Coming Up For Air!

Mercy! This semester has been rough. I feel like I have been caught up in a snowball rolling downhill. I think I have finally got ahead of my homework load, at least for a few days.

I want to get out with my camera and get some pics of the beautiful fall colors before they fade away. Hopefully this weekend.....

Here is a picture I did catch one day last week when I looked up from my pile of books! A coyote was at the fence line between our woods and the cow pasture.

Lucas calls them 'Icodies'.

Green Mowing

Last summer when gas reached $4 a gallon, we purchased this old lawnmower. I love the simplicity of it. I also love the fact that there is no cord to yank on, and on, and on…….It always starts, with a little push, that is!

Kindergarden and College

Today I will pick Lucas up from Kindergarden. It hardly seems possible that he is old enough......
I can't wait to see him with his little backpack filled with papers! He is so excited about school, I hope he always stays that way.














Here he is with "Hubba Bubba". When he was in preschool, Bubba came home with him on weekend. Bubba was a traveling friend, so when they came to Grammy's house, we had to do activities with him, then record them in his traveling journal. Lucas wanted to do his favorite thing with Bubba, make Rice Krispy Treats. I turned around to find Lucas with the two marshmallows tucked under his lip to look like Bubba!

Today I head to school to pick up my books. Classes begin Monday. It is always a little unnerving to get all those books and try to figure out which ones go with which class.....So on the first day I usually just load them all up, and I am thankful I don't have to ride the bus to school anymore!

Time Flys!

Yikes! I can't believe I only have one week left of summer/fall semester break! I still have lots of projects to get done! Time seems to pass by so quickly......

I am thankful that the green beans chose this time to, as they say here in Southern Indiana, "come on". They have been our best crop of beans yet, hardly any blemishes and the little yellow bean bugs have not been sited this year.

I tried a new-to-me recipe for Dilly Beans from the Ball Blue Book. It has only been a week, so I am not sure yet, but we did do a sneak tasting yesterday (they are suppose to set for 2 weeks) and I think they taste like garlic dill pickles. They are crunchy and different....we will see.

I have 35 quarts of green beans canned to date, and there are more where those came from, I think it is time to share!

And God has blessed our berry patch this year for sure! I can't believe how huge the berries are, it is amazing. I made blackberry jelly and decided to try jam. Yummy! And it should be, considering the amount of sugar used. I have two gallons of berries in the fridge and the vines need picked again.....

I am thinking of trying blackberry syrup and, of course, I need to make some cobblers.

This week I hope to tackle a project involving a rocking chair, and of course more gardening and canning!

Have a good week!

$1.50 Update!

I have been looking for some fabric to recover my dining room chairs. I have had them covered in the same plaid, blue/mauve since, well, you know when-the 80's! They have seen better days for sure! I needed something that was 'grandkid proof' and affordable.

One day during the last few weeks of summer classes, I decided to check out the thrift store near the college. I didn't have any one thing in mind, just looking around. I came around a corner and saw a lady holding up this mishappen shape of fabric. The colors caught my eye first, and then I thought.....OH! That would hide dirt really good! I thought of my chairs! The only problem was that this lady still had the fabric in her hands....that and what was the price. I walked on down the aisle and then turned around and the lady was gone...But the fabric was still there! I zoomed to grab it before someone else saw what a good cover for dirt it would be! The price? $1.50!

Today I laid out the pads and there was exactly enough to cover all four chairs AND a bench! All for one dollar and fifty cents! Here they are, finished! I am happy!

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

Last Thursday we put up hay here on our little farm. It is a first for us,
and it will be a blessing to be able to provide for the cows this winter.

It is amazing to me that God can take this..............














And make this......................













To feed these hungry girls bellies..........

Blackberries!

The blackberry vines are full again this year! I found a really yummy recipe for Blackberry Pie Bars @JoytheBaker. These were very easy to make and a nice switch from cobbler. Oh, and these are definately not on the Weight Watcher's diet plan!
If you have blackberries to spare.....here is the link to the recipe. Check out her entire blog, she has some really good recipes.
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/06/blackberry-pie-bars/#more-845

Father's Day and a June Birthday

This blog entry gives me a good opportunity to use the picture I have of my Dad and my 'baby' brother....who celebrated his 35th birthday on the 10th of June. Late post, I know, but I was busy taking tests that day, and on the weekend, making birthday cake and yeast rolls! On our birthdays, we get to pick the meal we want, and Anthony always picks grilling out! We had barbeque chicken, corn-on-the-cob, hash brown casserole, baked beans, salad, and yeast rolls. It was great, just like the guy who's day we celebrated!

If you have never made corn-on-the-cob on the grill, try it sometime. Simply soak your corn ears (yes, soak shucks and all) in a sink or bucket of water for approximately an hour or longer. Then lay them on the grill and let them steam for about an hour. The silks fall away from the corn! It is easy and keeps the kitchen cool!

