The Garden

I have a garden! I did`nt plan on having a garden, but weds night Adam came over with his newly purchased tiller and tilled me up a garden, i was just going to spend the summer weeding it and getting it ready for next spring but then..................

My neighbor Mark stopped by and handed me a bag of onion sets that he had left over, sooooooo, i spent the next morning cleaning weeds out of one end of the garden for the onions, figuring, that won`t take long, but then.......................

Marks wife came over yesterday morning asking if i wanted some pumpking plants she had left over, ok sure, so now two spots needed digging and weeding, ok, i can do that. I went to her house to get the pumpkin plants and she dug up two rubarbs for me, ok, i can get that in, but then..........................

Marks wife handed Skip 6 packages of herbs, ok, Danika can do that, no problem but then........

Skip and Danika went to the garden center outside of town and bought two big beautiful tomato plants.........................and six big pepper plants..........................and 5 brocolli plants. ok, this was becoming a huge undertaking for someone who had no intention of planting a garden this year but ok, i can do that.

Eight hours later and sunburns, we had most of the garden, today radishes and maybe a few greenbeans will go in. Skip, who really is`nt a gardener or blueberry picker, decided we needed a scarecrow, so, He and Danika did the scarecrow, which Flynn views as in intruder and does`nt like him very much, we named him Shorty.

Good Bye Snow...........FINALLY!

I have finally removed my snow effects, i am pretty sure summer has finally arrived, it came very late this year but, we have hit the 80`s so i feel confident enough to remove the snow........But, this IS Minnesota and anything is possible here .



Danika is visiting..........for as long as she wants, she`s been a busy one, fishing, shopping, babysitting, visiting, and this weekend, it`s off to a concert in the park, that should be fun!




Well, have a great day, the morning is a glorious one so i am going to go play!

Coming Soon, The Skirtain!

I have been in a sewing mood, I have`nt had one in a long long time, but the mood hit me and for days the creative juices have been flowing.



Last night, it was warm and muggy, i was thinking how nice it would be to have a simple top that was easy and very cool. I am no Calvin Klein but, i have created what i think will be a huge success, Ladies and Gentlemen.........I give you the Skirtain.

My model, who wishes to remain anonymous,(for reasons only known to him) is showing two differant ways to wear the skirtain. Above is the shirt, cool, easy, flattering and full of fun.

You know how us ladies, and i suppose some men get tired of their same ole same ole clothes, well, take a little look below! When that happens to us, just slide it down and TA DA, you have a new skirt! Notice how handsome he looks modeling his new Skirtain?

oh just wait guys, there are many more uses for this Skirtain! I give you, the curtain!

The Lamp Shade!

And Last but not least, the trash can dresser upper! Smile at the cuteness when you toss your trash!

Acknowledgements: A special thank you to my model, who also suggested the name for this beauty, a name that stuck like glue!

The Skirtain should be available soon for all you Women and Men that cannot live without one!!

The Kingdom

Please, come in and take a tour of the princess`s Kingdom.





Oops, the first two pics are sideways, but you`ll get the picture..... The first pic is what we started with, pale pink walls, and a wood floor.



These are not in any particular order............ So just keep scrolling at the changes in the Kingdom. Sorry about this sideway pic!

Every Kingdom needs a Hop Scotch board!

Grandpas carving in the apple tree.

Lady Bugs crawling all over the floor.

The Princess loves blueberries...............hense, the blueberry bush......kinda sorta. they are messy little things and litter the floor.

The above tree with roots!

The Apple tree below, the princess`s mama added the butterflies and dragonflies.

The Princess and her tire swing.............well, i`ve never claimed to be an artist! But i do an ok stick princess.

The handprint wall of the princess`s subjects. That was Rebecca`s very cute idea!

Grandpa added some bluebirds, as you can see, he is a far better artist than I. I love love love the bluebirds
Aren`t the the cutest!

And of course, the sun! In the corner you can get a little peek of the kingdoms brand new window!

