Just a Little Stroll

 Good morning to all you lovelies!  It is a glorious morning here at my home.  The sun is shining, and it is cool.  Crazy, our mornings have been very cool for a few days - yet it is to get very hot during the day.  This is supposed to happen for the next few days.  I love the cool beginnings.  The birds are singing, the squirrels frolicking, and kitty is resting after breakfast.  Windows are open for the moment!

As you saw yesterday - I did a big OOPS!!!  Geesh, I sure didn't mean to delete my blog list.  Live and learn.  Now I know.  I hope I got everyone back that was here before, and I added new ones.  All those blogs listed are from gals who comment here!!!!!!  We are family!  ENJOY!

Let me know if I missed anyone!

On a nice morning, this is a normal routine for my boy.  Eat, bathe and sun!  Please excuse the grass and weeds - this was taken before I mowed and trimmed Friday!  He sure has the life!!!!!!!  He just lounges around here all day - then goes 'visiting' at night!!!!!!

Zucchini plants in middle of garden.  Upper left are 4 cherry tomato plants - oh my, what was I thinking?????  The zucchini plants are huge.

To the right of zucchini are all the normal tomatoes (8)!  They are really hanging in there.  Click on pictures to get a better look!

                             The old-time phlox starts blooming just as the tiger lilies stop!

The mallow plants are blooming like crazy.  Every year they are in a different location!!!!  Always a surprise.

                                    Can you spy all the 'mators hanging in there?  I have many.

There are 4 pots of peppers.  Bigger ones, little ones and buds galore between all the pots!  I will have plenty for the winter!!!!  The plants aren't all that lush, but I have lots of peppers hanging out there.

There are grapes just 'hanging' out!!!!!!!  I almost thought maybe my arbor died out this year - but NO - I will have grapes!

Coreopsis - tall and lanky plants.  Not the prettiest around - but with the phlox - the yellow gives a nice pop of color.

Out front - coming along!  Can you tell I love purple?  It seems most of my flowers that come back over and over are purple, orange or yellow.  I love the brightness.

Don't mind the crooked old handrail!!!!  It is old and warped - but the animals still like it!!!  Birds and squirrels line up for drinks and the birds sure do love getting refreshing baths!  It will be replaced one of these days soon.  Blackie in the afternoon - in the shade under the chair on the deck.  See the washtub (top right) way out there - that is where the cucumbers are.

OK - just a stroll around the property.  I always give a walk about each summer - just to show what is happening here on my little homestead!  Nothing exciting - but it is mine and I like it.  It keeps me busy and amused.

I hope you enjoyed our walk.  I hope you each are having great success with your gardens, pots and flowers.

Have a beautiful and blessed day!!!!!

I NEED BLOGGER HELP!

 I need some of your blogger ladies help!!!!  Badly!!!!!!!!

I went to add a few new blogs to the reading blog list on the right of my page, and get rid of a couple of old ones.  BOOM - they are all gone!

Now I am slowly writing the names down of the blogs I had on there and the new ones, but I can't seem to get things to show up correctly. 

I get the blog - but you can't click on it to read.  OR I get a the site address and it won't let you click on it either.

What do I do?????  How do I get these all set back up?  It seems everything is so different from when I did this ages ago.

So you blog gals - HELP!!!!!  I need good instructions to follow!!!!!!!!

I have my list going to put back on here.

Just to make sure I miss no one - PLEASE list your blog name.  I was adding new ones to the list - so even if you weren't on the list before - give me your blog name.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!  I am so NOT computer savvy!

Thanks!!!!!

Weekly Wrap-Up 7/9

 Happy Sunday to all.  I hope this finds everyone well and safe.

I hope you are all staying cool.  It has been a hot and humid one around here this week.  Finally, the heat and humidity took a bit of a break on Friday and that was a good day to get out and do all the necessary yard work.  Seems many around here did!  Saturday was storms and rain a big part of the morning.  We need the rain, as we are still considered in a drought.  The plants all loved it and are sure showing themselves nicely today!!!!!!!

The garden is growing nicely, and the flowers are pretty.  I have cone flowers, phlox, tiger lilies, mallow and coreopsis all blooming along with the annuals.  I so love the shades of purple and lavender.

There are lots of green tomatoes hanging out there, a whole lot of peppers getting bigger by the day, zucchini and cukes.  Lettuce is still hanging in there.

The worst of the fireworks are over - however there are still people shooting things off each day and evening.  Geesh.  I would love to have the money that was spent just in my area on those silly things.

