Stolen Nest

Yes, I stole this robins nest from my front porch and put some beautiful faux eggs in it to display. My secret sister really has a clue, these eggs were in my Easter gift basket at church last week. Aren't they just perfect? I put the nest in the tin bucket to prevent it from being blown away - we do get our fair share of wind here. Can't wait until I find some real eggs in a nest :) Also in this picture is the antique chair my Mom bought for our wedding anniversary last November. Aren't the berry vines a nice touch? I enjoy tinkering around on my porch and weather permitting that is where you will find me from now through October.

It Is That Time Of Year Again...

Hard work profits much :)

Mm Mm Good!!

Hubby's "man room" doubles as a nursery.

It may be cold out and the threat of frost won't be gone for about eight more weeks, but it is the perfect time to start the garden. For my family members who may read this blog, don't cry when you see Grandpa's rototiller, smile because you know he is in heaven telling Ray how to do it just right. He already has the spinach, beets, carrots and peas planted. We really have a head start this year and hope for a banner crop. The second picture is my beautiful strawberry plants peaking out from under the hay that hubby covered them with to protect from late frosts. The third picture is not just dirt - it is tomatoes and green pepper plants germinating and we are anxiously waiting for them to poke through the soil and become hale and hearty enough to transplant.

Pencil Tree - Chapter 3

Easter - What an important holiday, really the most important holiday of all and it isn't even recognized as a national holiday. One good thing is that is hasn't been totally ruined by commercialization. I do like to decorate some and make a fuss so here is the Easter Chapter of the pencil tree saga. I sure hope the weather holds up for an egg hunt for the grand kids. It is so nice to share holidays with loved ones and when we need to be reminded of the solemnity of this holiday watching "The Passion" is a sure way to make us aware of our Lords sacrifice.

Extended Family

Wow, when I think of all the family we have been blessed with I am awestruck. We often joke about how difficult it was for our kids to find dates because they were related to everyone in town. And in the case of my 2 daughter-in-laws there are people they are related to twice now because of this, not by blood of course:) We have 8 nieces and nephews on hubby's side and 8 on mine. Over the last few years we have been blessed with great-nieces and great-nephews also. Until Grandma Doc passed away in 2006 my grandson Raymond had 14 living grandparents - amazing huh! And him and Max still have 13. My hubby was talking to an older friend the other day and he asked Ray how our kids seem to be so well rounded, and Ray told him because they have been exposed to so much- they have had grandparents and aunts and uncles and extended family beyond measure involved in their lives. All people of different occupations and interests who have shared their knowledge and experiences with them and taught them so much more than we could have on our own. What a blessing for them! This is a picture of my newest great-niece Addison Nicole who I had the privilege of babysitting this afternoon and she is only eight days old. I hope I can contribute to her life in the same way others blessed my own children.

Happy St. Patty's Day

"May the road rise up to meet you,

may the wind be ever at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face

and the rain fall softly on your fields.

And until we meet again,

may God hold you in the hollow of his hand."

Spring Has Sprung!

This may not be as exciting to everyone else as it is to me, but yahoo - I have my rocker back on the porch for the summer!! I bring them in to protect them from the severe winter weather in addition to the fact that they might end up in Ethiopia or somewhere from the wind we get here. I am so looking forward to nice weather; seeds are ordered for the garden, we started working in the yard and I am getting the planters out for spring flowers :) Have to wait a little while to plant the flowers - we can have frost here through Memorial Day. Just the fact that I think all the snow has finally melted is such a relief. Spring is not my favorite season (I'm a fall girl) but I am surely loving it this year.

Pistachio Dessert

I made this for a dinner at our church tonight and everyone loved it.

It was very easy to put together. I thought it was appropriate for St. Patrick's Day weekend. I actually like it best with chopped pistachios on top as garnish.

What You Need!
36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1/2 cup toffee bits
Make It!
MIX cookie crumbs and butter until well blended. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min.; spread 1-1/2 cups onto bottom of crust. Stir half the COOL WHIP into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in pan. Cover with remaining COOL WHIP and toffee bits.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm.

♥ Bundle of Joy ♥

Well here is the ticker to count down for granddaughter #1. Since Sara is such a well behaved daughter-in-law I know we won't be too far off from the May 24th due date. It kind of dashes my hopes for my birthday present on May 10, I really don't expect her that early. However, the chances of hitting another special day are pretty steep. May 17 is Mommy and Daddy's 7th anniversary, May 20 is Aunt Katie's birthday, May 25 is Uncle Adam's birthday and May 29 would be her Daddy's birthday - now how special would that be! As you can see May is a fairly busy month in our family. What a special blessing grandchildren are, for the first time ever we were able to see our little bundle of joy through 3D or 4D ultrasound (not sure which it is) so I feel like I already know her. Her Mommy has had a couple of issues along the way and is scheduled for an echo cardiogram next week - but I trust completely that all will be well. I think of her often and pray for her safe arrival daily - if her personality is anything like her two big brothers we are in for a treat!

How precious new life is - the following excerpt from Psalm 139 says it all;

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Sunday Lunch

Not the best picture but here is a crock of french onion soup from the batch we made Friday night. Ray and I love cooking together and trying new recipes. I found this one on Recipe Czar. We usually pick one that sounds good and doctor it up to our own tastes. You start by slicing five pounds of onions - thank heavens for an electric slicer! But that was the only part that made us cry :) We toasted our own french bread croutons and then melted the provolone cheese under the broiler. Mm mm good! We will serve it after church tomorrow with a small roaster of hot and sweet sausages for sandwiches and a casserole of baked ravioli. I had fun making blue and purple jello jigglers for the grandsons. We never know for sure how many will be here to eat, anywhere from 6 to 14 so we always make lots. The leftovers help out all week long and we sent a quart of the soup down to Grandma Minnie.

Hubby's New Girl

Here is Cat-O (the name that Adam picked out when he was 7 years old because he thought that it was Spanish for cat. lol) and the hubby. Cat-O has mainly been an outdoor cat until 2 months ago when our other pet cat, Baby Shadow, (Cat-O's son) was killed in a malicious attack by some wild barn cats. A traumatic experience in our family for sure. Ray heard the ruckus but until he got outside and beat the wild cats off him it was too late. We think baby Shadow died protecting his Mother. So we brought her indoors immediately to keep her safe and now we think that she believes she is Ray's mate. She talks to him and rubs noses - follows him around the house -cries for him when he is outside etc.... She loves it when he puts breath mints in his mouth, she just sniffs and sniffs at him, which is what she was doing here in this picture. I think we have a standoff between Cat-O and I - she tries to worm her way in between us in the bed at night. But we love her and she is around thirteen years old so we let her have her own way, the frightening thing is now Ray is purring back at her ☺

I'm A Little Teapot ....

Cozy and warm on a cold winters day and sharing a hot cup of tea with a friend, is there anything better? I love my teapots - it is an eclectic collection; some were gifts, others were garage sale finds and a couple were passed down through family. My favorites are the ones from England, of course no one makes a better cuppa than the British. Hot tea reminds me of the song "Lets get back to the basics of life". My favorite blend from Smicksburg is blueberry vanilla. So come on over when you can spend a few minutes - and enjoy.