Changing the Landscape

This flowerbed has been a sore spot with Lawman and me for years and years. When originally planted it was done so with one of those "kits" you can order from a magazine. You know the kind, you see the landscape plan and order box 1, 2, 3 or all of them. A kit of parts. Last year we were so fed up with it that we yanked the smaller plants out at the beginning of the season and just left it bare. Lawman took out the last of the big stuff this season.** I'm sure the neighbors hated it. This year we tackled it.

We had a lady that runs a local nursery come out and look at it and provide a rough layout and list of plant materials. We met with her Saturday and purchased the materials.

The morning was cool and breezy but Lawman and I were on a mission. We worked like dogs but the end result is so worth it. We're both looking forward to watching it grow and take shape this summer.

Plants include: Incrediball Hydrangeas, Golden Meadows Hosta, Pink Saucer Anemone, Daylily and peonies (existing).


**When one removes the big bushes, it makes it evident that the next project is going to be replacing the siding. Ugh. We did the opposite end of the house 2 years ago because it was in bad shape. Guess we'll be doing that again. There's always something.

all fired up

it has felt like spring this past week. what better reason to fire up the grill? there's something about that first meal of the season prepared on the grill. it tastes sooo good. must be something to do with the absence of that fresh grilled taste during the winter months.

tonight it was chicken fajitas. last week it was bratwurst, steak (a splurge) and chicken. that slotted grill pan my veggies are on? i heart it. one of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment during the warm weather months.

and speaking of warm weather months...i've already started a mental list of meals for the grill or the microwave. i'm loving the warm days of spring but before long it will be the hot days of summer and i won't want to heat up the house.

got your grill fired up yet? hope you're enjoying the early days of spring wherever you are.

snow day

old man winter is visiting this week. feels like the old guy has moved in. no school yet this week. not a full week since the return from christmas break, thanks to old man winter. short day of work yesterday for me, office closed today. blowing snow, frigid temps, white-out conditions. poor lawman is the only one that had to leave home this morning. no day off for the law, that's for sure. and to top it all off, someone rear-ended him at a stop light. wouldn't want to be that guy. um, yeah, he was in the patrol vehicle.

we made the most of our day at home and it's not over yet. a little reading. a little cleaning. a little laundry. a little monopoly (some people love it, some of us loathe it -- guess who).  and a little baking. a certain lawman requested cookies. how can i say no on a day like this?

did you get a snow day? what'd you do?



christmas magic

When the girls were itty bitty, we started buying a new Christmas story each year to read out loud. We'd dim the lights and sit by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and read a story before bedtime. The books were neatly stacked under the tree and we'd read one book each night during the 12 days of Christmas. It's been several years since the last time we did this but today, someone relived those memories.

I walked in the door from work and there was Madison, reading one of the Christmas stories out loud to her dad who was laid out on the floor. Such a sweet moment. It's nice to know that the things we do for years, out of love, and with the hope of establishing a tradition, really do take root. Just a bit of Christmas magic.

harvest blessings snack mix

Each year we share small gifts, usually of the food variety, with our neighbors and friends at Christmas as a gesture to show our appreciation of their friendship or neighborliness. This year, I've decided there's no reason to wait until Christmas. What better time of year than Thanksgiving to say "thank you" to neighbors and friends?  This weekend I made a double batch of Harvest Blessings Snack Mix to share with those we are thankful for.

It's easy to make and the ingredients are simple.

