Thank You Kelli !!!

I had a huge surprise in the mail today !! A squished penny from Kelli in California. Kelli is (like many of us) a AOL JLand transplant here in Bloggerville. She Blogs as "Thoughts of A Sober White Woman"

Kelli, you made my day !! Thank you so much !

My Beautiful Pink Rhododendron Is Blooming

Each year I trim & shape this rhody, I want it to get tall to allow for privacy on my porch. Right now it's over 5 feet tall and of course very bushy. The blooms are so pretty. It rained last night so you can see raindrops in the top picture.

I know I haven't visitied Blogs much the last few weeks. And there's a reason. Not always but at times after I've read a Blog and commented, I have trouble logging out of it. Then anywhere from 10-20-30 copies of the Blog pop up on my screen. I can't shut them down fast enough as they appear rapidly. I end up having to shut my whole computer down manually because even the alt-control-delete method doesn't work. It's very frustrating.

I have done all the scanning, defragging & screening I can do. So I'm at my wits end as to what to do. Of course I run a virus program (ESET NOD32) so I don't believe that's the problem.

Anyway, please forgive me....I haven't abandoned you dear Blogger's and once I get this figured out I'll be back.

Tuesday is Movie Day

I had to go alone today, because my movie going friend Barbara couldn't make it. But what a movie....'The Soloist' is without a doubt the best movie I've seen in a long time. Based on the true story friendship of Nathaniel Ayers (a homeless man in Los Angeles) and Steve Lopez (a reporter for the Los Angeles Times). I absolutely recommend this movie to everyone out there.

Here's a link to a report that Morley Safer did on these two men and their very unusual friendship.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez-skidrow-nathaniel-series,0,1456093.special

Bravo to Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr for their remarkable performances!

A Beautiful Video

I got this from Robin down in Tampa and emailed it out to several of you. It is so sweet I decided to put in as a Blog entry for all to see.

FOOD FRIDAY

Bacon and Cheese Quiche

3 cups shredded Swiss cheese

12 strips cooked bacon~crumbled

3 tablespoons crushed French's onions or chopped green onions

5 eggs beaten well

2-1/4 cup Half and Half

salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

one 9 inch unbaked pie shell (thawed)

Mix ingredients together and place in unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375* for 30-35 minutes~just until knife poked into the center comes out clean.

A Day At The Puyallup Valley Spring Fair

 

There was sun….

              

A Malaysian Serama …..She was so sweet & not afraid of all the people getting a look at her.

This lady was working with angora from angora rabbits.

Some dark rain clouds out there.

 

A sweet little 5 month old corgi.

     

I love the cows the best, since I grew up on a small farm where we always had them. 

 

These fellas put on a magnificent show with their beautiful horses.

The rain clouds opened up~big time!

 

This had to be the star of the show~ a 3 week old miniature donkey.  He was there with his mama.

Raining again……

We had a good time. Ate a fair burger, got some scones for later and saw everything we wanted to see.

For those of you who have heard about the accident with one of the kiddy rides, let me say that those who had to be checked out at the hospital have all been released.  The state is still checking that particular ride trying to see what went wrong.  Washington has very strict laws about those types of things and hopefully they’ll come to a conclusion soon.  A lot of the rides at the Puyallup Fair  are supplied by Funtastic Rides Co. in Portland, Oregon. This company has been operating the rides at the Puyallup Fairs (Spring & Fall fairs) for many years.  I have been going to the Fall Fair since I was a kid and the Spring Fair since it started 20 years ago….I do not remember there ever being a problem like what happened Friday afternoon. 

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon here….almost 70* at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon.   I need to get out there and start on the lawn…both front and back need mowing again.  Anyone want to come & help ?

Gotta Love Them

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the
door. The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger,
standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push 'Not a chance,' says the husband, 'it is 3:00 in the morning!' He slams the door and returns to bed.

'Who was that?' asked his wife
'Just some drunk guy asking for a push,' he answers.
'Did you help him?' she asks 'No, I did not, it is 3:00 in the morning and it is pouring rain out there!' 'Well, you have a short memory,' says his wife 'Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down, and those two guys helped us?'