Today we are going to the parents house for a Father's Day celebration. I have the best Dad I could have ever asked for. The love Dad has for his family is evident in everything he does. I cannot even begin to name all the things Dad has done for me over my lifetime. Some of the time I didn't like the lesson I was being taught, but all these years later, I am so thankful Dad stayed firm, even though I know it would have been easier for him to give in!

A funny story that comes to mind is when I started buying furniture for the house I had bought after my divorce. I loved the 'shabby' look.....and the shabbier, the better! Dad didn't get the distressed look at all! He asked me if I needed some money to buy 'good' furniture!

I love you Dad! Thanks for understanding me!

National Cancer Survivors Day

Today is National Cancer Survivors Day. Today is also my Dad and Mom's 51st wedding anniversary. They are both survivors of cancer, along with my sister, Susan. I am thankful for the advances made in cancer treatment that has allowed me to keep my family a little bit longer. See Susie smile in the photo above? That is the same constant smile she wore all during her chemo and radiation treatments. When her hair fell out, that smile was so bright that you didn't much notice how perfectly round her little bald head was. She is a 7 year survivor of breast cancer and she is my hero.
When my Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he said he couldn't complain about anything after what Susie had been through, and he didn't. She was an inspiration to him, and he has been a survivor for 6 years.
My Mom is going through her second round with cancer. She is a fighter! She says she doesn't have time to mess with cancer, there is too much other stuff to do. I like her spirit. This round is breast cancer, and it was caught early by a mammogram, thanks to the efforts of her doctor.

I have two friends whose mothers are going through cancer treatments. I am praying that next year we can celebrate with them as survivors as well!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I love you both!

Is It June Already?

I can't believe it is June already! Time passes so fast as I get older. Daisies, my favorite flower, are out in full bloom and I see fields of them on my way home from town. This is one of the many reasons why I love where I live, way out in the middle of nowhere! When I lived in town, I didn't see the different flowers blooming naturally from season to season along the roadside, that is something I forgot happened. Now I don't mean to say there are not beautiful flowers in town! My sister Lori has a beautiful back yard in town with flowers blooming everywhere. I will have to take my camera over to her house one day and show you all of the hard work she has put into her little corner of the world. Lori has the plant growing talent in our family. As for me, I am just going to have to rely on God to do my landscaping.......and He is doing a great job!

How to Wash Off Mud....by Lucas

Lucas made himself a mudpit yesterday. He had lots of fun running his John Deere tractor through it and popping 'wheelies'. Plenty of mud was slung while Grammy sat here and watched....

But soon, muddy boys want to come inside to cool off and have an ice cream sandwich. How do you clean up such a muddy little fellow? Lucas had the answer......Slip and Slide! A birthday gift from Old Papaw Kenny and Mamaw Sue. Lucas thinks this a much more fun way to get clean rather than a bath....but it doesn't get mud out of his ears!

Even though I didn't get one thing done yesterday, I did get a reward. Lucas told me he had so much fun that he could play here forever!

The Hen House

Here is where the girls make their home....and deposit their rent payments!

Bluebird-Bluebird

It is the second year this little bluebird and its mate have made their nest in the primitive birdhouse built by my Uncle Kenny. It is fun to sit and watch the two bring in twigs, string, and various other objects to feather their nest.

Last year three little bluebirds were born in the little bird house. I have not yet peeped inside to see how many tiny eggs are snuggled in the nest this year. The parents are very protective of their young, so you have to be ready when they are both gone, and that is a rare occasion, to take your look inside.

Does anyone remember the game "Bluebird-Bluebird"? This little bluebird reminded me of playing that game with my friends in second grade on the old Emerson School basketball court. I don't recall much of the game except holding hands to form a circle and dancing around singing Bluebird, Bluebird. One morning at recess I was playing this game and my little blue spectacles fell off my head, and all I heard was awful crunching noises, and of course, the chanting of Bluebird, Bluebird!

The next morning I was sporting a new pair of pink glasses with three tiny diamonds (or so I thought!) mounted in the pointy ended frames, and I never played Bluebird, Bluebird again.

RIP Ruby

After four years of faithful service, Ruby quietly passed away yesterday afternoon. Thanks for all the omelets Ruby.

A New Granddaughter

This is Emma on her first day in this big world. She is granddaughter #1. Today she is one week old.

Grandsons

Grandson #1 is Lucas!

He is 5 years old and loves to play ball.

He is also big into cowboy stuff...more on that later!

Grandson #2 (only by birth order!) Conner is Emma's big brother. He is 16 months old and sweet as can be.

Beginnings....

Okay, here I am, beginning a blog of my own!
I love reading everyone's blogs, getting great new ideas and recipes and seeing the friendships made along the way.
I want a blog to sort of keep track of life. It goes by so fast. I want a place to keep memories and share ideas and dreams.
So.......here goes!