We worked on this for 3 days, it started out with me just wanting to put a couple trees in, and we went from there. It was so much fun and the princess loves it, her upcoming birthday party will be held in the kingdom. Fun Fun Fun!!

The Princess ( Part 2)

The little princess went on a photo shoot while we toiled away in the Kingdom. Don`t you think she is a good little model?



Stay tuned............and exclusive look inside the Kingdom!

The Princess (Part 1)

We have been in Wisconsin for the last week, visiting the little princess ( the one in purple), and her subjects, mama and papa.

We drove down there specifically for the little princess`s dance recital, and i have to say, she was gorgeous and danced very well for an almost 4 year old. She is standing next to one of her best friends. We enjoyed watching the dancers, it was very entertaining.

I have one or two other blog entries to finish but i am doing it in two or three parts, my computer has been acting up big time, this is my 4th attempt to blog today.........So i`m trying the short and sweet attempt untill i figure out what is wrong.

So, in this blog, i will tell you about our little project for the princess`s playhouse, which she has named, The Kingdom. A very fitting name by the way!!!

See you shortly!!

Cautiously Optimistic

Spring might be here, only 5 more days till May and no snow............no snow because it all melted from just a couple days ago. But seriously, what can happen in just 5 short days? Shhhhh don`t tell me.



Adam came over and fertilized and seeded our yard with grass, because he has a new riding lawn mower and can`t wait to start keeping his and our lawns cut, He wanted to make sure there was plenty of grass coming up. I would have had a picture of this from my window but he was flying past the window so fast i could`nt quite catch him. He does things fast like that all the time.



We had a little rain a few days ago (which turned to SNOW) and when we woke up the next morning, the grass had magically turned green........FINALLY!



Northeastern MN is finally , slowly , understanding that spring is here, my fingers are crossed !

A Surprise

This Picture does not do these flowers justice, when i look at them, they scream love and spring. they are just beautiful.

You see, weds this gorgeous bouquet arrived at my back door, a very brave man fought his way past an adoring flynn to get these flowers safely in my hands. After giving the flower delivery man some tips on fleeing our rambunctious flynn, i grabbed the card off of the flowers, thinking who could have sent them?

The card said, Thinking about you

Miss You

Hope this brightens your day

Someone who Loves you

That`s it, no name.................But of course, they really did`nt need a name, the first name that popped into my head was Jettie, my neice. Later that day as i studied the card, i thought possibly it was jetties mother who sent them. So, that night i did some detective work. HeHe. I called Jetties mom first. Explained the beautiful surprise i received. It was`nt her, but she was angry that she had`nt thought of it herself! So, the mystery was then solved. Jettie had sent us the flowers.

I called Jettie, who was in the middle of rocking her baby to sleep, but, that did`nt stop her from talking to me. Of course, she never once admitted sending us flowers, but i could hear it in her little chuckles.

Jettie knew i needed a little pick me up, even though i had not spoken to her, but she knew.

So, yes, the flowers are so beautiful, but what is even more beautiful is the woman and her thoughts behind them.

Thank You Jettie, you did brighten our day ,amazingly.

Flynnly And Me, Oops, I Mean Marley

Skip and I watched the movie Marly And Me today, it became increasingly clear to us that we were watching our own lives with Flynn flashing before us on the screen. Except for the young couple, the young kids, and most everything else, of course. It was as if someone had been spying on us since the day we brought our worst dog ever home.

After watching the movie, and wiping the tears from our eyes, and i kid you not, we were bawling like two babies. Anyway, we proceeded to look for hidden cameras throughout the house, certain that ALL the ideas in this movie came from our very own Flynn.............we found none so obviously, as dog owners, we are not alone, and that brings us some comfort.

Anyway, if you want to watch a funny, sweet and very touching movie, grab the puffs and rent it!

Dreaded Taxes

This is my most unfavorite time of the year, even worse than winter as far as i am concerned.