HARVEST BLESSINGS
1 c. of Bugles (corn snack)
1 c. of small pretzel twists
1 c. of Goldfish crackers
1 c. of Wheat, Rice or Corn Chex cereal
1 c. of raisins
1 c. of dry roasted corn nuts
1 c. of peanuts or other nuts
1 c. of Hershey's chocolate kisses

Mix all together in a very large bowl. Package in individual baggies for gifts. Include a notecard that explains the symbolism of the snacks:
Bugles - shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty
Pretzels - arms folded in prayer
Goldfish crackers - fish are a symbol of abundance
Chex Cereal - they look like baskets, which hold the harvest fruits
Corn - food was so scarce the first winter that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day
Nuts - promise of a future harvest
Raisins - harvest gifts from our bountiful land
Hershey Kisses - the love of family and friends that sweetens our lives

(By making a double batch, I ended up with 6 bags, containing 2 cups of snack mix.)

it's beginning to look a lot like fall

I mixed up a taste of fall (and Halloween) this weekend -- a trail mix of sorts -- candy corn, Reese's pieces and peanuts. Kind of makes me want to get into the spirit of the season. Mums. Gourds. Pumpkins. Mr. Skeleton on my door. Halloween costumes.  It's all right around the corner.  I'm hoping to add mums and pumpkins to my front porch this week. Lawman even suggested a pot of chili should make an appearance on our menu very soon.

long time coming

there's been a change in the air this past week and it's been a long time coming.....fall. i've tried terribly hard to not complain about the heat of summer because i know that by the end of the year i'll be wishing for warm days again. instead, i'm enjoying the change of seasons and the blessings that come with it like:

:: oatmeal for breakfast

:: windows open, A/C off

:: sleeping under the comforter

:: using the oven

:: football -- yes, i'm a fan -- high school, college, NFL -- i love them all

:: the chill of the morning air

:: no humidity

:: it's (almost) soup weather

:: hoodies

and since we have near optimal weather conditions, i may not be around much. i can blog away all winter long but for now i'm going to enjoy the opportunity to be outside and enjoy all that it has to offer.

a sure sign of warmer days

making my own fix...again

Sunshine does a body good. Unfortunately we haven't had much sun here this week. The obvious conclusion would be that my body isn't doing good. Right? That's not entirely true but I might be lacking in vitamin D due to lack of sunshine.

Last time I needed a sun fix, I made my own.

This time my fix isn't the color of sunshine but it does remind me of spring. Unfortunately this particular food item traveled all the way from Peru. Yes, Peru. I realize that purchasing this wasn't the most "green" thing to do but it made me feel better. Is that bad? There are worse things, aren't there?




Don't those little green sprigs just make you think spring? They're so pretty. Green. Like grass. Oh, I can't wait to walk barefoot in the green grass.

And this little bowl of orange picked me up too. Roasted sweet potatoes. Mmm.

One of my absolute favorite foods - roasted, baked, candied - any way you fix 'em, I'll eat 'em.

At least I'm eating my colors.

No sunshine expected this weekend either. Just gray, rain and snow. Yuk, yuk and double-yuk. My state of mind is starting to look a little gray too. Yuk again.

I just read this post....sounds whiny....sorry.

digging out

We had a white Christmas. Lots of white. Not quite sure how many inches as the winds blew so much that we have drifts in excess of 3' in places and then areas where there is no snow. We've had to dig out more than once over the course of the last 4 days creating aching backs and cold toes. Lawman and I are wishing Santa would have delivered a snowblower.

Back to the grind tomorrow. No more days at home. It's been a wonderful holiday ~ lots of family time, laughter and good memories. Hope yours was a merry one as well.

See you soon.

a caroling we go

The little things don't mean alot, they mean everything.

As I was driving to work on Monday morning I heard someone on the radio say that. Didn't think much about it. Throughout the week though it's proven itself to be true several times. Most recently, last night.

We went caroling with a group from church at Lawman's request. He thought it would be a good Christmas activity for us to do as a family. He was right.

Several that we sang for were elderly folks that are homebound so a visit from anyone means a lot. We sang to a group at a care home. And our last stop was a family (18 children) that lost their mother last spring.

The first lady we sang for got teary-eyed which meant I got choked up too and could barely get through the first verse of Silent Night. Alison got choked up too. Good thing Lawman and Madison didn't notice so they could carry the tune. Our youth pastor spoke to her before we left; don't know what was said but I'm sure this lady very much appreciated our group's visit to her door.

