...but a fan

2011-08-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! I haven't been doing a whole lot of blogging lately, just too much going on, the trip coming up...2 weeks from Sunday I'll be on my way! No baby yet but today is the due date, we'll see! We did get a new ceiling fan in the living room. we've had the one shown above for the last 10 years, it was old, outdated, and I hated the gold on it, so off we went to home Depot and got a new one....
Much better:) Except I hate those curly bulbs, they are SO white and look awful but they came with the fan so guess they will stay, they seem to be the new thing in lighting.
I've been working on some soaps as well, these are pumpkin cheesecake scented goatsmilk and OH MY....they smell so yummy!!!!! This is a great scent for soap and the lather is so creamy and wonderful! These will be up for sale on my selling blog when I re-open it in mid-Sept. Hope you all enjoy the day, thanks for stopping by;)

Summer is winding down

2011-08-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

PLEASE tell me I'm not the only person with beans hanging in the garage?! Now before you think I'm one fry short of a happy meal, let me EXPLAIN! These are kidney beans, once they turn yellow you pull them from the garden and hang them to dry, Soooo....what better place? I'm not sure how long they need to dry though, anyone know? They already feel dry and hard but I'm not sure when to take the beans out, this is the first time I've grown them.
Although it's technically still summer here in Pa, the nights have been cooler already and crows are cawing in the mornings, I feel just a bit of fall in the air. NOT complaining, fall is my favorite season by far but my gosh where has the summer gone????
We staked up a limb on this apple tree as it was so heavy with apples. We don't want to lose anymore trees this year, hubby is looking forward to making his (almost) famous apple cider, LOL!!!!
Lots of goodies in the garden, tomatoes are ripening daily now, green and jalapeno peppers, watermelons and acorn squash, all growing nicely:) I don't can due to my fibromyalgia and disc problems, just can't stand that long in one place, so when things ripen all at once we usually end up sharing with anyone who wants it;) I can't believe my grandson will be coming any day now and in less than 3 weeks I'll be in HI holding him, my how the time flies!!! I've been watching what I eat and have lost 6 lbs...woot-woot! Wish I could lose 30 more but maybe in time! Hope you all enjoyed the day and if you get a chance please say a prayer for my blog friend Lisa over at lisa-homespunsimplicity.blogspot.com she is one special lady and is dealing with some health issues, any prayers or good thoughts for her I know would be appreciated.

Working a little

2011-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Thought I'd better stop in before anyone wondered where I'd gone;) No baby yet....talked to my DIL and they scheduled her to be induced on the 26th if she hasn't had him by then, but due date is Wednesday of next week! I've been trying to keep productive but with all the excitement it is HARD, LOL!!!!! I did make up a couple of the pillows above because I love blackberries, not a great stitcher though but I try;)
Also ordered a new fall scent awhile ago, sweet potato pie, YUMMY! I made up some room sprays for the shops I sell at, these will also be available on my selling blog when I re-open it for fall after my trip. It never hit me till I was watching the news the other day and realized I will be flying home from HI on 9-11, the 10th anniversary.....yikes:O should have thought of that when I booked the flight, LOL! Nothing else going on, just waiting on word of the lilttle one and will let ya'll know as soon as I hear anything!!! Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by;)

My son's skills and name that insect

2011-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hi friends:) We got an e-mail from our son last night to show us what he has been working on when he's not busy repairing Army tanks and such. He is a 91E which is welder/machinist combined and he made the big grill you see above:O Not sure who's gonna be cooking on it, LOL, but looks like it holds enough to feed an Army........ haha!!!

I saw this lil' thing buzzing around my flowers yesterday and wanted to see if any of you know what it is, you can click on the pic to enlarge it, hubby thought a baby hummingbird as the wings were going very fast, but yet it was kind of fuzzy like some type of bee.....any ideas???

The bigger they are....

2011-08-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

the harder they fall! so true for many things but also for apple trees! Sunday was a warm, sunny day here with just a very slight breeze, certainly not the kind of weather you would think would bring down a big tree but it did, hubby was outside and heard a cracking noise and watched it fall. Now we have many apple trees here so the loss of one isn't the end of the world but.....
it was one that had alot of apples on it! Also our tallest one, and one of my favorites so I am grieving the loss:(
You can easily see what happened here, the trunk has been split for years, actually since we moved here 11 yrs. ago, there is still a small part of it standing, but the better part of the tree is down. We will leave it for now and see if the apples just might continue to ripen then cut it up in the fall. Also for any of you who are Facebook, I am trying to find the rest of my blogging buddies to add so if you are on FB and we are not friends yet feel free to send me a friend request, I will probably get pics of my trip on there when i get back sooner than here on the blog and I know ya'll will be waiting to see the baby:):):) Have a wonderful day!!!!

It's DONE!

2011-08-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Finally done with this whole porch project and OH what a project it was, just seemed to go on...and on! As you can see I dug off the grass and put weed barrier and red mulch all around the new porch, hubby had added the step as it was a bit too big of one for us old folks, LOL!
I couldn't wait to get all my little goodies in that I found! Don't you just LOVE the old nail keg? I knew when I saw it, it would have flowers in it;)
I found these little squirrels on clearance at K-mart, they are playing in the mulch;)
A bear thinking about maybe munching on those sunflowers, LOL!
This side has the eavespouting running through it until hubby can get a corner piece to add to the bottom and it will run down the outside of the mulch bed. The bunny is sitting on a rocker that I found at the thrift store, the seat is wood but the sides are cast iron, only $1.99!
and a basket full of petunias! I am hoping the moles and chipmunks can stay out of this, they like to tunnel all around here, hopefully Kiah can keep them in their place:D
This pic signals that my work is done for now:) Hubby has another big project coming up though...we ordered snow guards for our metal roof. We found last winter with our new metal roof the snow slides off in big sheets, which is fine but I worried if Kiah was out close to the house and it slid off it could hit her:O, so the snow guards get spaced so far apart, they are the same color as the roof, then when the snow slides it breaks it up into smaller pieces:) He has a week off coming up in a couple weeks so maybe he can get them up, I told him NO WAY do I want him on the roof when I am in Hawaii! If he fell off out back no one would see him or ever know he was there:O I can't believe only 4 weeks from this weekend I'll be leaving!!!! Hurry up baby Tyler, grammy is waiting to meet you!!!!!

In a pickle and another project!