I suppose it would be more fun if we received a return, but, never never never. So, i put if off till the very last minute. The Last minute is nearing fast.

This year i am going to save myself $90 and do them myself, If i mess them up, i am pretty dang certain THEY will let me know, besides, the tax people and myself are on a first name basis, they have me on speed dial.

Maybe i will surprise them and get them done next week..............perhaps they cut me a break then. hahahahaha

Time Flies!

I can`t believe i have been away so long, i think i have been having a bit of antsy cabin fever, winter seems to have been so long this year.


Now, dealing with messy spring is sometimes even worse, we had so much snow this year, everything is water and mud, quite dreary, but, we must get through this before the dry land and warm sunshine arrives.


Skip and i have spent the winter doing his trucks, he and flynn spending days in the garage, then Skip and i painting.

Anyway, hope all of you are doing fantastic...........i`ll be back soon!

The Boys Are Gone

Our boy Flynn survived his delicate surgery. Besides being turned into a redheaded unich, (and i`m not even sure it`s spelled that way, who knew i`d ever need to use that word?) He also had his back dew claws removed. This really put him way down yesterday, he did`nt do anything but sleep.


The poor pooch, i think he thought he was going to a fancy spa the way he took off with the vet assistant, wagging his tail and dragging her down the hallway, eager to slip into an imaginary bubble bath i suppose. Dreams of a pedicure and massage dancing in his head.


What a shock it must have been when he woke up.


He is much perkier today, but, has an almost shocked look on his face everytime he checks himself, he looks at me as if waiting for me to tell him where they are? So, all i could do was promise not to take a picture and humiliate him further.


The Vet and his assistants enjoyed him during his short stay, they called him The Happy Boy, even when he woke up, he was happy. Of course, he had`nt realized parts were missing then. But, that`s flynn, deliriously happy, this won`t keep him down for long. And even though he is`nt the *man* he used to be, we still love him.

21,22,23,24,25

Pairs of slippers that is.


It truley has been a long long winter, but come on, I think i seriously need a life.



Anyone have an extra one laying around i could borrow?

Wee Morning Ramblings

What does one do at 3 am when one cannot sleep?



I have washed the kitchen and bathroom floors, straightened up the living room, am currently washing a load of clothes, woken up Flynn a bazillion times, fed and watered the cat, read some in my book, made half a pot of coffee, which i must say, is quite good this morning, what else to do?



Flynn refused to go to bed tonight with his master , so he has been waking up to see what i am doing, he is so nosey. With his humping obcession, i was a little uneasy when he`d come to check on me in the kitchen. I wash my floors on my hands and knees, get my drift? One eye on the floor, one on him, but, i am proud to say, he was a gentleman for a change. I suppose it is my reminding him that NEXT FRIDAY is the big day. He`s trying to be on his best behavior incase i change my mind, which of course, i won`t. This is set in stone.



Remember when i said i was going to get Flynn some toys? Well, i forgot but i did get something for him that he HATES. Some people are against these little miracle workers, and i am not thrilled with putting him through this, but, we live in town, and he needs to learn manners, which he has bucked us on every issue. So, we broke down and bought a shock collor. The dump guy puts on heavy gloves before he gives Flynn a treat, children shudder in fear of him jumping on them, visitors rarely leave without droplets of blood streaming down their hands from scratches, coats ripped when being jumped on, the cab of the truck torn apart when left alone , the neighbors suggesting a shock collor for his barking, i`m surprised they did`nt take up a neighborhood donation. The list is endless. So, all of that is changing, and it has changed in 3 short days. He has received about 3 shocks, but now all we have to do is give him a warning beep, and he settles right down. I imagine very soon, we won`t even have to give him the warning. It`s amazing. I`m thinking people may actually get to pet him without giving blood or almost knocked over. Flynn thinks everyone loves him as much as he loves them. NOT



That blueberry crisp is calling my name..........i`m trying to resist.