At the care home there was a gentleman that appeared to be much younger than the average citizen there and Alison noticed he had tears streaming down his cheeks. Don't know what his story is but he probably never expected that his life would be like this.

Our last stop was the home of a family that has 18 kids. Most have left the home, married and have their own families. There are just 2 or 3 left at home. They are a wonderful family. A couple of their daughters babysat for our girls when they were younger and the youngest boy is in Madison's class. One of the older boys answered the door. I know he was glad to be able to close the door as it was obvious that he was trying hard to keep his composure.

Our small gesture of singing Christmas carols meant so much to everyone we sang for. All in different circumstances. All have a different story to tell. All appreciated a group of strangers singing for them. It meant that someone had thought about them, cared about them.

The little things don't mean alot, they mean everything.

It's not too late to do something for someone else this holiday season. A hello. A phone call. A plate of food for a homebound neighbor. That's what the season is about ~ spreading the love. A little gesture would be sufficient.

snow day

The snow began last night just before bedtime.

Today began with an automated phone call from our school district at 5:30a.m. announcing it was a SNOW DAY! Can you say happy kids?

Lawman and I reported for duty at work as usual. Travel in wasn't too bad but I thought coming home might be another story. Today I'm grateful for 4-wheel drive.

About 6" on the ground as of now.

As the day comes to a close, the snow is still falling. Up to another 8" forecast.

Last word, according to FaceBook is that there will be a 2nd snow day tomorrow. Well, for some of us anyway.

signs of fall

We're seeing signs of fall at our house this week.

• hot chocolate with marshmallows
• fuzzy socks
• sweatshirts
• fleece lounge pants
• fuzzy blankets on the couch
• flannel sheets
• steaming bowls of soup

I'll admit that I'm enjoying the change. I'm savoring it now because if you ask me again in January after a few months of cold temps, north wind and rain/snow and I'll tell you I'm sick of the whole thing.

photo credit

ghosts & goblins dancing all around

its all about the tomato

Last weekend, my friend, Rechelle, organized a party all about the tomato. You see, she planted a garden and had far more tomatoes than she knew what to do with.

First we had a little tomato taste test. She grew multiple varieties and wanted to know what our favorite(s) were so she knew what varieties she should plant next year.



You would think that a tomato, is a tomato, is a tomato, right? They'd all taste the same. Wrong. Honestly, I could tell a difference. Who would have thought?

Then after she fed us as many tomatoes as we could eat, it was time for entertainment. Sarah gave a demonstration on how to can tomatoes. She was fabulous! I think she may have a cooking show in her future. She even tried to do this with a French accent.....maybe she was trying to be Julia?

Here are a few of her very attentive pupils. Look at that concentration.



She knew she had a lot of work ahead of her so she wasted no time.




Then she put the rest of us to work. We decided anything is more fun when you do it with your girlfriends. We also learned it's important to have lots and lots of pots available as well as really good knives.

Sarah even checked our work. She just dug right in there to make sure we were getting the tomatoes cut to the proper size and that we didn't leave anything in them that wasn't supposed to be.

She uses the hot-pack method. This is what her mother does and it's also recommended by the official Ball Blue Book.

At this point I think we've received all instructions and it's time to get these 'maters in the jars.

(no idea why my photos are suddenly left-hand justified...I'm too tired to try and fix it. sorry folks.)

When we got to a stopping point, Rechelle did feed us again and this time it was way better than tomatoes. Some fantabulous chocolate raspberry cake....oh was it good. Girls must keep up their strength when they're exerting so much energy in the kitchen. Right? I wanted another slice of that cake but didn't want to be the only one to over indulge in the good stuff. So, I was a lady and stopped with one.

Rechelle's got more pics and stories about this tomato party here. If that's not enough for you, there's more here too. Tomatoes aren't your usual party theme but Rechelle is one to bust out of the ordinary. It was a great way to spend an afternoon with my girls.

And, Sarah? The gal that gave us the canning lesson? She's my friend that has been sharing her garden bounty with me all summer.