2011-08-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well last summer our cucumbers died after only picking a couple, this year they are thriving! I'm not a canner, don't have the patience or physical endurance to do it, but I saw this easy recipe for refrigerator pickles over at blog friend Rosemary's lifeinacordwoodcabin.blogspot.com
So I figured I'd give it a try! Easy peasy, the hardest part was finding canning salt, both groceries in town were out as was Walmart, so I checked Tractor supply and they had 1 bag left! I grabbed it and held on tight!
Pretty, eh?? You can find the recipe over at Rosemary's if interested:) Now these have to sit in the fridge for 2 weeks before you eat them so I can't give a review but they look good, and the recipe didn't say to peel the cukes so hope I did right by leaving the peels on:/
AH yes, another mess already, HA! My friend Gina over at catnapinnprimitives.blogspot.com has been a busy chickee as well, you have to see her yard, OMG!!! Just gorgeous what she has done, so I thought hmm, maybe some mulch around the new deck, hehe, so I dug off the grass, NEVER sweated so much in my life ladies, hard, HARD work indeed, I' don't know how Gina does those huge sections at a time but my oh my I was struggling to even breath! So here is where I'm at...hoping to get it done in a couple more days to show you. In the fall when it cools down some we need to dig up all that dead (german shepherd pee) grass and replant some seed, it just looks awful and with all this heat, UGH! We lost one of our big apple trees yesterday, so sad, it was loaded with apples, will show pics next time! Enjoy the day and thanks for stopping by to visit;)

Picture heavy garden post

2011-07-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Happy saturday friends! Care to come for a walk with me to the garden and see what's growing this week? Well grab your cold iced tea and come along;) Do you like cosmos? Something about them just makes me smile:)
Here is the parsley patch owned by the bunnies, they get a fresh salad every evening and they LOVE their parsley!
Bell peppers are growing nicely, I have green and yellow ones and also jalapenos, which is your favorite?
Look at the size of that acorn squash, wow, already starting to turn green too but some of them, are still lil' wee babies!
Sweet baby watermelons, not sure how many hubby and I can eat on our own, perhaps you can take some home with you when they are ready:)
Lots of green tomatoes, big ones and small ones, hurry up and ripen, I want a tomato and mayo. sandwich!
We've been eating cucumbers every day for a week now, many more are growing too, I really can't complain as I go all winter without eating the nasty ones from the grocery store...yuk! Don't mind those weeds there, I'm way behind on keeping up with them!
Tons of fresh sweet basil growing:) I need to get some cut and dried, the bunnies will want some as well!
Tassels on the corn look so pretty swaying in the slight breeze....
and baby ears of corn starting to grow! Which reminds me, we are down to just 19 days till our grandson's due date, I'm a nervous Nelly, calling the kids all the time to see what's happening, LOL! Well I hope you enjoyed your time here in the garden with me, enjoy the rest of your weekend as well, always love visiting with you all!

SNOW DAY!

2011-07-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Didn't ya love to hear those words when you were a kid?? With all the hot weather most of us have been having I thought we'd have a snow day here on the blog and cool down just a bit:) Above is the view out my kitchen window during a big snowstorm in January of 2010, wind chills were LOW and the snow just kept coming down!
Kiah loves it, she thinks if she buries her snoot and pushes along she may come upon a mole or some other small critter , btw, she caught a mole in her mouth last week...EEEW! All I have to do is say "drop it" and she spits it out, LOL, good dog;)
Care to sit with me on the swing and enjoy some tea or lemonade? I think if we had that snow right now I'd run outside in my bare feet:D No sign of life in the garden at all, but.....NO WEEDS either!
Several years ago these horses got loose from their pasture and ended up in my neighbor's driveway, notice they had their "coats" on? It's a bit cooler here today, highs in the mid 80's, still too warm for me but at least it's not 90's as it was for awhile that is just not fun! Went to the Orthopedic Dr. this morning and got my epidural inj. for my back scheduled, as they do that at the hospital in the outpatient pain clinic. I'm getting it Aug. 19th, that way it won't be wore off by the time I leave on my l-o-n-g flight:) 10 hrs. to fly from here to HI, ugh! I'm keeping my eye on the pie though and what's going to be at Honolulu airport when I land;) I am getting so excited, probably will pee myself when I see them all;) Hope your all enjoying the day and getting some relief from the heat, if not...go back and look at ALL that snow again!

pathetic peaches!

2011-07-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well after all the babying I did to my peach tree it seems it just wasn't meant to be! The peaches never grew very big, most are around 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 inches across and alot of them are now starting to rot/mold on the tree. I looked up peach tree diseases in my BIG book and this seems to be something called brown rot, some of the leaves are turning brown now and dying and the peaches are molding, some are ripe, some are not, UGH! I did gather this ice cream pail full and there are more I could pick and salvage but after spending almost 2 hours saturday night peeling these mini's then attempting to cut off some actual peach fruit, I got enough for 1 batch of freezer jam, NOT worth all the work I put into it for sure. I am letting the deer/coons/possums, whatever have the rest and saving my energy, what bit I have for something more enjoyable:) On a brighter note...we are just 3 weeks away from baby's due date!!!! Talked to the kids yesterday and she said she is starting to feel some pressure, she also has a big knot on the side of her belly most days where he stretches his lil' feet out, LOL, and oh yes...he keeps her up ALL NIGHT! I told her that's not supposed to happen till he's actually here;) I asked my son how childbirth class went and he said he almost fell asleep, hope he doesn't do that during the birth!!!!

More decor and a really COOL recipe!

2011-07-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all you *Hotties*, do ya think it can get any hotter??? Very hot and sultry again today, but supposed to cool to the upper 80's soon, which will be a relief! I'm still adding stuff to that little deck we built, LOL, keep finding things, you know how that goes;) I added the trellis so I would have it to hang *stuff* on, I got the fake Cala lilly garland on clearance for $3.49 and the tin sign for only $7, both from Big lots:) I also found that birdhouse at tractor supply, on clearance (of course!)
Also we had this patio umbrella in the shed, have had it for years and drug it out for Kiah, everytime I let her out she was immediately in the HOT sun, so it shades part of the deck for her:D We didn't have a base to hold it, so we used 2 bungee cords and tightly fixed it to the wood post, LOL, I guess we're rednecks but HEY, it worked!!!! Last night for dinner I used those cucumbers I found in the garden and made cucumber salad, it was so cool and refreshing!!!!
I've been making this recipe for many moons, I think it came from either a "country" or "Taste of home" magazine a long time ago and I'm posting the very easy recipe if anyone wants to try it, it's so delicious! Speaking of magazines I subscribed to "mercantile gatherings", I can't wait to get my first issue of pure prim goodness;) Does anyone else get it and do you like it? Well that's it for me today, below is the recipe and next time I'll share the one for the stuffed shells we had with the salad, stay cool and enjoy!!!

Kansas cucumber salad~

1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. salt (opt.)
4 or 5 cucumbers, peeled and sliced to however thick or thin you like them
3 green onions, chopped
(black pepper as you wish...I use it on everything so this recipe is no different;)

In large bowl combine mayo., sugar, vinegar, dill weed, and salt. Mix well. Add the sliced cucumbers, and onions, stir to blend well, cover and chill for at least 1 hour. stir before serving.

