Monday, September 29, 2014

39.52 motivational monday

There is no pillow so soft as clear conscience.
-French Proverb
 
 
 
I have a delicious problem.
I have babies in my world.
While I will readily admit that I am not a picture taker of people,
those babies are a whole different world.
Not only could I cuddle and nuzzle all day long ...
I could sit behind my camera lens.
How else would I share these precious wrinkles with you?
I know they have nothing to do with this week's quote,
but this week ...
I'm just taking the liberty of heading off track.
 
Wyatt at 8 days old 
  
Linking to Gloria

Monday, September 22, 2014

38.52 motivational monday

The older you get,
the more important it is to not act your age.
-Asleigh Brilliant
 
 I didn't really heed that advice this weekend.
Jari was Assistant Director at the Southwest Youth Days at Kamp Kipa.
I was scheduled to be on kitchen duty at the same camp.
Both of us were suppose to be at the camp at 6 pm.
Anna was scheduled for a first baby induction Friday morning.
Not a good combination.
We delayed our departure to the cool mountain air until we really couldn't anymore.
And then we acted our age, accepted our responsibility
and drove out of town.
Jari did ask me if I was going to chew my fingers off.
I informed him it was my right.
We headed up to a place where my cell phone reception is mostly limited
to one corner of a picnic table.

Wyatt Kevin made his grand entrance into our world that evening,
weighing 7 lbs 12 oz
measuring 20 inches long
perfect and healthy.

I kept on acting my age (which is highly overrated!) and finished the weekend duties.
Sunday we drove straight to meet the little love
who is beyond adorable.



 I think this little boy and his cousin will help keep us young.
At least it is my hope that they'll keep us from acting our age ...
at least once in a while.
As long as we still get our nap on Sunday afternoon we'll be good.
 
Linking to Gloria

Thursday, September 18, 2014

tomorrow ....

we finally get to meet you.
Wishing your mommy a safe delivery
and your daddy nerves of steel.
 

Can't wait to meet you little love.
And I can't wait to watch your parents love you.
Oh, but you are going to be one lucky little guy.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Crops are sprouting!


Little by little and amazingly quick. 
What are they!? 
I didn't label them!

This one I know. Potato salad with fresh radishes around the bend. Unless dear hubby picks and eats them all before I get around to it. 


Love it!

Monday, September 15, 2014

37.52 motivational monday

Take the attitude of a student,
never be too big to ask questions,
never know too much to learn something knew.
- Og Mandino
 
I love this week's quote.
We all know the typical adult male, right?
The one who carves his own path and refuses to read instructions.
Simply because he is just way too smart to read instructions.
This weekend I found my husband in the close proximity of .....
hold on to your hat .....
an instruction manual.
At least twice.

 That piece of paper there would be instructions .. not sure if he was using them tho.

 This set he was definately reading!
I'll share the rest of this project this week.
I am quite thrilled with how the project turned out,
and had to really chuckle when he said that there is a reason
they make instructions.
This stage of life where you go back to asking more questions
ain't half bad.
 
Linking to Gloria

Friday, September 12, 2014

once upon a time

I actually had a list called my "When I'm 50 List".
I would add all the things that I didn't have time for to that growing mental list.
For some reason, in the throes of puke, poop diapers and teething babies, I thought that life would settle down when I reached that magic number.
It probably wasn't too many years and I realized that it was a pipe dream.
I looked at my retired parents and realized I was plumb outta luck.
There was not going to be a quiet time in my life for a very long time.
Shucks. The parents level of busy doesn't seem to have changed.
With that dawning realization, I quit making the list.
Instead of pushing off things that there wasn't time for, I tried to fit them in.
That probably meant some picking and choosing; but at least I made an attempt.

I have about 6 months of living to do before I dig out that "When I'm 50 List" and it ain't lookin' good.

First of all, understand that the responsiblity for my busy world lies solely with me.
I get that.
In this time of craziness, I also understand that some pieces of life will slow down all too soon and, although I have no room to complain about any of it, I still will regret those pieces of life leaving us.
Those kids who move away. Ach.
We just won't go there.