My week:

• I told you about making the homemade chicken nuggets earlier.  That was fun and easy - and I will do that again.  Made for a pretty cheap meat portion
• Picked 6 zucchini this week - more coming on!  One cucumber picked so far.  They are coming on slower - but it is better than past few years!

                               Not the biggest or the prettiest - but it is my first of the season!

• Finally got all the limbs and debris picked up from the windstorm of last weekend.  There will be more come down next big wind.  There is a lot of deadfall I can see just hanging out up in the tree.  I had one decent size branch up on the garage, and I finally figured out how to get that down!  YAY ME
• Using rainwater when needed to water
• Made a gallon of fruity lemonade.  Found a couple mixes in pantry I had forgotten about - and I mixed them together - tasty and refreshing
• Did more weeding in the mornings when it was cooler
• Did a BIG time mow and trim on Friday - the coolest day we had.  Looks so nice when all done!
• Made a banana milkshake with a much needed to use banana
• Got a packet of Kroger coupons in the mail for July - hadn't gotten any for a month a two
• When out weeding the ends of the garden (there is weed barrier under plants) - I found a rogue tomato plant growing.  It is about a foot tall - we'll see what it has to offer
• Only time I left this week was to go to my gr. nieces on the 4th - to celebrate her mom's birthday (my niece).  Nice to see family
• Eating from home and making all food from scratch
• Just doing all the normal stuff
• Turning off AC whenever possible (mainly nights and early mornings)

Meals this past week:

Chicken nuggets, broccoli/cheese/rice

Olive loaf & veggie homemade sub and chips

Smoked sausage sandwich and salad - also had taco stuff at nieces!

Egg/sausage/zucchini/cheese skillet

Fried hominy/zucchini/chicken skillet

Taco salad

Fried zucchini and tom/cuke/onion salad

Snacks - fruit, milkshake, leftover rice, crackers & beef stick

What have you all been up to this week?  Did you find any good deals?  I didn't even think about going to the store.  Back to work and normal after the long holiday?  How are those gardens and garden pots doing?  Give us a shout out and share your week!!

I pray you all have a wonderful week ahead.  Stay safe and healthy my friends.

Blessings to you and yours from me and my humble little home.

********************

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon at night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; and he will keep your life.

Psalms 121:5-7

Dear Lord, we humbly ask You to please watch over and protect each of us.  We know that loss happens in this world - we lose people and things - but You will never leave us.  You are there to comfort us and to guide through all life throws in our direction.  We have an eternal life with You.  We thank You for all the gifts we receive each and every day - no matter how big or small they may be.  Amen

Thinking Back on Mom's Kitchen

 I eat a lot of fruit and fresh veggies, especially in the summer.  I love them with my meal or just as a snack.  I did that a lot growing up, so I think it kind of stuck.  Yesterday I was eating an apple with a little peanut butter, and I got to thinking back to being a kid.

Back then, there was no such thing at my house as buying junk food at the store.  Nope never happened.  If we had snacks and goodies, they were either fresh or homemade.  There was ALWAYS something satisfying to eat!!

Mom always made pies, cobbler, and crisps with any fresh fruit we had.  She also made them in off months with frozen goodies.  Black raspberry was my favorite.  If there was leftover pie dough, she would add a bit of sugar and cinnamon and bake for crispy little snacks.

Mom even made donuts once in a while.

One of my favorites was peanut butter and syrup mixed together and served with either bread or crackers.  Crackers were my choice.  I still do this now and then.

Of course popcorn was always a go to for watching TV.  She also made popcorn balls!  That was usually in the fall months and even given at Halloween at times.  She made the best ones ever. 

Popcorn was cheap, and Daddy even grew it many times.  Still a snack I enjoy when watching TV.

Mom made potato chips every once in a while.  That was the best treat ever.  Those were the first chips I ever had - and I am sure the very best.  I have made them a handful of times over the years.

Even through adulthood, all the while she was able, there were homemade cookies in the cookie jar!!!!  She made all kinds during the holidays (dozens and dozens), but the big win was always large sugar cookies that she iced.  I would sure love to taste one of those now.  Nothing I have made (use her recipe) nor bought has ever compared!

Of course there were rice krispy treats once in a while.  There were no bake cookies - I usually made those.  That was the first cookie I learned to make in 4-H.

Cinnamon toast was always a treat, and still is.

A big joy of summer was just going out and picking something to eat!  Nothing like a warm tomato right off the vine.  I did that pretty much daily in the summer.  Pulling a fresh carrot and rinsing it under the hose - yum.  Fresh apples, peaches, grapes, cherries and raspberries - oh my, what treats.  I used to get reprimanded about eating green apples!!  I would sit out behind the garage and eat green apples for what seemed like hours!  I still love a tart apple.  Never had a thought or worry about picking something straight from the yard and eating it.  There were no insecticides used or chemicals of any kind in our yard - so there was never a worry.  