Despite the heat, the bounty comes:)

2011-07-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

We have been using the sprinkler and watering the gardens every evening when the sun goes down, it's helping very well in keeping things growing! Above you can see some of my tomatoes and cucumbers... don't mind the weeds, it is HARD to keep up with them, especially with this heat!
Blossoms on the fall squash (acorn) and watermelons:)
I picked these beauties this morning, the first ones. Got out to the garden early before the heat got too bad, already 94 and heat index is supposed to get to 106-107 today, it's so oppressive when you walk out the door!
Yellow beans are starting to come now, I love them cooked then browned in butter just like grandma used to make!
My second planting of radishes are getting ready now, more salads:)
My beautiful Rose of Sharon:) These lined my mother-in-laws driveway, she planted them herself, a huge hedge of them that I always admired. When she and my FIL passed on my brother in law lived in the house until he passed away 6 yrs. ago. He was way behind on paying property taxes so when he passed the house went up for tax sale. Since we were the only next of kin and he wasn't married we were able to get what we wanted out of the house. There wasn't a whole lot we wanted other than family picture albums, his Navy stuff and his exercise bike, BUT I talked hubby into digging me up "just a couple" small rose of sharons:) He dug me up 4 and 2 of them died but I have 2 that have survived, and I treasure them:)
Here is a pic of both, the one is still pretty small as it was just a stick to begin with but once they are big you can't dig them up. You can see my corn there in the background, growing although it's sparse.
Miss Truffles has her own ways of keeping cool, stretched out close by the AC, LOL!!!! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Kiah, the Dr. is thinking allergies and gave her some pricey eye drops, she is so good and lets me put them in her eyes, hoping they will help! Hope everyone has a great day and try to stay cool!!!

HOT!!!!

2011-07-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

WOW the heat has made it's way to PA and I for one am hating it! If I'm not in the pool, I've been inside with the AC on, I just can't take the heat and supposed to get hotter tomorrow and stay hot all through Sunday! Please be kind dear friends and DO NOT attempt to enlarge the above pic;)
Snickerdoodle has been hanging out in his playhouse because it's so *cool*, LOL!!! Kiah has to go to the vet later, the same one I used to work for and MY I am dreading the bill, sure am missing that employee discount I used to get:( Her eyes have been running like a faucet, at first I thought just allergies, so I tried benadryl, which helped a wee bit but didn't stop it, so hoping it's nothing major, please send a prayer or good thought for her if you will??? I am wondering how ya'll upload your pics for your posts and how long does it take you??? It takes a good 4 minutes for ONE pic to upload for me onto the post, just wondering if this is normal because my computer has been running kind of slow, or is it just annoying Blogger??? Hope you all find a way to stay cool if you live in any of the HOT areas and enjoy the day!

Tripler Army medical center and a morning visitor

2011-07-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hi friends:) hope you all enjoyed the weekend! I was google-ing pics of Tripler Army medical center in Honolulu, HI because this is the hospital where my precious grandson will be born NEXT MONTH!!!!! Isn't it gorgeous?? That is supposedly pink coral on the building and it is H-U-G-E! My son said every time she has a Dr. appt. and they go there they get lost as it is so big! Just thought I'd share;) I can't believe it is only about 4 1/2 weeks now till little Tyler Benjamin says "Aloha world"! Can ya'll tell I'm just a bit excited??? Another blog friend Dani of Eagles wings is also waiting on a grandchild right around the same time, so were are waiting to see who will be granny first, LOL!
I had a visit this morning from this lovely~ I was working on some candles and watching out the back door, she had to taste every flower:) She stayed for a long time and we had a wonderful visit! Going to be hot, HOT here all week as in many parts of the country, just hoping the "grid" holds up so we can use AC! Hope you all have a wonderful Monday, thanks for visiting!

I won!!!! Dog days and picnic beans recipe!

2011-07-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey'all, hope your enjoying this fine Saturday:) I've already been to Walmart & Tractor supply this morning, planning on spending the rest of my day right here at home! I don't enter many giveaways anymore for the simple fact that I don't need more stuff, as I've been de-cluttering alot this past year. However Sandy over at the olde country cupboard is celebrating Christmas in July and when I saw these beeswax Farmer's daughters I entered as they are so cute and guess what??? I won....la-la-la....happy dance! I can't wait to find the perfect spot and get these out on display;) Thanks so much Sandy~ LOVE them!!!!
The "dog days" of summer are here it appears, very hot and dry for the weekend and all of next week here in Pa. Kiah is panting even with the ac on!
OLD me, haha! I like my hair short and want to get it trimmed sometime before my trip, as you can see it's grown a bit already since having it cut. I was taking some pics to print out for the kids, not sure if I'm liking this one, may have to try again on another day;) Wondering if I should dye my hair a brighter red but not sure if it would just *age* me more, any opinions???
OK, I have a recipe to share as well, I've been making these beans for a good many years and they are wonderful for cookouts, potlucks, gatherings or just for the family. A bit different and tastier than the plain ole' baked beans so I'm posting the recipe if anyone cares to try them, hubby and I had them last night with some steak on the grill and we ate half the pan, LOL, leftovers today will be eaten on hot dogs! Are ya'll picky about your hot dogs?? The only brand I will eat anymore are Nathan's, they are good, a bit more spendy but not all those "fillers" which we all know what the word "FILLERS" means..ugh! Have a wonderful weekend friends and here's the recipe ;)

Picnic beans~
2 or 3 16 oz. cans of pork & beans
1 16 oz. can of dark red kidney beans
1 16 oz. can of butter beans
1 can of baby lima beans (opt.)
1 tsp. mustard
dash of garlic powder
pepper to taste
3/4 to 1 cup ketchup
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 lb. cooked, chopped bacon

Drain the butter, kidney and lima beans, add to lg. bowl. add in the pork & beans..undrained. Cook onion in skillet till soft then add onion and rest of ingred. to bowl, mix well. pour into a greased or sprayed 9 X11 baking dish and bake at 350 for 1 hour, uncovering for the last 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Forgotten pumpkins, Blueberry season and my silly DIL!

2011-07-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Aren't these the funniest?? I made these from a pattern by My Primitive saltbox, I was so excited to show them off I forgot they need to be rubbed with cinnamon yet, LOL, that's the FUN part;)
Here's a closeup of one, scary, eh?? I had alot of fun making these, had a bit of trouble with the burlap as it wants to unravel so bad, but alot of fun!
It's blueberry season here in Pa and I made a yummy pie yesterday:) Actually even got some berries off my blueberry bushes, they aren't very big yet so I only get about a quart from both bushes for now, but Someday.......hopefully more:)
This is my SO silly DIL, LOL!!! Isn't she too cute with her belly?? Not a real good pic as it is "a pic of a pic", I couldn't figure out how to save to my computer since its from my son's cell phone, but I was able to print it out on photo paper. They went fishing and my son said he didn't catch anything as he was too busy *fixing* her pole every 2 minutes, HA!!! I told him that's what husbands are for;) She is alone this week, my son has a week long FTX (out in the field training) he calls it "playing war games", they camp out and last time he had one he said they were shot at during the night, kind of scary, but I guess it's all things they would need to know how to handle! Hope you all had a great day, thanks for visiting!

How does your garden grow?

