My New Potting Bench

My husband rebuilt the top of my potting bench.  I just love it now!  The bottom was still in good shape but the boards on the top had started to warp and they were loose.  He put in an antique sink that I've had for some time.  I do sell these occasionally and I think they make not only a potting bench but a great buffet for outdoor entertaining.  The ones we have made usually don't have a sink in the middle.  The other pictures are my CLEAN flower beds.  :)

I almost forgot to tell you about the cream colored post.  My neighbor recently sold his home and the new neighbor was remolding the porch and took the old post off.  He was throwing them away and I asked him if I could have them.  This is one of the post with a bracket at the top and a huge hanging wire basket hanging from it.  I have a lot of ideas for this wire basket with the changing seasons.  I want to eventually get a good size birdhouse to go on the top of the post.

My country home sweet home!

Living Without Money

I first heard this concept(living without money) about 3 or 4 years ago.  We heard a man from South Africa speak on this concept.  It is his passion and his mission in life to free people from this life style.  At the time, I couldn't see how the concept could possibly work.   Most of the world is so entrenched in money and working 8 to 5 I just thought it would be to hard to change things.   So when I saw this documentary (Living Without Money) it was refreshing to see this woman actually doing what she believes in her heart. She is a woman about my age, a teacher and counsel.  She decided she didn't want to live her life by the current standards and so she takes drastic measures to change things in her life.  She sells all she has except a suitcase full of her clothes and 3 pairs of shoes.  She is asked, "how do you feel now that everything you own is gone?"  She said, "I feel free."  During the documentary, I never got the feeling that she had any regrets.  She has never slept on the street or not had anything to eat.  And she said, "that when she really needs something it just seems to appear." 

She goes into businesses (example if she wants some bread) and tells the business owner how she is living her life and could she do something for
him in exchange for the bread she needs.  She never takes more than what she needs for the day and she doesn't want handouts.  She really wants an exchange to take place.  I thought if our society was like this we would be more dependent on each other and hopeful more kind to each other in helping each other meet each other's needs. 

As I was telling my husband about this, he stopped me in mid stream and said, "we are not living like that" I started laughing.  I said, "well wouldn't it make life a lot more interesting?"  Just kidding!  I do like the concept of getting unhooked from the system but I could see this working more before the industrial revolution than now.  People did a lot more bartering back then.  I have been thinking of small ways we might change things in our life.  Honestly, I love having a home that is my sanctuary and my bed to sleep in at night.  But I greatly admire this woman.  She is doing what I'm not willing to do.

As the man from South Africa explained, the programing starts as children when we start to school.  We go 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 five days a week.  As children, we start living for the weekend. Why, because we get to do what we want to do.  Do you see the picture it carries right on over into adulthood and that is what you hear so many people saying, oh, I can wait for the weekend, it's hump day on Wednesday and TGIF. The majority of people are doing jobs they do not like and there is no fulfillment in their lives.  They continue this life style because they don't see another way, there is the pressure to have a certain type home, clothes, go to the right schools and then there are the people who just barely make ends meet.  There is never time to learn new things, read the books, enjoy the sunset, smell the flowers, sit out under the stars at night.  Everyone is too tired from doing what they really don't want to do.   Isn't that why it's called a rat race?

I don't know that these drastic changes can ever take place but for me I like to ponder the concept because I know that what is currently in place is not right.  I hope this is some food for thought for you.

I love hearts and the picture above is from the plane when we were on our way to Portland.  This land was in Colorado.  I thought it was pretty cool~

I love this quote!

Our bodies are our gardens.....our wills are our gardeners.

William Shakespeare

Charlotte's Baby Spider Sack

I've spent the last 3 weeks cleaning out flower beds and boy, it was bad.  Last summer, I didn't get anything done in my flower beds and the weeds were pretty bad.  It all looks so good now, the weeds and leaves are gone and there is lots of mulch in its place.  I could just sit and look at everything and I do.  It's peaceful and calming and I love sitting there.  My mailman just stopped by to bring a package and committed on it being an inviting place to sit and rest.  After all the work is done, it's almost like after you clean house you feel so good you just want it to stay this way forever but it doesn't.  :(   We live in our houses and things continue to grow so it keeps us busy. 

