A Bee On A Daisy And Bunches Of Daisies At My House

I just looked behind my house and my daisies are in bloom!  The top photo has a bee getting the nectar from one of the daisies.  I got pretty close to take the picture but luckily didn't get stung.  He went from one flower to the next.  Flowers are beautiful gifts from God!  So pretty to look at!

Painted Jar Craft My Daughter Made Years Ago For 4-H

I was cleaning the closet a few days ago and found this cute item my daughter had made for 4-H years ago.  She didn't want it but I saved it because I thought it was so pretty.  She painted the flowers on an empty jar with a lid.  We had found some material that matched the colors and cut a square to put on top and tied a piece of yarn around it.  Then we put some wrapped candy in it.  She got a blue ribbon on it and honorable mention I think.  Karissa must have been about 11 or 12 years old when she made this.  Now she is 23.  I'm glad we didn't get rid of it!

Too Hot To Go Walking For Me Today

Today is a little too hot for me to go for my daily walk.  I usually walk a little over two miles each day.   The bank in my town said the temperature was 100 degrees today and I believe it!  The lawns are brown and when you walk on them they're crunchy.  A nice rain would be really welcome.  I remember when we didn't have central air in our house.  We couldn't sleep and it was really miserable.  My husband couldn't take it so we have had central air for about ten years. 

It doesn't seem like it was this hot when I was little.  There were days when it was hot but not so many days.  My brother, sister and I used to have to go hoeing on our family farm growing up.  We would go in the morning and occasionally if it was too hot we wouldn't go in the afternoon.  A lot of people didn't have air conditioning in their homes then.  Now most people have it I think.  That's my view of the weather today!  How is it where you live?

Easy Stir Fry Vegetables Over Rice

Here's an recipe I already posted  but added a finished product at the end of this post.

two packages (8 oz.) fresh mushrooms (I get the ones sliced)

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers

2 orange peppers

4 medium onions

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 to 3 tbsp. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste 
dash of garlic powder
dash of red cayenne pepper 

Put two tbsp.of olive oil in electric frying pan.  Slice peppers and onions into thin strips and put in electric frying pan.   Add mushrooms, soy sauce, and spices.  Cook covered for about ten minutes and then uncovered till tender and water from vegetables is steamed away (about half an hour or so).   This makes enough for my family of five.  I serve over rice.   Sometimes I add a chicken breast or a boneless pork chop cut into cubes. 

Summer Squash Plants In Our Garden

We have a garden and it's been so dry this summer.  These are summer squash plants.  You can see the yellow blossoms on the picture on the bottom.  That's where the squash grows from.  We could use a nice rain because the ground is so dry.  It hasn't rained for quite some time and the plants are starting to wilt.  Hopefully it will rain sometime soon.  My husband takes care of our garden and does water it at night but everything is still very dry.  In the background on the top picture is a bean field.

Great Early 1900's Photo Album I Bought At Estate Sale

I love to go to estate sales and also help my sister who prepares estate sales for people.  Here is an old photo album that I purchased.  This lady who owned this is over 90 years old and saved everything, even from her parents and some things from her grandparents.  She also kept everything in excellent condition.  I thought this was so pretty with the cover of the children pumping water.  Also there are a lot of pictures in the album.  Don't you love the dresses and hats!  She had more albums but I could only afford to buy one.  It looks like the early 1900's to me.  Times sure have changed!

Taco Salad With Catalina Dressing #Recipe

1 pound ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 (16 oz.) size bottle Catalina dressing

1 head of lettuce (torn into small pieces)

1 medium tomato (diced)

1 small onion (diced)

1 (8 ounce) package of shredded cheddar cheese

1 (11.5) bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese Doritos (broken into pieces)

Fry ground beef and drain grease.  Add taco seasoning according to their instructions on envelope.  Put mixture in frig to cool.  When thoroughly cooled add everything except dressing and Doritos and mix well in a large bowl.  When ready to serve add Doritos and dressing and mix again to coat everything.  Sometimes I add a can of sliced black olives or a green pepper diced.

Eating (Or Not) At A Kitchen Table

Does your family eat together at the table?  My family usually only eats at a table for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas when there is an extended family dinner.  When I was growing up we all sat at the kitchen table to eat all our meals.  We wouldn't have thought about watching  television and eating.  It wasn't done then I guess.  Now my family (me included) sits wherever they want. We have a small house so it's not like we're far from each other.  Our table is kind of like the place where the kids put their papers or stuff from school (college).  I know it is better to sit together at the table and have your meals but it just doesn't happen here.  How about at your house?