2011-07-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have been busy working in the garden and beds lately, I got some weed barrier down the main path to the garden door with mulch, I want to eventually do this between all the beds but it will be a bit at a time as time and money permits:) I do love the look!
I have organic endive ready for salads, and my second radish planting shown above.
Spinach in my old laundry tub, hehe, I love being creative with places to plant things;)
Some of my tomato and cucumber plants coming along nicely. I've been weeding alot in this main garden and boy oh boy is my back giving me fits for it:( I called my orthopedic Dr. who did my back surgery last yr. and scheduled an appt. I want to see if he can send me to the hospital for another lumbar injection for pain before the trip, maybe do another MRI and see what's going on, I think I may have herniated another disc in the spring when I helped hubby lift the new counter top:(
Beans, watermelons and winter squash over on this side
and my corn, kind of pathetic but at least it's growing, and YES, I've moved that darn wheel yet again, LOL, I had it for a garden gate but the little critters were getting in through the openings so I had to replace it with some lattice. The deer here are so terrible, I noticed the other day they had come in the night and ate almost all the baby pears from my new pear tree:( Next year I will have to cover the tree with netting! Japanese beetles have arrived like clockwork, early July we get them and the property taxes, UGH! Not sure which is worse, but dislike BOTH! We are just taxed to death in this country it seems! Hope your all enjoying the weekend, supposed to be a hot one here tomorrow, hoping to get in the pool for awhile and get a bit of color, I don't wanna be the WHITEST gal in Hawaii, LOL!!!!

Berry Pickin', SNAKES, walnut crop, FLIGHT BOOKED!!!!

2011-07-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all:) The black raspberries are starting to ripen here in the puckerbrush and I have been checking them everyday and picking the ripe ones:) Well ya know what they say..."It's all fun & games till....someone sees a snake!" I was just enjoying a nice sweet berry when I happened to see a movement in the grass, so much for berry pickin' today:( I read in the local paper this morning that just about 5 miles from here someone caught a timber rattler, a 52 inch long one, no less! Not sure about you guys, but in my book that is a BIGGGG SNAKE:O

I added a star to the back of the house and love it:) Did away with those twigs above the door, just was not liking that look!
These are my walnut trees, as you can see they also serve as my clothesline:D The smaller tree never gets too many nuts on it but the big one does, I think one is a "male" and one is a "female"??
Here's what the walnuts are looking like! Come later in Sept., early Oct. these green shells will begin to crack open and when they are ready the nuts will fall out onto the ground, it's always so much fun to find them all (or should I say...beat the squirrels to them:) These are english walnuts and I'm not sure how old the trees are but pretty old as they were already large and producing nuts when we bought the house 11 yrs. ago. Well today mom and I booked our flights!!!! On Sept. 4th we will fly from Pittsburgh to Chicago, then from there to HONOLULU, HI! We will spend a whole week with my son, DIL and my brand new grandson, I am BESIDE myself with excitement! hubby will be here holding down the fort and taking care of the pets so I won't have to worry about them and I can just enjoy it:) I will have TONS of pics to share with you all when I get home, can't believe it's coming so soon and the lil' man will be here in just about 6 wks:O I know when I hold him I'm just gonna MELT!!!! Hope ya'll enjoyed the day, thanks so much for stopping by, love it when you do;)

Creamy Chicken enchiladas and "salad season"

2011-07-05T05:44:00.000-07:00

Chicken enchiladas are a dish I normally prepare more in the winter months but last week I was hungry for them so that's what we had. You can find the recipe I use at the end of the post;)
With the garden starting to produce it is officially salad season! Usually a salad at our house in the summer months will include whatever I have growing, it may be a mix of salad greens and fresh tomatoes, onion, peppers, or there may be radishes or even peaches or blueberries in the mix, whatever and anything goes! I love blueberries and peaches in my fresh salads topped with a raspberry vinagrette dressing, YUM! I talked to "the kids" yesterday, they were heading off to a 4th of July celebration on post then off to see the fireworks. They have been buying things and getting the baby's room ready, I can't believe that in just 2 months I will be there holding my brand new grandson *sigh* and I'm very thankful that I am able to go! It's amazing that it has been over a year already since my son left for basic training (all of you who have followed me for awhile I'm sure remember what I went through;) I never thought my broken heart would mend I missed him SO much, but God has been good to me and WHO would have thought that just a yr. later I would have a loving DIL and a grandson on the way as well:) Hubby and I were under the weather all weekend so we stayed home, seems to be some nasty bug going around. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday and here is the enchilada recipe if you are interested, they are so good!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas~
1 small onion~chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) reduced fat/sodium condensed cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup fat free sour cream
6 flour tortillas (med.-large size)
2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
2-3 cups cubed cooked chicken
pepper to taste

Saute onions in skillet til tender, remove from heat. add soup, tomatoes, sour cream, and 1 cup
shredded cheese, mix together. Lay out one tortilla at a time and spoon about 3-4 Tbls. mixture down the center, top with chopped chicken and roll up tightly. Save enough of the filling minus the chicken...to spoon over the tops. Lay into a 9X13 pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (seem side down). Top each with a bit of the filling and sprinkle all with remaining shredded cheese and a dash of pepper. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 25 minutes, let stand a few minutes before serving.

Little deck all decked out:)

2011-07-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

If you happened to miss my last post, I showed a pic of our little deck all finished. Nice looking and functional but kinda blah! I spent yesterday and today adding some flowers and decor to perk it up a bit and here is how it turned out. The grapevines above the door are temp. just till I find something *better* for up there;) hubby still has to put up eave-spouting as well so I can't do much up there yet:)
This deck is only 10 Ft. wide X 6 Ft. deep just to give you an idea how small it is;) A big purple coneflower there in the planter barrel!
Had to hang my Apple farm sign FIRST!!!!
This is what I see straight out my laundry room door, pretty posies and a rusty star:)
Some romaine lettuce close by to grab for a sandwich;)
My bench with my watering pitcher to water those posies.....I have a hanger off the side holding my pot of cherry tomatoes...YUMMY!
and above the bench on the railing, I brought this planter up from the garden. Hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend, hubby and I both are not feeling well, something is going around, so we are hanging around home resting up a bit. Happy Independence day to all and LET FREEDOM RING!!!!!!

A sunny Friday:)

2011-07-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hi friends:) Hope you are all getting some sunshine as we are today. It was one of those days where I never left the house, didn't even wash my hair, LOL, I'm finding I am having more and more of those days!
We got our little deck done, now just need to add some decor to it;) Like I said before, this is not our main sitting area so small is fine, it's basically a way out the door! If you look closely you can see Miss Kiah peeking out, what a stinker she has been... eating big clumps of dried grass and deer poo when she goes out, UGH, last night she vomited in the middle of the night, no wonder!
Potatoes (from the store;) and onions from the garden for "home fries" we had for dinner:)
Cute baby things drying on the line:D I've been going through my son's things finding some clothes in good shape and I'm sending them for my grandson to wear, so glad I saved so many adorable outfits!
I've been doing some major weeding in the garden, it got so out of hand I was ashamed of it, LOL, so I've been working at it, slowly but surely! Above you see tomatoes and cucumbers, can't wait for fresh cucumber salad and tomato & mayo sandwiches...YUM!!!!
My Peach tree with a whole bunch of peaches ripening in the sun:) Can't wait for these, LOVE peaches;) Hope you all enjoyed the day as well and have a safe Independence Day weekend!!!

Berries in the woods!