I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself!' The man does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the pounding rain, He calls out into the dark, 'Hello, are you still there?' 'Yes,' comes back the answer 'Do you still need a push?' calls out the husband 'Yes, please!' comes the reply from the dark 'Where are you?' asks the husband.

'Over here on the swing,' replied the drunk

FOOD FRIDAY

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

A small splash of vanilla extract 1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night! :)

PLANTING TIME ~ FINALLY!

Every year about this time (actually sooner but our weather has been so bad) my hands start itching to get into the dirt. I've been buying little bits & pieces of plants and getting them into the dirt. I've picked a color scheme again this year for most of my hanging baskets and planters~ red, white & blue. One exception is the pot below...I couldn't resist these pretty dianthus, which are more of a deep pink and the one in the middle is varigated, pink & white. I got two Early Girl tomato plants, they are small so I planted them close together & used one tomato cage. And yes~they are planted in a former blue recycle bin. They are great for planting & easy to move around.

I got a six-pack of tulips about ready to bloom for $3.35 at Lowe's the other day. It was fun to use them to fill in where bulbs had not come up this spring.

This is a red, white & blue hanging basket. I highly recommend the plants with the white flowers. I used them for the first time last year. They are called Bacopa and it is wonderful. It just went crazy in the two baskets I used it in last year.

These two hanging baskets still look a little puny. But they'll come around. They contain red & white geraniums and the white Bacopa in the middle.

My 4 year old hydrangea is sprouting. I cut 5 or 6 branches off of Bob's big hydrangea and stuck them in the dirt here at my house. They rooted and last year I had 4 blooms on it.

This hanging basket is another diversion from my 2009 theme. White bacopa with a pink one thrown in. I see this one from my kitchen window and I thought the pink was so pretty.

This pot sits at the end of my carport and next to the storage shed. I always fill it full of Easter Bonnet Sweet Alyssum. The colors are pink, white & purple and it smells wonderful! After it gets a little bigger you can smell it as you walk by it. Sometimes if the breeze is blowing just right the fragrance comes in my kitchen window.

This pot had an old, scraggly looking Dianthus in it. So I found this pretty new white one, dumped out the old plant and dirt and replanted the pot. It sits on my porch and also smells delightful as you pass it. I always use Miracle-Gro potting soil or garden soil when I plant. It saves a lot of fertilizing later.

These are some yellow tulips I had from last year. If you've ever watched tulips, they open up like this during the day and close up tight at night.

And my good old rhubarb is coming along. I'm still hoping to have a raised bed installed in my back yard and if that happens, the rhubarb will be moved into the garden bed and out of these planters (aka recycle bins).

I hope everyone out there has the opportunity to plant at least one tomato plant or a flower this spring. It's makes you feel so good to watch something grow you've planted with your own hands......

Britian's Got Talent

I hope everyone has had a chance to hear this dear lady sing. She recently auditioned for 'Britain's Got Talent.' She even brought a smile to the face of Simon Cowell ~ that in itself is a miracle!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

April 15th

Remember folks, Wednesday April 15th is Income Tax Day. If you haven't already, it's time to get them figured and in the mail.

KIND OF FUN TO KNOW

Kind of fun to know .....


Amaze your friends, be the first to tell them:


At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be


04:05:06 07/08/09.


This will never happen again.

Have A Blessed Easter Sunday

GRANDMA & THE EASTER EGGS

Thanks to my daughter, Julie, for sending me this. I'm sure she remembers that I never liked to do the Easter egg thing.

You grandchildren come on in here to the kitchen! We are going to have some fun today! We are going to dye Easter eggs – none of those phony plastic eggs at grandma’s house. Grandma has REAL eggs, the kind the Easter bunny lays. Grandma has years of experience with this. I remember when my kids were your age and we did this every year!

First, we will put newspapers on the floor. Don’t ask; just help me with the papers. Grandma can’t get down on her knees like she used to. Now, we will get out the coffee mugs. We need BIG cups so the dye will cover the eggs. Line them up on the paper where you can reach them.

