Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Bandit and Samson

Last week Bandit met my neighbor, Ellen's kitten,
Samson. We didn't have time to take pictures or
let them play very long so we decided to set up a
play date.
Last night was a perfect evening to be outside.
The neighbor family came down and before long
one of the boys was sent to get Samson.

Bandit was thrilled.
Samson was curious.


They had a wonderful time.




Isn't he just toooo cute???

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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Caption This Photo?

For Outdoor Wednesday this week
I'd love
to have you play along....
This is my neighbor Ellen's kitten.
He came down for a play date with 
our dog, Bandit.
They had so much fun.
I'll share more photos later but for now
you can be creative, funny, serious....
just tell us how you would caption this picture.



Hope you'll stop by and see other
fun Outdoor Posts.
Our Hostess, Susan, at A Southern Daydreamer, has
amazing lightning photos in her post today.
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Lilies and Hydrangea

Things are getting busy at Hospitality Lane.
Lots to do before Chelsea's 15th Birthday Party
on Sunday.....

The menu is:

Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Chicken Tenders
Sausage...all done on the grill

Pasta Salad
Potato Salad

Baked Beans
Corn on the Cob

Watermelon
Canteloupe
Cake

We have invited more
than fifty people.
We'll see how many of them
show up. Of course, Sunday
is the Fourth of July so that
may impact the attendance somewhat.



Last evening as the sun was dropping
lower in the sky it was setting off
the flowers in the front flower beds
so beautifully.....



These are more of the lilies I bought
as a fundraiser
just after Easter last year.
It is fun to have them blooming now.



We have two hydrangea shrubs.
Mine is pink
while Mikey's is blue.



There is so much that needs
to be done in the flower beds.
The weather got so hot so early
and then stayed hot that I am
way behind.

Thankfully, after today the weather
is supposed to improve and we will
get out there and get it done.


But for today, we are off to order the cake,
purchase pretty paper plates, let the
kids bowl, and then I have a dentist appointment
to finish a crown and place a small filling.

So....no lack of things to do!

I hope your day is amazing!
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Monday, June 28, 2010

Tranquility In the Blueberry Patch

It was the perfect morning.
Low humidity, blue skies
and birds singing their little
hearts out....



This is the entrance to the blueberry patch.



This year someone has tied the bushes up.
In years past they had looked much more wild.

I began picking, thinking how very long it
was going to take to fill my quart container.

Most of the berries still needed time to truly ripen
but in a self pick patch like this one
it is not likely to happen.

People get excited and pick anything that
is blue so you just have to do your best.
Fortunately, I like a tart berry
so it works for me.


In the mosaic you can see my mother
getting her baskets filled.

I meandered, looking around...
watching the birds
and
picking if I had to.

I picked one quart.
She got two.

Georgia picks with more attention
to getting just the best berries so she
also got fewer berries but you can bet
they were the biggest and the sweetest.

Back home again
and with a day or two
for the berries
to sweeten up
Chelsea made a blueberry pie.


It was eaten quickly at
the Fellowship Meal at church
yesterday.

Thanks for stopping by.
I am joining up with both
Sally's Blue Monday
and
Mary's Mosaic Monday.

For a precious post about
Sally you should visit
LaVoice.
I would say that the tone of this
post is true also for Mary.
What wonderful hostesses these
ladies are.

Have a wonderful day.
You are just...
the Best!

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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Wineberries....

Rubus Phoenicolasius
(That's for you, Mikey and Emily...
Two awesome students who are working to learn
Latin Plant names!)



A form of raspberry
which was growing in and near the
blueberries....as we picked today.





Aren't they gorgeous?
You know I have to save the blueberry photos
for Monday, don't you?

And then they may even be in the form of a Mosaic.
I've missed Blue Monday and Mosaic Monday
the last couple of weeks.
So, hang in there,
I promise to share blueberries...
Soon!

Oh!  And Mrs. Rabe wrote a new post
over at our shared
Homeschool Blog.
You'll also see a new Header.
It shows our children involved in a
Service Project Last Fall.
They worked hard and had a great time!

One more thing...
Chelsea's Chocolate Cake is in the
running for Allrecipes Photo of the Day tomorrow....
You can vote here if you feel like it!
She is 100 Truffles.

Update:  Yay!  Chelsea's photo is on the
front page of Allrecipes.com.
Thanks for the votes!
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Friday, June 25, 2010

My Chelsea.....

Credit for this photo goes to our dear friend Lindsay who
blogs at Girl in Nature

I love my girl!
She is so creative and smart.

This summer started off hard
for her because she is used to
having every moment filled and
when school was finished she was
left with a lot of free time.

So...she is finding lots to do.

For example this week she picked
blueberries with the Grandmas.
I'm going along to pick more
 this morning.
I'll be the one with the camera!