IF there was ice cream in the house - there were ice cream cones.  YUM

If I were sick there would be orange sherbet!  That fixed everything!!!!!  Sometimes we would get 'raspberry salad' sherbet.  It was raspberry flavored with bits of pecans through it.  My goodness that was good.  I got that when sick IF daddy was craving it!!!  LOL

There was always iced tea or a jug of Kool-Aid in the frig.  I generally still have one or the other in my frig.  If out playing - a drink from the hose was always the place to go!

I remember sitting on the front porch in the summer in the porch swing and having a 'picnic' with one of my friends.  We would generally have a PBJ sandwich (maybe bologna), a cookie and Kool-Aid.  Then we would play Jacks afterwards!  Simple fun - but wonderful fun.  Here I am mentioning it, 60+ years later!!!!!!!

Mom made homemade popsicles a lot in the summer using a stronger mix of Kool-Aid (less water).  Those were always refreshing.  One year I also got a snow cone machine for Christmas - and we would make snow cones with Kool-Aid as well.  Those were fun!!!!

This was the exact type of machine I had.  You put the ice cubes in the head, cranked it from behind and magically grated ice came out his belly!!!!!!!  

Oh my goodness, how many fun days that gift gave me.  Cool and refreshing and so tasty on a hot summer day.  I felt so special.

Once in a blue moon, I might get a treat from the ice cream man that drove around.  Didn't happen much, as there was not a lot of extra money.  I still love hearing the trucks.  We have one that comes through the neighborhood every evening in summer months!

There you have my memories of fun and inexpensive treats that were had growing up.  No major junk food was needed - we always had yummies on hand and enjoyed it immensely.

Do you remember any fun treats that you got as a child?

Did you buy junk food or were your treats homemade as well?

Love the walk back in time with memories!!!!!!!!

WHEN LIFE WAS SIMPLE

Midweek Chat

 Happy Wednesday all.  I am a bit tired this morning - sleep was fleeting earlier in the night!!!  Oh the crazies were out in force.  Poor Blackie actually got scared when I was trying to feed him - and decided to hide.  Can't say as I blamed him.  IT WAS LOUD!  It actually ended earlier than I anticipated, guess having to get up and go to work makes a difference!  There were stragglers however, going well after midnight.

The sky is very hazy this morning - hmmmmm, wonder why??  It will be very hot and humid again today. 

We are supposed to get a decent cool down and lower humidity starting tomorrow.  YAY!  I can then out and take care of my backyard - it is a fright!

                                                                         Let's chat!

STAMPS - are going up again.  The price rises on July 9, another 3 cents.  So now is the time to get forever stamps if you need them.  I know 3 cents doesn't sound like much - but it all adds up and this is about 4 times they have gone up in the last 18 months!

I made the homemade chicken nuggets I wrote about a while back.  They were good!!!  It is a good way to use up canned chicken if you need to.

I used a 10 oz. can of chicken breast (drained), 1 egg, probably about 2 Tbsp. of parm cheese, and a palm size amount of breadcrumbs.  Mine needed the crumbs - it was just too wet before adding them.

I made little nuggets and put them in the air fryer.  I did 360* for about 20 minutes - turning them halfway through.  They were nice and crispy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside.

I will give it a thumbs up and will definitely make them again.  I got about 8 nice size nuggets.

You HOOSIER ladies - I know many of us get our 'only' news each day from Fox59 (our local) station.  Well, what a howdy doo on Monday when it was no longer on cable!!!!!  Contracts negotiations are on again - this makes me upset.  We pay for certain stations and then they come and go.  Any way I digress - I found it online, and I watch my morning and evening updates there.  I can at least get my weather and find out what is gong on in the city.  So look around - there are ways!!!!  Hmmm - I have a Roku too - may get it that way.  I need to check.  I never think to use that thing!  My PSA today!!!  LOL

Look what I picked!!!!!!

 

My first one of the season!  So it begins.  There will be many more this week!!!  I love when the garden starts producing.  It is nice to have something other than lettuce!

Now that the week is getting back to normal - what are your plans?  What is on your mind?

Need to chat or need someone to listen - this is the place.

Blessings to you all.

Let Freedom Ring

 HAPPY 4th of JULY!  This is the day we celebrate our freedom and the U.S. becoming a sovereign nation.  I hope each and every one of you takes a moment to think about the many blessings we all have.  NO, it isn't the greatest at all times, and YES, we have many things to work on - but we ARE blessed.