I'm Patiently Waiting To Get A Google Page Rank

No, I have not gotten a Google Page Rank yet and am a little bummed out.   I'm wondering how long it takes to get a rank.  I really don't even understand anything about it and how they figure out how you get a rank.  I'm sure there are a lot of blogs that don't have one yet but it would be nice to get a Google Page Rank.

It takes a long time to get established and get a lot of followers on your blog.  Maybe some day it will happen!

My Twin Sons Save Money And Cut Their Own Hair

My twin sons are 21 years old and have been  cutting their own hair for a few years.  I had an old hair clippers set that didn't work very well so I bought a new one and it works a lot better.  It has different parts that you attach for the length you want to cut off.  Travis cuts his hair very short so it's easy.  Dustin leaves his hair a little bit longer but does a great job.  To do the back of his head he said he looks in a hand mirror and stands with his his back to the bathroom mirror.  He's very particular about his hair and has to have it just right.  He will trim some hair and come and ask me if I think the sides are even or if he needs more cut off in the back.  Some people have thought he gets his hair cut professionally.  You would never know either one of them cut their own hair.

When my boys were little they had beautiful curly hair.  Dustin's was blond and Travis had brown.  I don't think they got a haircut till they were three.  Then the curls disappeared as they grew older (I still have some of their curls in an envelope I saved).  I used to cut their hair when the boys were little up till they were in grade school.  Then I started taking them to a barber till they were in high school.  Cutting your own hair saves a lot of money and the boys cut off just how much they want.  With my hair style I couldn't cut my own hair; but at least the boys do!

Roses, Tiger Lilies, And Cosmos In Front Of My Porch

I love to look at beautiful flowers!  These are in front of my porch.   The tiger lilies don't last long but are so pretty.  I have cosmos growing all over.  The seeds drop after they dry up and they come back every year too.

You Never Know What You'll Find Cleaning Out A Refrigerator

I have decided to clean out my refrigerator tomorrow.  It's  one of those jobs that doesn't get done too often around here.  My refrigerator is in such a tight space I can't get the bottom drawers out very easily.  It's a pain.  The other day I was looking in the bottom crisper drawer (I think that's what they call it).  Anyways, I found a moldy lime and some limp celery.  Also, I saw something that spilled in the refrigerator which is kind of sticky.

I don't like cleaning out the refrigerator because you have to take everything out of it and wash out the whole thing.  Then  I clean all the drawers and shelves.  This job only gets done once or twice a year.  It's about as much fun as cleaning the oven (I don't have a self cleaning oven of course).  I take the stuff that needs to be real cold to my refrigerator in the garage while I'm cleaning.  I usually throw away bottles of stuff that just has a little left in it, like old pickles, or whatever.  I usually don't keep leftovers very long so I won't have any of that to throw out.  It will be a fun time I'm sure!

Father's Day Blessings To All Fathers!

Willie Nelson and His Son Lucas Nelson's New Video (Just Breathe)

Nothing Like A Parade In A Small Town

The small town that I live in has a festival every year called the Sugar Beet Festival.  It's named after the sugar beets that farmers grow around our area and we also have a sugar beet factory which makes some of the sugar that you buy in the store.   Today was the parade and here is a picture of a patriotic band that was in it.  I've been going to the parade since I was a little girl and the festival is a tradition with a carnival, rides and a great chicken barbecue.  Lots of candy was thrown out for the kids and even some of the adults got some too! 

Reubens Are One Of My Favorite Sandwiches! What's Yours?

Whenever I go out to eat I usually get a Reuben if I get a sandwich.  Some restaurants don't make them very good but there are some that really make them delicious with just the right amount of ingredients.  It depends on the corned beef also.  Some corned beef is better than others.  The prepackaged isn't very good in my opinion.  I don't know what I like best about a Reuben.  I guess it's just like the combination of the corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing on rye bread.  

Wondering how this sandwich got it's name?  I looked up the origin of the Reuben in Wikipedia and it's disputed where the origin of the Reuben came from.  One account holds that Reuben Kulafofsky, who was a Lithuanian born grocer from Nebraska was the inventor. Other accounts hold that Arnold Reuben, who was the German owner of the once famous, now defunct Reuben's Delicatessen in New York, invented the "Reuben special" around 1914.


I'm glad somebody invented this tasty combination! What's your favorite sandwich?

Do You Ever Wear A Dress?