In the process of cleaning the flower beds, I was also pruning some of my bushes and found the little spider sack.  I had to take a picture of it so when I read Charlotte's Web to Dutch I can show him an actual picture of a spider sack.

I wanted to also show you a picture of Dutch's little mosaic hand print that he gave me for Mother's day.  It looks so good among this ground cover.  It's by the sidewalk as you walk to the house and I see it everyday.  This ground cover is great.  It is a succulent and my aunt gave it to me.  It survives our winters.  Bounces right back and wherever it falls it starts to grow.  I'm sorry to say I don't know it's name.  If you like garden art and have children or grandchildren you will love having there little hand or foot prints in your garden.  I think my daughter got her kit at Hobby Lobby. 

Turkey Pot Pie

I bought a turkey breast about a week ago and baked it.  Turkey really sounded good to me.  We had a meal with the turkey and veggies etc. then we had several meals with turkey sandwiches. A few days later, my husband told me he had all the turkey he wanted until Thanksgiving.  I had a lot of turkey left over so I decided to make turkey pot pies for the freezer.  They really turned out great. While I was making them I had the thought that these might make good gifts for several single friends who don't like to cook and my aunt who is alone.  I was excited......making good use of the leftover turkey and coming up with gift ideas.  :)

I had close to 4 cups of turkey after I diced it up.  So these are the measurements I used for this amount.  You might want to cut it down. Also, the store I went to didn't have the little pot pie dishes so I bought the smallest container they had.  This container would provide two servings.  I filled 5 of these containers.

4 cups turkey or chicken, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced (placed potatoes in boiling water and cook until barely tender) remove from water a cool then dice the potatoes.
1 small package of frozen sweet peas, thawed
3-4 cans of chicken broth
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/3-1/2 cup flour

Melt butter and then saute carrots, onions, and celery until tender.  When the vegetables are tender sprinkle in the flour and stir into the mixture until the flour is transparent.  Slowly add chicken broth and stir until thickened.  Add in potatoes, turkey and peas and stir until well blended.  Let this mixture become warm and also taste to see if you need salt or pepper.

Make your pie crust and line your container ladle in turkey mixture and top with another pie crust.  If the pot pie is not frozen cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  If it is frozen cook at 400 degrees for an hour and after 30 minutes you might want to cover the top with a piece of foil so it doesn't burn.

You might want to keep this in mind for your turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving.  That is if you have any turkey left over.  :)

Happy 40th Birthday Dear Daughter

This beautiful little bundle was three weeks late!  And after about 30 hours of labor we were so happy to see her sweet little face.  She arrived at 10:00 on a Sunday night and I vividly remember being rolled into my room around midnight with her in my arms and watching a thunder storm to the south move into the city.  I was too excited to go to sleep and I remember looking at her and thinking about her and wondering what would her life be like.

She has been very patient with her Dad and me.  We wanted her to have roots but it was hard for us to let her have wings as she was growing up.  She grew wings as all children do and when the time was right she stepped off the cliff and started to fly.  She wobbled a bit and almost crashed landed a few times but as time has passed she has learned to soar like an eagle.  At times, vultures try to nip at her wings but eagles always escape the snares.

It's hard for me to realize she is forty because she is so beautiful and doesn't look her age, so I think I'm still 38.  LOL  I'm very proud of the person she has become.  She is witty, a great impersonator (she can have us in stitches with her impersonations) and yet she is  a very caring, compassionate and loving person.  She is a great nurse, a wonderful daughter and a super mom.

My life has been blessed beyond words to have you in my life.

Have a wonderful day and remember you are only getting better!

