The Aliens have Landed

    A few nights ago David and I were sitting in our livingroom minding our own business when suddenly we saw a bright light in the sky.

  "Look, David, what is that?" I asked.  The light seemed to be growing bigger and getting closer.

  I began to freak out when the light began to eerily change shape.

  It became elongated and was even closer.  We were starting to get alarmed.  What was that thing????

  Suddenly, the scariest face appeared at our window.  We both were shaking in our shoes.  I ran to get a baseball bat, but then remembered we don't have a baseball bat.  I ran in circles.  David hid in the closet.  We were going to have a close encounter of the third kind.

  Okay, it was just the moon shining through our lace curtains and I am a lousy photographer.  But it made for a good story.  Bye.

Scenes from the Easter Weekend

                 There was jam making both strawberry and strawberry rhubarb.  Our first rhubarb from our own patch.

     There was cupcake baking and eating.  Love those cute little bunny and chicken toppers.

   There was lots of candy.  All the grandchildren will be on a sugar high tonight.  That is why it's nice they go home!

     There was dough raising and roll making.  We had a cookout and hamburgers on homemade rolls are so good.

   There was lots of eating as there usually is when we get together.  That is why we are always so happy when a holiday comes.  We get to eat alot.

  There were cute grandkids doing their usual cute grandkiddy things.  Like his hat?

   There was Easter egg hunting.  This is just before we said, "Go!"  Mayhem resulted right after this picture was snapped.

   There was relaxing, both people and canine.  Bonnie is wondering where all the leftovers went.  Bonnie, there weren't any leftovers on the plates.  These people ate it all.

  All in all it was a busy and fun weekend.  Best of all though was going to church and hearing once again through song the love of Jesus Christ for us all.  His death and ressurection.  His salvation for all who will only accept it.  A blessed and happy Easter to you all.  Bye.

Making pizza and moving a family

  I got it into my head the other day that I would like to make some homemade pizza.  I found a recipe in either Southern Living or Midwest Living.  I can't remember which one because I had torn it out.  Today I went to Wal-mart to buy the supplies and spent all afternoon making pizza.

  First I made the dough which was really easy on my Kitchenmaid mixer.  Took about five minutes.

   Then I made the sauce from my super secret recipe that I keep in my super secret recipe vault.  Okay, anyone can make pizza sauce with some tomatoes, herbs and olive oil. 

  Then the fun part began.  I put sausage, pepperoni, olives and mushrooms on mine.   David just wanted the sausage and pepperoni and lots of mozarella cheese, of course.

  And walla(don't judge me.  I could not for the life of me remember how to spell the word, but you know what I mean!) you are eating a delicious pizza.    It was easy, just had to give the dough time to rise and heat the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes before you baked it.

  Last weekend we helped our daughter and son-in-law move their family from this little house in the woods.......

  to this big house in the woods.  Lots of memories are going to be made here. 

   Now I have to go walk off some of this pizza that's weighing me down.  Oh, my.  Bye.

I love Spring

   I love Spring and all its beauty.  There is so much going on right now with everything busting out all over and each day bringing something new to discover.

  Spring brings out the kid in us.  Who wouldn't love to sail as high as you could on a swing up in the air so blue?    Some of us are just too big to fit on the  swings any longer!

  Even Belle has Spring fever.  This is her favorite toy right now.  She lays in the grass and holds it in her mouth waiting for Bonnie or me to try to come get it, then off she runs as fast as she can.

  Come on, try and get it.  You know you want it. Come on, come on.  What are you waiting for?

  In Spring David starts dreaming about opening the pool.  I say, just a little longer, but every year it gets opened sooner.  Maybe this weekend.  That does not mean I will be in it until the water is at least 84 degrees which is late June or July.

  Spring means cutting lilacs and bringing them inside to make the whole house smell good.  I can't get enough of these.

  Spring is hanging out the birdhouses and watching the birds raise their families.  Last year there were several bird families raised in one birdhouse throughout the summer.

  You must look quickly to see all the beauty.  It doesn't last nearly long enough and soon it will all be gone for another year. 

  Each plant has its one perfect day.  Quick, don't miss it.   The azalea is especially beautiful this year.  It's loving the warm, sunny weather.

  Spring also means work.  Laying mulch, planting gardens, weeding, raking and more.  We will put down about two hundred bags of this before the summer is over.  This pile is almost gone already.  We mulched the secret path in the Tiny Wood yesterday.

    David says "Happy Spring!"  How could anyone not be happy with the redbuds blooming so riotously?

  As Belle chews her cigar I will bid you adieu.  Bye.

The Tiny Wood and other outdoor things

  It is beautiful in our neck of the woods.  Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and bees are buzzing.  Spring has come extra early in Indiana and plants that don't usually bloom until April are at their peak right now.  When it is this nice out, I am outdoors most of the time working in the yard or garden or just sitting in the swing enjoying the warm weather.