Well, it is 3:45, some people start their day this early so, i might as well too.


I think i`ll clean the fridge..........

The Clock is Ticking

I am very excited, Monday we are calling to make an appointment for this boy pooch Flynn to be De-masculated, Un-masculated, or just plain nuetered. He was born with a whole lotta testosterone if you know what i mean. But that is coming to an end.

He`s a humper. He humps my pillows, blankets, his dog bed (which we had to take away because of holes made during rough humping activity) once the cat, rugs, and last but not least, ME. So soon, the party is over soon big boy. It`s odd, his brother Rex, does`nt hump anything, i don`t know why it was all given to flynn, if it were`nt for his green eyes and red hair, i`d think he had alot of Italian in him.

I am stocking up on toys tomarrow, he`ll need something to entertain him with all that spare time he`ll have on his , ummmm paws. I suppose it will be like quitting smoking ......hard to give up, the urge will still be there at first but, but........it will wane......surely it will.

that`s my hope.

Enjoy them while you have them Flynn.................

BRRRRRRRRRRR

We are experiencing our coldest week this year, or last years for that matter, and all i can say is BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.



The water has been a challenge, a couple of nights ago, i caught it in mid freeze, i turned it on in the kitchen sink, which is where the problem has always been and it just trickeled for a few seconds, and just as i was uttering some very dangersous words. it began gushing, whew, close one.



Today i was not so lucky, both cold and hot froze, so skip had to do a little blow torching, after about 20 minutes, we had water, whew.



I am tired of winter, i want warm sun, green grass, and slipperless feet.



sighs

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year filled with Happiness, Heath, and Love!

Lost in New York City ( Part Two)

After two days on a cramped bus we arrived in the bowels of Port Authority in NYC at about 5 am! We were tired, needed a shower , and very excited. Port Authority is located on 42nd street right in the heart of NYC, I could not wait to get out of the underground and see the outside. I had listened to a paranoid woman talking to no one on the phone about the phone being bugged, i had heard Sis in Law scream, looked over and saw a big man leaning over her chair with his hands on the arms of her chair, i don`t remember what he wanted, i don`t think he was, you know, all there, it just was`nt a nice place to be.





So here we are, dragging Sis In Laws 200 pound suitcase, and my little LIGHT one, trying to get above ground, it is a huge place but finally, we made it. Along the way, we had stopped at a phone booth to `alert` Sis In Laws daughter that we had arrived. She was the reason we went to NYC, she lives in Yonkers, which is where we`d be (intruding) staying. Her words were, STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. Well, i just thought it would be easier to spot us above ground outside, so, there we were, sitting on the steps of port authority , in the dark, during the quiet time of the city. Unfortunately i was wrong about being easier to spot.







An old black man was hosing down the steps, but he was kind enough to spray around us, He kept asking us " Are you sure someones going to pick you up?" He was a nice man, and we must have had HICK written on our foreheads. I ran and got us a coffee and a bagle to share, and oh my god, NYC bagles are the BEST! Well, finally, the man hosing off the steps appoligized but we had to move, he had to wash our step. It had been over an hour or so that we had been sitting watching the city wake up. We decided to go down into the bowels and call daughter again, we were becoming a little concerened.





I spotted a copper, I approached him and innocently asked, " Sir, is this the only entrance into the building?" He literally looked at me like i was from mars and said, "Lady, this is one of seven entrances." Deflated, i said, "Oh, well thank you." Minnesotans are always polite.

I`ve heard about the rude people in NYC but honestly, this cop was the only rude person i came across.





Sis In Law was tired, she was`nt excited about going back underground. We reached an elevator and she says, " I think i`m going to pass out." I looked at her, and replied, "if you pass out before you get into this elevator i am leaving you lay here." I`m sweet like that. It worked, she made it all the way down. I called her daughter. First thing i hear is, WHERE ARE YOU?? It seems they had been there and could not find us and had gone back home. Damn. I had to confess and mention how we had gone topside to wait. Again she said, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! Poor Julie, she and her cop hubby had packed up her two little ones and came into the city and...well, no nana, no auntie.