2011-06-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi friends:) Hope your day is going well, gorgeous day here in NW PA, high 60's and sunny, perfect! I made a trip to the woods earlier and thought I'd take my camera along, now mind you I do NOT go far into the woods this time of year...25 or 30 ft. at the most becuase I *know* there are snakes back there and even an occasional BEAR!
These woods go on for miles, lots of brambles, and further back in there are old logging roads, 4-wheeler paths and lots of deer. Fairly good hunting in here as well, , my son got a deer back here a few years ago:) We don't own the woods, but.............
we do put this in there:O you may be thinking "what the....heck is this mess?" well, as you all probably know by now we do have 2 house rabbits and they do use the potty, LOL, SO.....here is the mountain of litter pan dumpings from about the past 2 months:D after awhile it rots and makes into some wonderful compost!
I found a bunch of these berries growing low to the ground, so I'm thinking they are new bushes, as I don't recall them being there last year. Do any of you know what they are???? click on the pic for a better view....
here's a close up of one of the blossoms:) I'm thinking maybe boysenberries or wild blackberries??? If they are anything good I may dig up a few to plant in the garden so if you know what they are please do tell;) Well that's it for me today, hoping to get some work done on the deck later! enjoy the day!!!!

My " red-headed step-child" doll, deck decor and APPLES!

2011-06-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

Good evening:) Well I can't leave it alone, as bad as I am at it I kind of *like* making dolls;) This gal here is made from a prim raggs pattern but she looks to me like a red-headed step child, so that's what she be;) I can NEVER get their faces on straight or decently and she's having a really bad hair day but all in all, I think she's cute!
There's been no more deck progress as mowing, weed-wacking and trimming had to get done. Tomorrow hubby is driving to the airport to pick up my mom from her trip to Germany to see my grandma so nothing to be done on it tomorrow either, but you should have seen the *look* hubby gave me when he saw I already started decorating, LOL!!! I love the flowers on this old milking stool, Can't wait to finish with the rest;)
As I was on the tractor helping to mow I spotted LOTS of apples coming along, looks like it will be a good year for cider:)
Look how many are on just this one little branch!
A view of some of the apple trees and the freshly mowed grass, it looks so neat all trimmed up! I was up in the attic the other day going thru some of my son's old baby clothes picking out some nicer ones to send the kids for the baby, they decided on the final name....Tyler Benjamin. Tyler is my son's middle name. Anywho0....I saw an old sign up there that must have been used at the end of the driveway many years ago, it says "apple cider for sale" and had the phone number, LOL! Now-a-days you probably need some sort of permit to sell things from your home like that, my how the times have changed! I've been finding on warmer days I'm not feeling well, if I'm outside in the sun I get a bit nauseous, and off balance. Wondering if this is fibro-related as I've had it for a few years off and on, do any of you with fibro get this problem? Just feels like I'm *off balance*, a bit dizzy and queasy, hard to explain really. well hope you all had a great day, thanks for visiting ((hugs))

Deck progress and garden woes

2011-06-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday all! As you can see, our little deck is coming along slowly but surely:) I helped by screwing down alot of the floor boards...gotta love power tools;) Still need to make the top rail, bottom rail, spindles and front step. We also will have another project before winter comes and that is installing snow guards onto out metal roof! Last winter we found the snow sliding off the roof in huge sheets at a time, so it's a danger, they make clear guards to stick on to "break up" the snow into smaller chunks when it slides so that will need to be done. Sometimes being a homeowner is sure a pain, LOL!
I'm just not into the weeding thing at all this year (can ya tell??) my back problems are just too much to be in the garden weeding for hours on end and the weeds are rampant! Can't tell where the plants end and the weeds start, and look at all that tall grass growing in there...UGH!!!!
I think next year we are going back to doing just the raised beds, they are so much easier to take care of! We have plans to dig out all the grass between all the beds, lay down weed barrier and mulch, they will look so much better but doesn't look like it will be getting done anytime soon as property taxes will be coming out, we get our school taxes which are the *big* ones right around the Fourth of July, isn't that funny?? Happy *Independence" day! Then next week I need to get my flight booked for HI, it's going to be somewhere around $900.-1,000. good grief! Worth it though to see them and the new lil' guy:)
I'll leave ya'll with this pic of Miss truffles sleeping in her house, LOL, I had to check to make sure she was breathing, but then her lil' nose started twitching, too cute!!!! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Those crazy kids!

2011-06-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share this crazy pic of the kids, LOL, I think they've got a bit too much time on their hands;) Have a great day!!!

Zesty Chicken salad

2011-06-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

I do believe chicken salad is just one of those things that everyone seems to have their own way of making it! I recently tried this new recipe from food.com and I think it was a good change from the regular way. Thought I would share it with all of you, now the rcipe originally calls for 1/2 cup lemon juice which is what I used, BUT....mine was a bit too liquidy to the point I used a slotted spoon to put it onto the croissants I served it on, so I would recommend cutting down the lemon juice to only 1-2 Tbls. but use your own judgment;)

Zesty chicken salad~

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
2 TBLS. mayonnaise (reg. or lite)
1/2 cup (???) lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsps. minced garlic
1 lb. cooked boneless chicken breast, shredded or cubed
1/4 cup diced green onion
1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine yogurt, mayo., and lemon juice. add parmesan cheese and garlic, blend well then add chicken, green onion and pepper, toss well. Serve on croissants, bread, pitas...whatever you like;)

It was Mulberry day!!!!

2011-06-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll! Remember how I've been patiently waiting....OK, CHOMPING AT THE BIT, LOL, for the mulberries to ripen so I could beat the birds and make a pie?? Well today was the day:) It took me about 40 minutes to pick this ONE basket of them, dirt was falling into my eyes, the deer flies were biting, and the birds were scolding me but I managed to get a basket from the branches I could reach! It was so humid I kept sweating then got real light headed & sick feeling, UGH, wondered "am I having the big one?? A stroke perhaps??? I think it was just the heat! This tree is back towards the woods and OH MY the biting bugs back there, UGH, no fun!
"Mama...why are your hands purple?!"
I then spent another half hour doing this! They have tiny green stems that don't pull off very easily, SOooooo, I cut EACH stem by hand with scissors:O Call me crazy but................
It was SO worth it:) See the missing piece??? it was in my bowl topped with whipped cream:D So good! SO much work though, I think next year I may let the birds have them all;)
Our "porch" project has turned into a small deck. I had originally wanted a pergola covering but then when I saw the dimension after hubbs cemented the post in I wondered how dark is this going to make my laundry room (which is through that back door) so we have decided to just go with a small deck with railing, nothing complicated at all and the building permit folks are much easier if you keep it simple too! Don't mind all that brown grass....Kiah pees there;) Hope you all enjoyed the day, had a nice call from the kids yesterday:) Thanks for stopping by, love to visit and catch up with you all!!!

Cherry tomatoes and battling the puckerbrush!