Nothing in this world is free.  So many in the past and still today - have fought to keep us somewhat free.  Many lost life and limb.  Many families were changed forever.  Be grateful and thankful for all the gifts you have - not everyone has them in the world.

There are many in this land and in this world that are trying daily to tear us apart as a nation.  DON'T let them do that.  They are trying hard - the devil and evil are having a field day.

We need to continue to pray for our country, our people, our freedom, and the world!!!!

May you and yours have a blessed and safe day.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Weekly Wrap Up 7/2

 Happy Sunday to all.  Happy JULY!!!!  I hope this finds you all well and safe.

Well, the old saying 'be careful what you wish for' seems to be true.  We had such horrible smoke around and wishing it all gone.  If it isn't one thing it is something else - so be careful!

Thursday late afternoon we had a tremendous storm FLY through our area.  We had 70 mph straight line  winds!  Yep blew that smoke away, and downed a lot of trees and there are still thousands without power. 

I ended up having my big old tulip poplar hugely "topped". It missed my wires and my garage - but landed in the neighbor's yard and on their wires!  (that was some strong wind).  Yikes.  NO they didn't lose any power, thank goodness.  It all happened in just a second it seemed.  Their maintenance guy came and cut up all the tree.

We had more rain Friday night, more Saturday morning and Saturday night and more coming today and tomorrow.  Chances of rain for several upcoming days!  The garden is thriving!!!!!

I feel veery blessed that this is all I had happen.

It has turned very hot and humid.  Will not complain - some things are just better than others.  I am keeping my thermostat at about 77/78, just so the humidity is out of the air and it is cooler than outside.  Don't want to use any more power than necessary.  Even today, we are still hearing transformers blow, so trying to be mindful.

I hope everyone celebrating a holiday this weekend, has a wonderful and safe time.  Canada had Canada Day yesterday, and we in the U.S. have the 4th coming up.  Stay safe and have a wonderful time.

This week:

• Used my air fryer some instead of frying or using oven
• Tied up some of the tomato plants - they are really growing
• Made a faux crab salad with a pack of crab found in the freezer, and used the last hard boiled egg in it and some frozen peas
• Had the birthday get together for the neighbor (landlord) who turned 80.  It was a really nice gathering
• Used dehumidifier water in the laundry
• Cleaned up under the squirrel feeders - lots of sunflower hulls and corn bits.  Usually the birds clear it up - but not at the first of the week.  Trying to deter nighttime critters!
• Mowed and trimmed the front only!  Even as small as the front is - I looked like a drowned rat when I got done.  It was HOT!  Back will wait a little longer
• I did go out and top the gas tank - so as to use my May points that would expire if not used.  I saved .50 a gallon on gas (only needed 1/4 tank - but still!)
• Did a little root touch-up on my hair
• Picked up TONS of limbs and sticks.  I have a huge pile.  I have been going out each day - as new ones keep falling with the winds of the storms
• Haven't had to water my garden for several days!
• Have 2 FULL rain barrels now!!!!!
• Neighbor visiting (not much porch setting this week)
• I have a little dorm size frig in the basement for extra stuff if needed.  Well, it isn't frost free!  So I unplugged and defrosted and cleaned it all out.  I think I will leave it unplugged for now, until needed maybe around the holiday time.  No since in keeping it on, when not needed.
• All meals from home and from what I have
• Doing all the normal stuff

Meals this past week:

Homemade egg rolls (in air fryer)

Fish, quartered potato (in air fryer) and slaw

Poor man's Swiss steak and mashed potatoes

Crab salad over bed of fresh lettuce and crackers

Quesadillas with a bit of everything on them (used what was in frig)

Olive loaf and veggie sub (homemade)

Cheeseburger and salad

SNACKS - fruit, beef stick & crackers

How was your week?  How is your garden or pots doing?  I hope all is well with your gardens.  

Mine looks to be thriving.  Cukes growing lots of fruit, tons of bell peppers on the plants, a few zucchini (one will be picked in a day or so), and lots of tomatoes on the plants.  

Did you get any good deals this week?  Nothing much to be had in our fliers.

I hope each and every one of you and your families are good.  Stay safe and healthy and COOL in the coming days.

Blessings to you and yours from my humble little home.

*************

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you.

Proverbs 3:1-2

Dear Lord, please calm our hearts and our souls.  Help us to wait and know that all things happen in Your time, not necessarily ours.  We get in a hurry and sometimes do rash things - help us to learn patience.  In Your time and Your way.  Help us to give control of our spirit to Your loving hands.  Thank You for all our many blessings.

Amen