Veggie Delivery

I had every intention of planting a garden this year. Really, I did. A teeny, tiny garden. I planned on putting tomatoes, zucchini and bell peppers in the ground. I love the thrill of finding a vine ripened veggie just ready for picking.

Despite my good intentions, the tiny garden didn't materialize. I don't have a good excuse either.

What I do have is a fabulous friend who has a fabulous garden and best of all is the fact that she is sharing her bounty. See those beautiful veggies up there? Yep. Sarah, bless her pea pickin' heart, brought those by yesterday. My girl, Madison, answered the door and then she called me to tell me what Sarah left. She knew I would be thrilled. Oh, that girl knows me well.

Kids & Veggies ~ do they go together?

Kids & veggies ~ do they go together? It seems that I hear stories regularly about parents that struggle with getting their kids to eat veggies.

As babies, my girls ate veggies. Some of their favorites were sweet potatoes, squash and spinach. That was followed by the independent stage where they learned to say no and could be quite stubborn about what they would / would not eat. It seemed that soon after that they would eat veggies but only of a select variety.

Over a year ago I discovered a new way of preparing veggies which has been a big hit. Roasting.

It all started with a bundle of fresh asparagus. If I had to select my favorite vegetable, I'd probably have to go with asparagus. My girls had tried it the way I usually prepared it (steamed) and they weren't fond of it. I happened across a recipe in this book which was called Broiled Asparagus. It sounded good to me so I gave it a shot and believe it or not, my girls loved it.

Since then I've been roasting everything ~ broccoli, potatoes, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes ~ and the girls have eaten all of it.

It's so simple. The taste, so satisfying. There's something about that little bit of crunch it adds to the veggies. No more soggy, bland veggies in this house.

Don't know how? It's really very simple. Wash your veggies and cut into bite size pieces. Place in an oven proof dish. Season with a bit of salt & pepper or seasonings of your choice. Using olive oil, pour a bit on the veggies and mix so that all the veggies have a bit of oil on them. Start sparingly, like a tablespoon or so. You can always add more if needed but you don't want them swimming in oil. Roast in a 450 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until they are tender.

The veggie dish pictured above is one that I make on the stove top. My mother made this every summer with ingredients fresh from our garden. It too is very simple. Chop zucchini and onions. Saute in olive oil in a hot skillet. Add chopped tomatoes to the skillet during the last minute of cooking. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Serve immediately. My kids will eat this too.

Do your kids eat veggies? If so, do you have a secret ingredient, recipe, cooking method?

Packin' Up & Checkin' Out

Holiday weekend fast approaching. Much preparation to be done for the first camping trip of the season. I'm packin' up & checkin' out. See you after the break.

Run, Madison, Run

This spring we spent at least a day a week at the track. As spectators.

It's been a rule in our house that during jr. high, the girls must participate in at least two school sponsored sports.

Madison had it in her head that this rule wouldn't apply to her. Did she think that since it'd been 2 years since her sister was in jr. high that we had forgotten this rule? Much to her regret, we remembered. She signed up for track.

I think she was surprised how much she enjoyed it. I know. During enrollment she indicated that she plans to participate in volleyball and track next year.

I think one of our responsibilities as parents it to encourage our kids to try new things, even if it means pushing them outside of their comfort zone. If I don't encourage her to expand her horizons, who will?

Seasonal Foods | Strawberries

I try to serve seasonal foods when possible. Currently fresh strawberries are an easy item to add to the shopping list.

Here's an easy and tasty salad using this spring fruit, courtesy of my friend, Sarah.

In a blender combine 1/3 c. sugar, 2T seasame seed, 1 1/2 tsp. chopped onion, 1 T poppy seed, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 c. canola oil, and 1/4 c. cider vinegar. It will be thick; add a little more vinegar or oil if needed.

Toss with 1 lb. fresh spinach, 1 pt. fresh strawberries (halved) and 1/2 c. slivered almonds.

Simple. Seasonal. Delicious.