2011-06-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! I see I have a problem, I guess my new camera I just got doesn't turn the pics for me when I upload like my old one did, UGH! Anyone know to to fix this??? I got the (sideways) planter full of cherry tomatoes at Walmart this morning and it is just loaded! There were quite a few red ones too, but we ate them already;)
Yesterday and today we worked on tearing down our old back porch. Kiah needed a way to still get out that door so hubby made her this makeshift ramp, LOL, we didn't think she would want to walk on it let alone lay down:O
I have been tackling the "puckerbrush", no other way to describe it, but our land has a border along the back and one side of these wild roses. They are so thick, thorny and terrible (although when they bloom they smell awesome) they are very invasive though, above you can see some of them mixed with the wild black raspberries. We have to do quite a bit of trimming on these or it gets hard to mow as they grow like crazy! I came in this evening with bloody hands, thorns in my shins and ankles because silly me had flip-flops on, and thorns hanging to my clothes:(
Apple trees are loaded this year!
Here is the one back corner, you can see how dense it is, with one of the MANY piles I had laying around. Hubby came by on the tractor and hauled them away thankfully because I was beat!
Here's a few still blooming, and that is a deer trail. This is one of places they jump our 4 ft. fence to come in, but at least so far it has kept the bears out!
Mulberries are ripening, see the dark purple ones, those are almost ripe:) I'm hoping to beat the birds to some of them for a pie, we shall see! Hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day! My mom is leaving tomorrow for her yearly visit to Germany to see my grandma, she'll be gone just over a week, then when she comes back, she & I will be booking our flight to Hawaii for shortly after the baby comes! Hubby is staying home to take care of Kiah and the bunnies, he will go at a later time when he schedules his vacation days for next year. I am dreading the flight, but super excited to go see the kids and my new grandson!!!

New me

2011-06-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

Well I've gone and done it! I've been thinking of getting my hair cut SHORT for summer and it *is* short for sure! If you look at my profile pic at the top of the lefthand column, that was taken just 2 weeks ago, my hair was put up in a clip in the back and it's not really that red except in the sun:) so here I am today. At first I hated it of course, LOL, but it's growing on me.
side view....just ignore that sagging chin, UGH, gotta find a way to get rid of that!!!!

and another view! I do like the coolness of it, but I'm SO not used to the back being that short, don't think I've had it this short in my life! We worked on tearing down the old pergola today and heading to home Depot for some lumber tomorrow, so I'll be posting more pics soon. Have a great evening everyone and thanks for stopping by;)

GREAT finds and another project!

2011-06-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all, hope you had a wonderful day. I got a couple really great things today and didn't go far to find them! On saturday I took some goods to the gift shop where I do consigning. A couple things had caught my eye, but I was in a hurry and left without really giving it much thought. Miss Tracey who owns the shop had gotten in 6 truck loads of stuff from a barn sale, lots of old dishes, antiques, several old wooden school desks, and lots of oldies but goodies. A couple things stuck in my mind so I went back today, LOL and got the pail shown above, I want to put flowers in it on my new lil' back porch (more on that later.....) but the main reason I went back was this............
This rocking horse is a bit weathered, but very sturdy and solid oak, with a hand painted face, love, love, LOVE it!!!! He came home with me too and will wait for my new grandson to be old enough to ride him:) I'm thinking about rubbing some darker stain over the weathered wood and maybe adding some rope (glued on to the outline of the bridle??) or should I leave it as is??
When we bought our house 11 yrs. ago, out the back door all we had was a small cement slab. We put down a wooden floor and made a small pergola type roof and added the lattice to the sides to prevent the snow from blowing in so much when we let Kiah out. I had clematis climbing up the lattice sides and it looked really cute. However, clematis vines get old and out of control, lattice gets weathered, and so now it doesn't look so good. Hubby is tearing it all down and we will build a new (small) porch that is a bit wider. We don't need it big as we don't sit there anyway, our sitting area is under 2 big apple trees and our swing is there as it is always shady:) Kiah was wondering where her porch was going as hubby was tearing it apart, LOL!

Strawberry season and "I SOLD IT!!!"

2011-06-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, hope ya'll had a fabulous weekend! Since our strawberries don't do so well anymore we went to a farm and picked some today! Beautiful but cloudy and COOL day for it! I already made up a batch of freezer jam, and not sure what goody I will make with them tomorrow but there is sure to be one;) We've had our strawberries in the raised beds for the last several years and they just haven't done as well as they used to in the ground, so next spring I think we will plant a new patch of them in the ground in hills.
I got a bit creative the other day and made up these cute lamps, the label says "Let freedom ring" and how appropriate with Independence day coming next month! They are already at the consignment shop looking for buyers! Speaking of.....last fall I decided to try my hand at a prim doll, shown below.....
I wasn't real pleased with how she turned out but I guess for a first attempt she was "OK", I had planned on keeping her then as I was decluttering one day decided I didn't want her here, LOL, so I slapped a price tag on and took her to the shop, never really even thinking she'd sell. Well guess what?? SHE SOLD! I couldn't believe it, someone actually paid $20.00 for her, HA! Maybe I'll be digging that sewing machine back out;) Talked to my son and DIL today via Skype, could hardly see them though and asked why they both looked like dark shadows and they informed me "we don't have a light where the computer is" LOL! Baby is coming along nicely, only about 9 weeks to go till I hit Gramma status...YAY!!!! Won't be long before I'm in HI holding that lil' peanut;) can't wait, will def. be worth the 12 hours of flying to get there!
I have my final appt. tomorrow with the Ortho. surgeon who did my shoulder, still having some pain, hoping it eventually goes away, but done with therapy so that's a good thing! Hope you all have a great Monday, thanks for visiting with me!

While awaiting the mulberries.....

2011-06-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what we have been enjoying from the garden! Oh..and a few strawberries here and there:) I can't believe out of all the years I've had a garden, this is the FIRST time I've ever planted radishes:O not sure why because I like them! I am watching for the mulberries to ripen so I can get enough for a pie before the birds get them all....
These 2 knarly looking trees are the mulberry trees, they are old and BIG and in desperate need of a good trimming as they have alot of dead wood on them.
Here's what the berries look like, they are just turning pinkish. They won't be ripe for another week or so and when they are they will be a dark purple-ish color
Here's what they look like up close for those who are not familiar with mulberries. They are an old timey fruit that tastes a bit like a blackberry but not as sweet or juicy, I guess would be a good way to describe it:) When we bought our current house 11 yrs. ago I had no idea what they were till my step father saw them and told me. I didn't know until doing some research on them that they can be used to make pies or jam or even syrup! The birds love these so much, one year we even had a few turkeys back there eating them off the ground! They tend to fall when ripe, and I don't use them off the ground so it's a VERY careful watching and waiting game to get them off the tree:) I remember several yrs. ago it was a really hot day and my son was supposed to go to a little league game and we were debating because of the heat. Well I happened to notice the mulberries were ready so we stayed home and picked berries off the trees from the back of hubby's truck, LOL, such fun times:) Hope you all enjoyed the day, a hot one here but me and the furry ones have been holed up inside with the AC on most of the day:D

We knew it was coming....