Not only did she pick these blueberries but then
she made a marvelous blueberry banana bread.
Yum....moist and sweet.
The blueberries have just enough tartness to 
make your mouth happy.


It has been a couple of years
since I have picked blueberries but I love the
quiet of the hillside with nothing
but blueberry bushes and chirpy birds.
The storm yesterday afternoon has 
made the weather more bearable.
Lower humidity and a lot cooler.
Much better for blueberry picking!

So a couple more quarts of blueberries 
are in our future.


Yesterday my dear husband celebrated a birthday.
Now, in his dreams birthdays would go by with
little fuss... but that is not going to happen.

Miss Chelsea saw it as a wonderful opportunity 
to make a cake.  
We know that you can't go wrong with chocolate
and peanut butter!



The hard part was that I had purchased a generic brand of
peanut butter which tasted just fine.  
However, when Chelsea
used it to make her icing it got all shiny.
Not at all what she had in mind.
Now, for a girl who has gotten used to 
turning out beautiful baked goods every time
this was just too much.
I mean, why do these things happen when it is 
a project that is so important?

But, I told her that this is to be expected and 
that we would just find a way to make it work.
I went out on errands and returned with a name
brand peanut butter.  Chelsea still didn't trust the 
recipe for icing she had been using so she made her 
own.  It turned out so very well.



This Momma is so proud that my girl, 
who wanted to give up, didn't.
The end result was both beautiful 
and extremely tasty!!!!

So....Warren is another year older
and we have three peanut butter pies in the 
freezer...a product of the icing gone wrong.
Made while I was out running errands.

Life is good
once again.

I hope when life gives you shiny peanut butter,
you make amazing pies!
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Thursday, June 24, 2010

How Great Thou Art...


O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed:


Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art! how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art! how great thou art!


When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;


And when I think that God His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die -I scarce can take it in.
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin: 

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art! how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art!  
how... great.... thou.... art!

From Wikipedia:

Carl Boberg, The Author of the Poem which was later put to music said:
"It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.

"When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of 'When eternity's clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest.' That evening, I wrote the song, 'O Store Gud.'"

This is the partial story of the Hymn we love so much...to read more go to Wikipedia.  It would seem that the song has progressed over the course of many years giving us the gem we know today.
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Keeping the Animal Theme Going....


Last Friday, shortly before we left town
I checked the chicken coop and found a
freshly hatched chick abandoned.

My heart sank because we wouldn't be
there to care for it and it would surely
die. However, in an attempt to give it
every chance we set it up in a tub with
a light and did something I never, in a
million years thought we would do.

We gave it to Warren's Mom.

She did offer to take care of it
but I am pretty sure she was thinking
in our garage. 
Nope! 
We marched that
sweet little chick right into her office
and plopped it down. Turned the heat
lamp on it and gave her instructions.

Bless her heart Georgia mothered that
chick until we got back. 
She even called at one point while 
we were gone to say that the 
bulb seemed to be too hot  
and could she put one with 
less wattage in?
Yep! 
She cared for this precious little
chickie.  Never thought she'd be caring
for chickens when she moved in next door!


It is beautiful.
The prettiest one there is, in my opinion.

Not that it hasn't been trouble...
We put it under a Momma one evening when
they were all settled in for the night.
She accepted it and has been good to it.
But, the other hen, who has chicks of her
own did not. She was getting mean.
So I crawled in the coop, captured her and
took her to the other side.
Back to the rooster for the mean hen! 
That ought to
fix her attitude.

Well, wouldn't you know that sweet little
chick that Georgia took such amazing care
of squeezed itself right through the chicken
wire to the same side as that indignant
hen. Now, I had a skirt on and the access
to that side is a door that is about four
feet off the ground. I tried to get in but
couldn't do it fast enough...so...who do you
think crawled in that coop? You guessed it!
Georgia to the rescue! 
She scooped up that
chick and we gave it a stern talking to.

We brought it back to "the good side".
So far it is staying there.


Sigh....
This is getting a bit over the top.

The drama of the chickens!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday.
Are you linked?
Many thanks to Susan for hosting
this event each week.
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Monday, June 21, 2010

A Conversation...In Pictures


Hey Cat!  You are not supposed to be on the road.
I'm the good pet.  See?  I am not on the road!


Dog, Dog, Dog.  You are such a baby.
Whining because you can't think for yourself.
Always trying to please the humans!


Oooh, those are fighting words!
Now get over here in the grass so 
I can set you straight!










There now, that cat will think twice before he
goes on the road again....
now where was that awesome
potty spot?


Ahhh....now to enjoy my victory!
I can take that dog any day of the week!

Note from the Mommy human...
These two carry on like this on a daily basis.
They are such great friends.
Nobody gets hurt.
It is either  funny or painful to watch
depending on your mood on a 
given day.

Thanks for stopping by.
Catch you later!
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