A Little Zing for Your Chicken Salad

Last weekend I made chicken salad for dinner.  My little added zing is cutting up your favorite greens, iceberg, green leaf, red leaf or Romaine and tossing the greens in Parmesan cheese. Then put your chicken salad on top.  The Parmesan tossed greens adds a great flavor.

This is my recipe for chicken salad.  Just pretty standard.

3 chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder, baked at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes, cool and then cut into chunks.
1 small package of slivered almonds
red grapes sliced in half, put as many as you would like
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup finely diced onion (sometimes I put onion and sometimes I leave it out)
1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise 

Put everything in a bowl add mayo and mix well. Be sure and try the Parmesan tossed lettuce, I think you will love it.  Watermelon on the side........great!

Fresh Asparagus Salad

This salad is wonderful and has remained a family favorite for many years.  It is great with steaks or chicken.  This was a recipe from a dear friend that I worked with before I married.  She was a wonderful cook and I had some great meals at her home.  She really knew how to entertain and have wonderful dinner parties.  I was pretty young at the time and she made a great impression on me.

The recipe calls for canned asparagus but fresh is much better.  You can decide on which you would rather use. If I can find good cherry tomatoes I use those if not cut a tomato in half and then each half into fourths. 

2 cans of asparagus, spears or cut pieces (spears look nicer) or
1 bundle of fresh asparagus (steamed, crisp tender)
1 container of cherry tomatoes, cut in half or
3 large tomatoes
1 sweet onion, thickly sliced
1 to 1 1/2 cups of Italian dressing
Your favorite lettuce- green, red leaf, Bibb, Romaine or ice berg (Bibb is the best in my opinion)

You will need to marinate this salad. So use a dish where the asparagus can lay flat.  First, lay your cut tomatoes on the bottom then drain your asparagus if you have used canned and put the asparagus on top of the tomatoes next drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes and asparagus.  Now put the sliced onion of top.  You can use more dressing and cover the onions but they become soft after they have marinated and I like the onion crisp.  Once again, you can do according to your desire on this. After the salad has marinated for several hours, put several lettuce leaves on a salad plate and then arrange your asparagus, tomatoes and onion.  After it is arrange on the plate, I drizzle some of the dressing from the marinade over all the vegetables and lettuce.

Great Story

As you know, our little grandson is now a year old.  I've been looking on Craig's list for a swing set for him.  Not just any swing set, but one made from redwood with a fort and slide just what you see in this picture.  Of course, I hadn't been able to find anything.

As timing would have it, it was July 4th weekend.  We have some dear friends who have a wonderful fourth of July celebration every year and we have celebrated with them and their family for probably the last 15 years.  They had their celebration on Saturday this year and as we were leaving our home to go to the celebration I was talking to my husband about an old friend that I hadn't talked to in almost a year.  I was telling him that I need to call her this next week and check on her and see how their family is doing.  We have been friends since high school and she is a dear friend and even though a lot of time may pass when we don't see each other or talk we can just pick up where we left off.  Ok, now back to the celebration and our friends who are hosting the party.  In the last several years, they have started having grandchildren and they had bought one of those redwood swing sets with the fort and the big slide.  After the fireworks that night, we were packing up our things to leave and we were not far from the swing set.  I told my daughter, "I would love to have one of those for Dutch."  "I know she said, he would love that."  The next morning I was sitting and drinking my coffee it was early and I heard my phone makes its little sound when a text message comes through.  I look at it and it's a message from this friend I was talking to my husband about yesterday that I needed to call this next week.  There is this picture of a swing set (above) and a message that says, "Would you like to have this for Dutch? You can have it for free, if you come get it."  I was crying and could hardly see the keys on the phone to answer her back.  I hate to say, I couldn't believe it but I was so shocked. 

I don't believe in coincidence but I do believe in synchronicity.  When things don't happen by chance but everything falls into place at the right moment and there is meaning behind everything that happens.  The desires of your heart are met in a wonderful way by the Creator who's ways are limitless and wondrous.

I can't wait to see Dutch's face ~