2011-06-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

What you see above is the old pull down stairs that led up to our attic. Why are they outside in the back yard? Well because they finally gave way! Unfortunately hubby was ON them when it happened. We knew it was coming, they had been creaking and swaying during our ascents to the attic for many years now, we even had to add nails here and there to steady them up. But last week I was already *in* the attic and he was on his way up to the (thankfully) only the third step and CRACK, BOOM, BANG, the step broke and he went down. Thankfully he wasn't injured badly, only sprained his leg!
So, off he went to home Depot! These new ones are aluminum so hopefully they will hold up better, of course the old wooden ones had been here since the 50's when the house was built:O So hubby got the old steps out then got into the attic this way........
LOL! So now the new stairs are in and no more worries.....well...except for my son. Remember my rant on 2 military pays being messed up with hardly any pay? Well it turns out it could have been a blessing because someone has made transactions to their account via my son's debit card, only he still has his card so....this means his card info has been stolen. They caught it and called the bank right away, but now what little money they had is gone as well! I HATE the fact that I can't keep him safe anymore:( At least with his pay being shorted they didn't get all that money as well! The bank told him to cut up his card and they are sending him a new one, I sure hope this solves it but I'm very worried! Being a parent never gets any easier, I think I worry more about him now than when he was a baby!

Cast iron collection and baby fruits!

2011-06-04T09:18:00.001-07:00

Happy Saturday all! I have recently been doing some reading on the dangers of teflon coating in cooking pans and how that coating starts to break down after just a couple uses. I am slowly making the switch to all cast iron pans, although for the bigger skillets I do have a hard time lifting them due to my fibro and I just don't have the arm strength I used to when I was younger. I do love them though, do you use cast iron? I just got the cornbread skillet a few weeks ago and haven't tried it out yet but I think i could use it for scones as well. There's something very old-timey looking about cast iron cookware that I just love!
Baby fruits are starting to grow here, above you can see baby pears growing:)
Baby peaches:) We planted this peach tree about 8 or 9 yrs. ago and due to the late frosts we sometimes get here in Pa, this is only the 2nd year we've ever had peaches on it, so exciting!!!!
Wee baby grapes are coming on the grapevines, we need to get these sprayed or the Japanese beetles will do a number on them when they come in early July:(

and baby apples of course:) We also have 2 big OLD mulberry trees way at the back of our property and they are still green, but in a couple weeks we will have mulberries and I want to get enough for a pie, hard to do as the birds LOVE these berries and eat a good part of them every year. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world and have a great weekend!

Hey ya'll! What's new?

2011-05-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all getting some of this nice weather, we are at 89 temp. wise and sunny, yeah! I already *started* to grumble yesterday about the heat but quickly reminded myself of that long, cold, dreadful winter we had here in PA and decided hot wasn't so bad, LOL! We went to a cookout yesterday at my mom's house, nothing too exciting, then talked to the kids last night. I asked my son if he likes living in Hawaii and he said no. I said "YOU DON'T LIKE LIVING IN HAWAII?????" Who wouldn't, right? Well his answer was "I'd rather be at HOME"........talk about melting a mamas heart *sigh*!
We've been super busy mowing grass, tending the beds, mowing more grass, getting the garden in....MOWING GRASS...... do you see a pattern here???
My hubby was off all last week so we planted 3 new fruit trees, 2 pear and 1 cherry. Above you see one of the pear trees from Home Depot, it already has lil' wee pears on it:)
We started planting the big garden and see where the wagon wheel is now??? LOL, I thought it made the perfect *gate*, just roll it aside when you want to go in! we did staple some chicken wire onto the back so little critters can't sneak through;)
We got 2 sections of the solid wood fencing to build a new gate to get the tractor into the fenced in part of the property, I haven't got a finished pic as of yet, will have to do that.
Snickerdoodle didn't care what we were up to outside, he is in the air conditioned house napping with his lamby, too cute!!!! Well that's it for me today, hoping to get my green and jalapeno peppers planted today then the garden will all be in:) Enjoy the day and thanks for visiting with me:)

Let us not forget.....

2011-05-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

The true meaning of Memorial day, to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, for our freedoms, for us...America's citizens. May God bless and comfort those who have lost a loved one for the sake of freedom. God Bless America! Have a safe holiday weekend!

So what did I buy???

2011-05-27T15:42:00.001-07:00

I know your waiting to see what goodies I found in Amish country, right?? First off we have this picture in a wood frame, I just LOVE old barns with the Mail Pouch tobacco logo on them!!!! We used to pass one of these barns on my way to high school everyday on the bus, but it is no longer there now:(
Some good things to eat, just look at the size of those lemons!!! I've never seen such huge lemons in my life, they are the size of an orange!!!! wish I would have got more! Of course we also got lots of yummy cheese and some beef sticks and relishes and jam;)
I've been wanting a quilted Bella Taylor bag for awhile and the store I saw these in had them on sale...YEAH! As soon as I saw this Patriotic patch design I knew it was the one for me;) Every military mom should have this purse...LOL!
I got a new oil lamp at Lehman's, I just love the soft glow of an oil lamp on a dreary day or when the electric goes out! A couple cookie cutters...a strawberry and a bee (always adding to my collection!) and a little tin container:)
Some Crocs sandals in pink and brown:) I love wearing pink and brown together and now when I do my shoes can match!!!
I found this stand at a craft mall and it is a smaller version of a tall stand I got last fall there for in my kitchen ! This one is for beside the tv stand......
We have Direct TV so we have the "box", as you can see it fits right on that lil' shelf like it was meant to be there;) Not sure about those boxes on top, I may end up moving those. So now I must stop the shopping if I'm going to make it to Hawaii this fall to see the kids and my new grandbaby, but that's OK, I'd rather see them than shop any day!!!! Hope your day is going well, thanks for stopping by!!!!

Views from Amish country!

2011-05-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, hope ya'll are well? We made the long trip yesterday to Ohio's Amish country as my hubbs is still on vacation:) Our first stop was Lehman's in Kidron, I love this store and got a few things there, so much to see!!!
I love the horses and buggys, clippity-clop they go, LOL! This one was parked outside of Troyers market, the horses patiently waiting for the owners to finish up their shopping! We got some goodies here and they have alot of samples out to try...YUM, except they had an Amish "good for what ails you" remedy and it was icky, apple cider vinegar with some other things mixed in, we were brave and tried it though!
I loved this horse laying down taking a rest:) Not sure if this was an Amish farm or not, as the house looks a bit fancy!
We followed this horse drawn wagon for awhile, you can't tell from the pic but they had 2 lil' lambs in the back, headed for the Mt. Hope auction.
It's hard to take pics out the window of a moving truck, LOL, but I loved this old barn!!!!
Not sure what was going on here but many buggies and horses were gathered here, loved the look of them;)
This was the view of the parking lot of where we ate, the Der Dutchman restaurant. My friend Jessica had told me about this place and MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS was it delicious and what a beautiful place with a gorgeous view!!!! I will definitely eat there again sometime, YUMMY!!!!
Here is what the restaurant looks like from the outside;) We had a good time but I had a headache all day and it was humid (I don't *do* hot or humid!) and as usual the drive, 330 miles total trip, made me stiff and sore and I hate the interstates! Well next time I'll share some of what I got there as well as what we've been doing around here too!