   David put up this swing on the front porch of my shop and it has become our new favorite place to sit and watch the world go by.  My man is so wonderful.  I asked if he could put up a swing on my porch and he went to Rural King and got this one and spent most of an afternoon putting it together and hanging it for me.  I thought it would be an easy job, but what I usually think will be easy turns out to be half a day's work for David.   I appreciate him so much.  We both are enjoying this seating arrangement as we can watch the bird feeders and the traffic going by and see neighbors walking their dogs and see the flowers blooming.

  We have what I like to call the Tiny Wood which is just some trees and bushes that divide the property line between us and our neighbor.  David noticed a while back that it has a natural path running through it so I have been clearing it of brush and branches and am planning to mulch th path and plant some things along it.  This is the beginning of the path.

  Most of the path is full of limbs and branches that make it hard to walk, but this section is almost bare.

   Most of the path looks like this.  There will be alot of raking and hauling of branches which is what I told David was my idea of fun.  I have a vision for this place and it will be a fun little walk for my grandchildren when I get it done.  I plan to make little signs along the way and add potted plants for more color.  I just love to take something like this and make it into something beautiful.  Maybe a gnome will be hiding along the path somewhere.

   See this little area?  It had had a dead bush and lots of Boston ivy growing there.  Many years ago we had a tree that nothing would grow under not even grass so I planted Boston ivy.  It thrived and so I began to put it in other areas of the yard and it continued to thrive and grow and take over everything, so in the last few years I have been ripping it out and burning it so it cannot start anywhere else.  I cleaned out this area by our house this week and have planted a yellow twig dogwood bush.  I plan to add several other bushes and flowers and will mulch it all and hopefully the Boston ivy will not come back.  I'm loving how it looks already and can't wait to add more plants. 

  These are just a few of the daffodils we have in our front yard.  I am not a photographer so the picture does not do them justice, but they are so cheerful it just makes me smile to look at them.  I just ordered 90 pink daffodils that I will plant in my new little garden I am making this fall.

    With all the planting outside I can't neglect my vegetable garden.  I am planning a larger one this year.  I want to can alot of green beans and my daughter, Sara, wants to learn how to can and a friend from church wants to learn so we will be canning this summer, probably in the hottest month of the year as it usually happens.  These are a few of my tomato plants.  Did you know if you put a banana peel in the soil under your tomato plants they will grow better?  I put banana peels in these containers and I have never had tomatoes grow so fast or look so healthy so it must work.

  Mom, what are you doing out there?  You sure spend alot of time raking and digging. 

  I know, Belle, it's that time of year.  Pretty soon I will be doing alot of work in the back yard and you can help me. 

  Yes! Yes! Yes! 
   Go out today and enjoy the weather if it's warm in your neck of the woods.  Happy Spring.  Bye.

The view from my sewing machine

   When we moved into our present house 34 years ago there were cornfields and woods across the road.  We live in a small addition with older homes, sort of our own little community out here.  Then businesses started to move in across the road.  Truck maintainance businesses began and so we started having big trucks and semis running past our house.  Then the gravel pit went in and more trucks and cement trucks go by.  I hated it at first and the first time new lights were put in across the road I was not a happy camper. 

  Through the years we have learned to live with the trucks and noise and traffic.  I have met several people who work across the road and they have to make a living too, so I have learned to accept it.  We sill have our acreage and flowers and gardens and I sit out on our front porch and wave at the trucks and trains that go by.  Oh, I didn't tell you about the trains?   Let's look at my view and see.

  A few times a day a train goes by on the tracks across from our house.  I have always lived where we could hear trains.  When I was growing up we lived one mile out of town and could hear the train go through town.  Our last house sat on a high hill and a train track ran along the bottom of it, so we heard trains going by there.  There is something mournful, yet exciting at the same time about hearing a train.  There are visions of traveling to far away places.  It must be fun to be an engineer and sit up there in the big train and see all around and know you are in control of all the cars behind you.

  I wonder where all this lumber is going?  Maybe to build someone's new house.  I know I would love to have some to add another addition to our house.  A new laundry room would be nice. 

 
   There are prettier sights from my window like these beautilicious daffodils that are popping up all over our yard.  I have planted hundreds over the years and they are putting on quite a show now.

  I keep bird feeders filled outside my window so I can watch the birds.  Those little critters eat alot.  I have to fill these about every other day and they hold a gallon bucket of feed.  Our sparrows are rotund little birds and are happy to hang around waiting for the next feeding.

   There were eight cardinals hanging out at the feeder, but every time I tried to get a picture they would fly away.  This beauty really stands out in the bare trees. 

  I painted this little birdhouse and David hung it right outside my shop window so that I can hopefully watch a bird family move in and raise their chilluns'.  Hope the two holes don't confuse them.

  Hey, mom, see this dirty, smelly, half chewed bone?  Wanta pick it up?  Huh, huh, huh?  What you don't like dirty, smelly, half chewed bones?  What do you like?

  I like a tall cup of coffee with cream and a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin.  Yum.

  Can I have some, Mom?  No, Bonnie, dogs can't have coffee or chocolate but I love you anyway.

     I will leave you with a wonderful sign of Spring.  Bye.