There are some things that I miss in this crazy world of mine, though.
Writing.
It seems that blogging has become more and more difficult. I've witnessed that happening with friends who have growing families and businesses taking their time. I sort of never imagined that at this stage of life when that "When I'm 50 List" should be prominently displayed on the refrigerator door, that I would be finding myself in a place where moments of time seem to be elusive.
Oh, there are moments. They're just full.
Would I trade moments of the sweetest giggles a Nana could ever hear for a quiet moment sitting on an electronic device?
Not in a heartbeat. Never.
Would I trade moments spent with my children for the keyboard? Never.
But I do miss writing.
More than that, I probably miss thinking.
The time to string enough thoughts together to form sentences.

This morning I was up at 5:00 a.m. Absolutely crazy. This evening I am home because I'm not feeling so hot. Maybe it was all that potting soil I breathed today. Maybe the air outside clogged my head to the point of intolerable gunked discomfort. I don't know. Either way, I'm sitting here this evening and find that I have a moment to share a bit of today.

I played in the most therapeutic dirt piles I've seen in a long while. I have no clue where I am going to plunk all these seeds I'm starting, but I started with filling containers. (Pinterest was most helpful last evening with some great ideas.) Hubby might have to build me some boxes in the next several weeks. I'm a bit late in starting seeds, but that time thing in the last several weeks hasn't exactly played along with me.

The tomato plants I purchased. Way too late for that business.
 
My plan was to make little seed starting things out of newspaper, but the 99cent Store had 24 little peat pots for $1. Not worth the time to roll newspaper that I don't even have. Together with a trip to Home Depot and a child's sand toy shovel ....

I started filling those little peat pots. Green beans and pees galore.

Seeds started in available containers. The other containers are waiting for the seeds that are soaking overnight. I'm combining vegies in containers. Spinach with carrots. Tomatoes with carrots. Top growing plant with root plant. Will see if it works or not.

On to the kitchen window sill. I don't like small mouth jars for anything in the kitchen, so I used up the last 4 of that variety that were hanging around. Herbs planted and sitting on the kitchen window sill.

Cucumber and zucchini seeds soaking and waiting to hit the dirt tomorrow morning. Proably at 5 a.m. The air temperature is really delightful at that time.

All while a ham bone soup was cooking in the crockpot. That would mean that several more bags left the freezer and made it into the pot. It was good ... don't know why it has taken this long to brew this easy dinner up. I'll add the basic recipe to the end of this post. I changed it up a bit. Used a different bean than kidney and whatever stewed tomatoes were in the pantry. For those of you with snow in your forecast .... this might be your meal ticket.

That's it for this Friday evening. I have a delightful post brewing in my head for next week.
Have a great weekend!

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

Crock Pot Ham Bone Soup

1 ham bone with some meat
1 onion, diced
1 - 14.5 ounce can peeled and diced tomatoes, with juice
1 - 15.25 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 potatoes, cubed (you decide if you want to peel them)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cubed (I omitted this)
4 c water
6 chicken bouillion cubes ( I probably used about 3)

Place the ham bone, onion, tomatoes, kidney beans, potatoes and green pepper into a 3 quart or larger slow cooker. Dissolve the bouillion cubes in water and pour into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on High until warm. Reduce heat to Low and continue to cook for 5 to 6 hours.

Monday, September 8, 2014

36.52 motivational monday

You never know when you're making a memory.
- Jim Rohn
 
"Where did you go Nana? That THING is in front of your face again!"
 
 Delectable treats.

 This week your look changed.
You learned to suck your bottom lip.
You're fighting sleep ... wanting to be a part of everything.
Nana looks at pictures and sometimes giggles.
She especially chuckles when she grabs the camera and
you look for her because she is gone.
Memory making.
Yours? Mine? Ours?

I know how fortunate I am to have you in my immediate world.
You aren't a day's car ride or plane ride away.
We may not always live this close to each other,
and who am I to say you must never leave?
So, while I have you to snuggle, giggle with,
watch with fascination as you grow ....
we'll make memories.
It is those fond memories that we return to
time and again
when we can't be near each other
or when that time of life is past.

Linking to Gloria's memory building!

And seriously ...
I won't blame you a bit if you give your computer screen a smooch right now!
 

Monday, September 1, 2014

35.52 motivational monday

If you don't like how things are, change it!
You're not a tree.
-Jim Rohn

 
 We have cacti here that could very easily be mistaken for real.
I'd venture to say that even this palm tree has some folks confused.
It appears to be a little changling.
Okay. I know the tree didn't change itself, but ....
 
Linking to Gloria ...