Making detergent and lots of plans in the making:)

2011-05-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Howdy all, hope your weather has been better than ours, we have had rain again almost every day this week! The weekend is supposed to be warm and nice though so keeping my fingers crossed;) I've been making batches of homemade detergent, I use this on occasion and love how it works, so thought I'd make some up to see how it does at the consignment shop! My husband is on vacation as of today all through next week so we have alot of plans! I may be absent from blogging for the better part of next week providing the weather straightens up and we can get stuff done! On the list of things to do.....we are building a new gate, we have part of our property fenced in for Kiah, but hubby needs to get his big tractor in there to mow, so we are building a new wooden gate:) Also we are wanting to head over to Ohio's Amish country one day, we want to go back to Lehman's in Kidron and a few other places, I'll be sure to take my camera;) Also on the list, lots of mowing grass as it's been too rainy all this week, and we want to put down weed barrier and mulch in between all my garden beds which will be a big project, but they will look SO much better!!!! We have a tiny back porch/stoop with a small pergola over it which is getting old looking, so thinking about doing something with that, would love to build a little bigger of a porch and have it screened in;) All in all I should have lots to share when the week is over:D I hope you all enjoy the weekend and I'll be back soon to share all we get accomplished;)

The wonderful parts of the GSD!

2011-05-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

Being an animal lover I love many types of furry angels and different breeds of dogs, but I must say without a doubt the German Shepherd is my favorite breed! So many wonderful parts to be admired, such as the lovely "smile"
Big paws for bringing in some snow or mud;)
Loving, obedient eyes (even when they glow green from the camera!)
Legs to be twisted pretzel style into a cozy sleeping position:)
Big, solid rump, LOL!
... and a tail to be waved as a banner....which blogger has deleted the pic of...ARGH!
All combine to make up this beautiful, loving, loyal, noble creature! It may take awhile for a GSD to accept a new person or warm up to them, but once they do they love unconditionally and completely, ready to defend you against any threat. This is a breed that requires some training from an early age, and that training will pay off tenfold when you have a loving, obedient companion for life:)

My favorite time....almost;)

2011-05-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

I wait all year long for this view out my kitchen window! I just love spring, although my favorite time of year is fall, there is something very special about spring after a long, cold winter! I do quite a bit of complaining about the long winters here in PA, but for the beautiful springs that follow I really can't imagine living somewhere that the seasons don't change!
I tend to use this little bench beside out well-house as a potting bench even though it's not tall enough! I started some forget-me-nots from seed and planted them under the bench there. Why "under" the bench? well, see that drain spout there coming off the patio?? Chipmunks go in there, and Kiah smells them, LOL, so she is always lurking around over there, sometimes she even pulls the drain spout apart if she knows one is in there;) She doesn't kill them but she enjoys the thrill of the hunt and it is hilarious to watch her :D
My humble home, pic taken from up by the road. Just look at all those dandelions! I actually don't mind them while they are blooming, it's the after part, when they go to seed that is so unattractive!
Here is the pretty view up the road from the driveway, if you take this road up about a quarter of a mile, then turn right, go about a mile or so, and head down the side of the winding mountain as I call it, you will enter the small town we live just outside of. I hope you all have safe travels if your out and about this weekend, and thanks for stopping by to visit:)

Apple blossom season!

2011-05-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ahh...can you smell them?
ever so sweet is the scent of the apple blossoms!
Kiah smells them too, but she's keeping an eye out for chipmunks at the moment;)
The bees are hard at work with the blossoms....
and the lilacs too!
I moved this trellis from my garden up to the house and put a clematis in the center and some daisies and dianthus (?) on either side.....
and got my raspberry bed in! I am hoping come July, which is Japanese beetle season here...Ewwwwww.......I can put some screening up over the fence and somewhat protect them from the ravages of those pests, I tell you they can be ruthless! Every year they attack my grapes, roses and many other things in their path, I've tried sprays, powders and even those beetle "traps", HA, they are a joke as they just attract MORE! So this year I will try some screening and see how that goes! We have had several gorgeous days here and I've been outside enjoying it and getting the garden ready for planting, nothing I love more than being on my hands & knees in the dirt;) Hope ya'll have a wonderful day, thanks for stopping by to visit!

The Judds and AH...spring!!!!

2011-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Hope all you mothers out there had a great Mother's day! Mine was good, my son called on Saturday and I talked with him for quite a while and thought "well now I won't talk to him tomorrow" but low and behold he called me AGAIN yesterday! Two days in a row is unheard of, so I cherished it!!!! I have been watching the Judd's reality show and I'm amazed how much they are like me and my own mom. WE don't sing of course (not well, anyway;) but the relationship is very similar. My mom is the skinny one and I have always been the one with the weight problem. We both have things in our past the other doesn't know about, things we don't share. As much as I love my mom, there are things in my childhood I feel she did not protect me from, and men in her life that should have never been brought home and things I have never told her because I know it would hurt her. But she had me when she was 17, had no questions of whether she would keep me, and always did the best she knew how to. We are as different as night and day really not having much in common at all, likes and interests ,even how we dress...totally different, but she is my mother and I love her and am thankful to have her! Are you like your mothers? Do you have the same tastes, and personalities, or are you different as well??
OH the glory of a warm spring day! I never thought it would get here for some reason, but alas, she is here! Clothes out on my line, just a peek....as I even had my unmentionables out there as well:O
Raspberry canes that need to be planted and a peony, I love the big ball type flowers they get:)
LOTS of grass and dandelions to be mowed, we have over 2 acres so when all the grass gets mowed in one day, it takes pretty much the whole day on hubby's tractor, but he loves it! We have a smaller riding mower that I use to mow the small orchard where his tractor is too big. In just a couple more days the trees will be blooming with those heavenly apple blossoms!
I just don't know what to do with this big wheel, I had it out front, but since we painted the house last year it just looked out of place, so for now it's here by our chairs , I need to get a small table for in between them. I had a set back with my shoulder, therapy was going good, they told me to help loosen my tight muscles to use a thera-cane to apply pressure to the tight spots, well I overdid it and now the pain is worse! I feel like I'm coming down with something as well, headache and fever today when I got up, so taking it easy today and hoping it passes! Hope you all have a great day and hope your getting some spring!!!

Have a happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hi friends:) I haven't been blogging a whole lot lately for the simple fact that there's not much going on. We have tons of stuff to do outside and in the garden but with all the rain it just hasn't been possible to start much of it, hopefully soon! I want to wish all you mommas out there a very happy mother's day on Sunday, this will be my first one without my son home, but I'm spending the day with my mom, and for that I am thankful:) Have a wonderful weekend!!!

A good day in America!

2011-05-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

It's a good day for America! I was so thrilled to hear the news that Osama Bin laden is dead, finally after 10 long years and is buried at sea for the sharks to feast on!!! Finally some closure for all those who lost loved ones on 9-11. I am hoping now our government can start bringing home our heroes before any more lives are lost. God bless the Navy SEALS who carried out the mission, and God bless the USA!!!!