Dresses used to be worn every day by women.  I remember when I was in high school the dress code changed and girls could wear jeans or slacks.  Yes, I'm probably a little lot older than most of you reading this.  I have a sister who is ten years older than me and poodle skirts were in style when she was a teenager.  When I was a teenager we never wore dresses except to church or a wedding.  I did wear dresses or skirts occasionally when I used to work at a bank years ago.  Now a days you don't see many women wear dresses, even in businesses. The last time I wore a dress or skirt with a jacket was when my twins were confirmed at our church and that was six years ago.  Times really change.  My daughter was in a wedding a couple of weeks ago and now you don't even have to wear pantyhose.  That's kind of nice not to bother with those things.  It's a lot cooler in the summer too.  It is nice to see women wear dresses or skirts but I don't think many people do.  I'm sure men would like to see more women wear them though!

An Afternoon Alone Shopping and Eating

  I rarely go any place alone but today I went to the city alone.  I could try a few clothes on and take my time.  When I wanted to go eat I did that.   I had a nice grilled chicken salad at McDonalds (with an iced tea of course).  It was relaxing to just sit and observe the people.  There were a lot of moms and kids, senior citizens, and people on their lunch break from work.  Sometimes it's nice to be by yourself and relax or unwind, even when your kids are older (mine are 21 year old twin sons and a 23 year old daughter who live at home and go to college).


I bought a few shirts for the summer which I wouldn't have needed.  They were pretty cheap and I'm going to get rid of some of my older clothes when we start getting ready for a garage sale soon.  One shirt was only $7 on sale and the other two were $12 each.  It seems like I always have more clothes for the summer.  Maybe because it's warmer and in the winter it's too cold to try on clothes.  Usually most people just hibernate here in the winter.  Anyways, I usually do.  I don't like to be out in the cold.  I like to be in a cozy house by my trusty electric fireplace.


How about everybody else?  Do you get any alone time? 

I've Become Just Like My Husband And Drink Iced Tea All The Time

Years ago I drank Diet Coke all the time.  That was my daily drink.  When my husband and I got married he always drank unsweetened iced tea.  He drank it every day, all year long.  I thought it was kind of strange that he drank it in the winter too.  I could see drinking iced tea in the summer but all year long seemed kind of weird to me.

Well, guess what!  I've become just like my husband.  I gave up Diet Coke and drink iced tea every day.  I used to drink iced tea in the summer but it had to be sweetened.  Now I drink unsweetened just like him, but only decaf.  He drinks regular during the day and sometimes decaf at night so he can sleep better.  He prefers Nestea and I like Lipton.  I've noticed that these days just about every restaurant and fast food place has iced tea.  I guess we're not the only people that  drink it!  I just found out tomorrow is National Iced Tea Day!

Unfriendly and Rude People Bother Me

Yesterday I went to the bank for some business.  I could tell right away the woman who waited on me was not a friendly person.  She just had that look!  I'm usually a pretty good judge of people and I was right.  She acted like she was doing me a favor by waiting on me.  If she would have cracked a smile she probably would have broken her face!  I don't understand how people can be like that.  They try to make you look like a dummy when they are the dumb ones.  It took an hour for her to do my banking and it sure was a looooong hour!   People like this shouldn't have a job dealing with the public.  I had to take some papers home to get signed by my husband and return them the next day. 

So the next day I took the signed papers back and gave them to a different woman.  She was so nice!  She was as different as night and day from the one I had the day before.  One person can ruin your day while another one can make it so much nicer!  I'm the kind of person who is nice to everybody but some people make it kind of hard.

Where's Your Favorite Place To Vacation In The U.S.?

The United States has so many places to go on vacation.  I'm from Michigan.  Through the years I have been to Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., New York, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona, and California. 


 My favorite place to go was California.  I love the weather there and there are so many places to go to see.  We went to Disneyland, Universal Studios and Lego Land, which was fun when the kids were little.  I also like Washington, D.C.  We saw the Washington Monument, The Smithsonian,The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Lincoln Memorial, Ford's Theater and lots more. There were so many places we didn't have time to see everything.  We've been to Gettysburg which was very interesting walking where the Civil War actually happened.  We haven't been on a vacation for a couple of years now, just little day trips.  My husband has been talking about going to Texas to the Alamo. Where's your favorite place you've been to on vacation?

My Mom Has A Great Personality

Yesterday I went with mom to get her hair done and so we went to our favorite little restaurant.  My mom is so funny.  She has a great personality and sense of humor.  Mom has been a widow for twelve years now since my dad passed away in 2000.  She lives two houses down from me so we talk or see each other every day.  My mom even has a man friend who is a widower.  They are both 83 and are good company for each other.  Frank (her friend)  lives down the road from us so he comes to her house every day.  My mom walks with a cane because she can't walk very good due to a back operation gone bad and also has osteoarthritis but never complains about anything.  We have fun together and I'm blessed to have her!