But hey , wait, her hubby is a cop!!!! He could`nt spot us sitting on the steps? Sis in Law was wearing a blaze red sweater and well, i was sitting on suit cases. Sheesh, we were the only two hicks around. We stayed where we were and watched alot of strange goings on. Finally, we were found. We sat quietly and listened to the lecture about how dangerous NYC was, we deserved it. We were good all the way back to Yonkers. And i have to say, I LOVE YONKERS, it is a city of over 1 million, but it felt and looked like a small town in the neighborhood we were staying at.

That`s all for now........see you tomarrow!

Two Hicks And Their Big Adventure

Several years ago, My Sis-In-Law and I decided to go on a great adventure, we took a Greyhound to the Big Apple, you got it, NYC. It was a blast, and a trip that will never be forgotten, and always , ALWAYS makes me laugh still. Only two hicks could have so much fun on a Greyhound.



Looking back, it kinda-sorta reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillys minus the cash flow. Seriously, it does.



This is the list of things i learned on that big adventure.



1. Never bring fried chicken on your bus trip, honestly, people will stare at you, and spell out the word FREAK with their eyes. And, it smells up the entire bus.

2. Never allow Sis-In-Law to pack her own HUGE bag, it will weigh at least 200 pounds.

3. Friendships made on a Greyhound only last as long as your cigarettes hold out. So so shallow.

4. When Sis in Law is spotted falling OUT of the bus, pretend you never saw it, let the bus driver deal with, that`s why we pay him the big bucks. it works like a charm.

5. When Sis in Law falls inside of McDonalds, pretend it did`nt happen, just grab her bagged burger and fries while passing by and say, " See you on the bus." Totally ignore the kind helpful man being swatted away by said Sis In Law. THIS WORKS.

6. When nightfalls and it`s time to sleep on the bus and passenger in front of you is snoring, just gently but VERY firmly, press your knee into her seat and knee her. Sis In Law will stop her snoring, repeat as needed.

7. When confronted on a bus by a drug crazed man acting STRANGE, stay calm, trust Your bus driver to call police and have him removed from the bus. Never a dull moment when you travel Greyhound.

8. Just smile and pretend you don`t know the woman throwing a fit on the bus because there is nowhere to sit, follower her off the bus, shrug your shoulders and roll your eyes, insinuating to the people on the bus that yeah, ain`t she crazy? Wait to reprimand Sis In Law when you get off the bus.

That is pretty much most of the valuable lessons i learned on my two day Greyhound trip, but the fun did`nt end there, pulling into Port Authority Bus Depot in the wee hours of the morning were so so exciting and hysterical. I`ll tell you tomarrow!

Sweet dreams

Almond Tea Bread

Those little loaves just came out of the oven, and i can`t wait untill they are cooled, i`m eating one. Their looks are deceiving, they look like just another loaf of desert bread, untill you bite into a slice.

The above pic is a little blurry, but this is the one i am saving for ME. These are Almond Tea Bread, and I promise, if you serve this to guests, they will love it and they will love you for them.

Almond Tea Bread

Cream together: 2- 1/4 C. Sugar

3 eggs

1- 1/8 C. oil

Sift together, and add to above mixture alternately with 1-1/2 c. milk

3 C. all purpose flour

1- 1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

Add: 1-1/2 Tbls. poppy seeds

1-1/1 tsp. pure almond flavoring

1-1/2 tsp. pure butter flavoring

1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

Beat 1-2 minutes

Pour into greased and floured bread pans

Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes (do not overbake)

Remove from oven, and while still warm glaze with:

3/4 C sugar

1/4 C orange juice

1/2 tsp. each of almond, butter, and vanilla flavoring

This makes 5 small loaves

This bread goes so fast i usually make a double batch...........you`ll love it!