Okay, now we will open the dye package and you can put one pill in each cup. NO!!! Don’t eat that pill! Well, they were non-toxic the box says. We just won’t to have any pink eggs this year, I guess.

Now, add the vinegar… Vinegar??? I always forget about vinegar. Grandma is getting old. Fortunately, a grandma always keeps a supply of everything. Just hold this little stepping stool for me while I reach… Uh, oh! It jumped off the shelf! Don’t cry grandma broke it. She will clean up the mess. We will just use pickle juice.

Now, grandma will add water. See the pretty colors? Grandma has already boiled the eggs for you. (A grandmother has to plan ahead so she can keep up with the grandkids.) She only cracked 2 or 3 eggs and she can make yummy egg salad out of those.

Okay, put one egg in each cup! ONE EGG! Well, it slipped, didn’t it? That’s okay, we have others. Accidents will happen! No! Don’t put your hands in the cup! Too late… Well, maybe your mom can get it washed off before Easter. Purple hands won’t match your new Easter outfit very well.

WATCH OUT! Oh no! You dropped the egg basket
and squashed them! Well, let’s clean up the mess; we still have a few left.
No, we can’t use the ones out of the refrigerator. They have not been boiled. Don’t cry!

What about those little paper things in the box, you say? Those little paper things are called "tattoos." We will save them for later. I told you we would SAVE the tattoos! How did that get on your face? I just hope we can wash it off.

Take the rest of the eggs out of the cups. Use your hands. What does it matter? Maybe we should just make potato salad instead of Easter eggs. Potato salad is always nice.

Yes, you can have the little cardboard things and some toothpicks to make twirly tops. Here, just put the rest of these tattoos on your face and go watch cartoons on TV.

Your mother will be here pretty soon to get you. She can stop at Walmart on the way home and buy you some nice, plastic Easter eggs with jellybeans inside. Might as well face it, holidays are just not what they used to be.

Today Is International "Louie Louie" Day!

Here singing that famous song are the Kingsman, a rock & roll group from Portland, Oregon. Get up and dance !!

My Project for 2009

About 25 years ago I made one of these soft dolls for each of my three nieces for Christmas. Each doll had different colored yarn hair, one brown, one yellow and one had red. Well, I'm happy to report those dolls have survived and one of them has re-appeared, being carried around by my oldest niece's daughter. I also made one for my grand daughter when she was little. Anyway, I finally found this pattern and my plan is to make three more between now and Christmas for my three great nieces who will be 3, 6 & 7 by December. I'm happy that any 18 inch doll clothes will fit them because I don't know how many sets of clothes I'll get made.

So Becky, if you're reading this.....hopefully I'll have them made by December and your doll can be put away, for good. I just have to check & see what color hair yours has so I can make a different one for Callie.

It's sort of overcast with occasional showers and about 48* here today. I understand a storm with wind & rain is heading our way & will no doubt make Easter Sunday most miserable.

Until next time, Linda

GOOD FRIDAY~Something to ponder.

FOOD FRIDAY

Egg Casserole ~ Perfect for Easter Brunch

10 eggs beaten with a mixer

1 pound grated yellow cheese of your choice (I use Monterey Jack)

1 carton small curd cottage cheese

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons flour salt & pepper

1 small can of mild diced chilies (drained)

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, coated with melted butter. Bake at 400* for 10-15 minutes then lower heat to 350* and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Your favorite salsa makes a great topping for this egg casserole.

HOW BAD IS THE ECONOMY ?

It is definitely getting very bad......... Cats are soooooooooo dramatic!

Pictures from our short-lived Spring

Our weather took a drastic turn last Friday we had a warm and sunny weekend plus 2 days. After enjoying right around 70 * over the weekend, today it’s barely 49* with rain and even possible snow is promised for our Easter weekend. I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. I did the front yard Saturday afternoon, and the much larger back yard Sunday afternoon. I’ve got a couple hanging baskets planted with geranium starts & I’m keeping my fingers crossed ~ hoping the poor little things don’t freeze to death.