Time Flies By And Kids Grow Up Quick

I can't believe it's June already and kids are out of school.  It seems like it was just Christmas and we were looking forward to Spring.  I remember when I was little my mom always said the time went fast. Now I know what she meant.  The older you get the faster it seems to go!

When my twin sons were born my daughter had just turned two eleven days before their birth.  It seemed like it would be such a long time before they would be grown up.  Those days seem like yesterday.  Now they are all going to college (they still live at home but commute).  I'm happy I was a stay at home mom, even though some days I would have liked a job just to get out of the house for a while.  It seemed like they were always crying.  If one cried the other would start crying.  We made out alright with me not working and  made due with what we had.  I know a lot of people don't have an option though, especially single mothers.  My husband worked a lot of overtime all through the years. We didn't get our own house till we were married for eleven years.  First we managed apartments for five and a half years and got free rent.  After our daughter was born we moved and rented a house for a little over five years. 

When I look back I'm fortunate and thankful I could be home with my kids.   I was there when they took their first steps and said their first words.  Enjoy every minute you have with your children because they sure grow up fast!

SodaStream Review

A few days ago I received a SodaStream unit to review from the great people at SodaStream!  Boy, was I excited to receive this awesome unit!  My kids were very excited too, since they enjoy their pop and this sounded like fun to make their own!   I was excited also because I'm getting tired of buying pop. It gets costly and then you have all the empty cans to take back to the store to put them in the bottle return machine.  I don't like this chore very much.  You're always lugging empty cans or bottles to the store for a refund.  With SodaStream you are also helping the environment by not throwing non deposit bottles or cans away, which is great!  I received an awesome Jet Black/Silver Starter kit that comes with a 60 L Carbonator.

With over 60 flavors to choose from, everyone will surely find something they like.  The folks at SodaStream were very

generous with providing a multitude of flavors to try.  They sent me the following flavors:  Cola Free,  Root Beer, Diet Pink Grapefruit, Diet Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Orange & Pineapple, Cola, and Cranberry-Raspberry.  They also sent me a Sodamix Taste Sampler with 6 Trial-sized samples.  Last but not least they included a 3 pack of My Water flavor essence with the flavors Raspberry, Orange, and Lemon-Lime.  My favorite was the Cranberry-Raspberry (shown in the picture), Diet Lemon-Lime, Cola Free and Orange.   My kids' favorite was Orange & Pineapple, Root Beer, and Cola Free.  SodaStream has regular and diet flavors.  They also have Sparkling Teas, Sparkling Waters, Energy Drinks, Sparkling Naturals,  and MyWater.   I  like that regular flavors contain no high-fructose corn syrup, and diet flavors do not contain aspartame.  You can even get drink recipes on their website. 

Another great bonus is the fact that you don't need electricity, batteries or plumbing to use the SodaStream.   It is easy to use and also to clean.  Here are the easy steps from their manual to get started to make your drink:

1.  Press the tilt lever and remove the bottle from the drinksmaker.
2.  Remove the back cover.
3.  Remove the valve seal and cap from the cylinder valve.  Insert the cylinder into the drinksmaker and screw it tightly into the cylinder holder (do not use any tools).  Replace the back cover.
4.  Fill the carbonating bottle with water to the fill line and chill.
5.  Press the tilt lever and screw the bottle into the drinksmaker.
6.  Press the carbonating button in short presses until you hear the buzz.  3 buzzes will produce a standard fizz, additional presses will produce a stronger fizz.
7.  Press the tilt lever and unscrew the carbonating bottle to remove from the drinksmaker.

After these steps you put your flavoring in the bottle and shake gently to mix.  Very easy!

Sodastream would be great to take with you camping or wherever you go, which a lot of people would enjoy this summer!   SodaStream  also offers a two-year warranty,  which you don't find with many products these days.  We'll be using our new SodaStream a lot from now on!

  

Disclaimer: I was given the product(s) for purposes of review only. I did not receive any monetary compensation.  All opinions are my own.  Please do your own research before purchasing products.  Your opinions and results may differ.

Rhubarb Crunch (Easy and Delicious)

1 c. sugar

3 T. flour

1 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. butter

4 c. rhubarb, cut up

1 c. brown sugar

1-1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. shortening

Combine rhubarb, sugar and 3 tbsp.flour.  Place in greased oblong cake pan.  Combine brown sugar, oats and 1-1/2 cups flour.  Cut in butter and shortening; sprinkle over rhubarb.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown.