Just Dreaming!

I love following Between Naps On The Porch. She finds or comes up with some of the neatest ideas for decorating a room. From tablescapes to attics, you just might find something you would like too.

Like her friend, I have 4 grand-daughters as well. All I need now is a bigger house so they could have their own room...something like this.




In the meantime they have this...



 
Trouble is it only sleeps one. When we have, say 3-5 of them here at a time, we use airbeds and crib mattress's to bed them down.

While I'm dreaming I might as well build that bigger house.

Actually we have never wanted a BIG house. For one, I would have to clean it or pay someone too and, well for two, I can't think of a two. One is good enough!

So my dream house would look something like this...

It would sit along aside our existing garage, and the house we live in would become the guest house. They would connect by a breezeway. The old guest house behind the garage becomes part of the new house.

Dreams do and can come true...and I get the feeling sometimes this dream really is going to be a reality someday.

All in God's will and time, or we win the lottery!

I'll put my money on God.

Easter Memories



A few years back I had done this post and linked to Black & White Wednesday (now she does Favorite Photo Friday) and Way-Back-Whens-day. I use to do that link up thing for a few blogs. It was fun. It allowed me to write some memories of my children and grands and hope they will enjoy reading down the road.

 

That was my hubby's side of the family. I don't know why I hadn't done one for my side. Maybe I did and just haven't found the post. To look through almost 500 post would distract me and I wouldn't get this post done. So if you have seen these before, I'm sorry to repeat, and if not or new, enjoy my journey down memory lane. 

 

Easter 1965

 

 

 

I'm not really sure if this was Easter or Mother's Day, both are in spring. I do know it was 1965 by my sis "M" being pregnant and I look about 8. I remember my dress well. I absolutely loved it. It was cool and of course "blue" my favorite color even then. It was also store bought which means I got to pick it out. Mom would always have the final word though. My sister's "D" (next to mom) and "B" (next to me) had dresses that mom had made from the same fabric or for sis "M"'s wedding. Not sure which. Some details just didn't matter to me I guess.

 

Mom always bought fabric in bulk and I loved digging through her sewing chest. I use to make something from anything she had in there. If I needed a new skirt, I was sure to find a piece of fabric that would work. I always had a lot of draw string tops. SEW Simple! No patterns needed.

 

 

Easter 1967-8

 

 

 

I love this picture of my mom, my sister "B" and my baby brother. I don't have an exact year but looking it over I believe it had to have been 1967 or maybe 68, since my brother looks maybe 5 or 6. That would make me 10 or 11 and probably my 2nd year of 4-H. My sewing skills were developing well and I made the dress I am wearing, with the help of my mom of course. That collar was not something I could do easily, nor the zipper, so she would do them for me. More then likely my sister "D" did my hair. I still wear my hair like that. Too funny! Well minus the bangs right now but up till 5 years ago I did. With the smirky kind a squinty eyed smile on my face, it reminds me of telling my dad to take the picture already, the bunny is melting in my hands! "Smile then!". I'm glad he took pictures but sometimes he made it kind of awkward.

 

I don't know or even remember if there are more from then to here...

 

Easter 1986

 

I'm kind of in the middle of my sibling and below are our children.

The girl with the hat and the 2 boys on each side are mine.

 

 

But shortly after this, the family was torn apart for a number of years. Regardless of where we are now, or how we all made it through those years, the memories of those years before held the foundation firm, just as my mom had prayed to God for all those years for it to be. As I look at how the families have grown and born from the ashes, God is with my mom, His hand on her shoulder, telling her, "Good job!". "They are all fine. They all have me with them."

 

Most of them that is. Still a work in progress for some but I have faith they too will grow in the direction God has planned for them. That is there journey and this is Our Journey Through LIFE!

 

 

 



A Blast To The Past

Take off took only seconds and I was rocketing through old pictures, looking for a certain one for a special someone, when I found these...

Easter 1961

 

 

I'm the little 4 year blonde in the front. I know it's black and white, but with blonde it doesn't really matter does it?. My sibling all have red hair. I just love my pin-curls. It was the only way my hair would curl. Mom would pin it up at night, add a scarf to keep them all pinned in place, and I would have to sleep on it all night.

 

My sister "B" is next to me, she was 7. She was called the carrot top. I don't know why when carrot tops are green, but she has that deep red hair others would dye (he,he) for. "B" would tease me like any sister 3 years older does, but I love her so much. During my teen years, she took me in a number of times, no questions asked. Quite an adventure with her, thats for sure.

 

Behind us is "D", she was 9, and though her hair looks blonde, it's that gorgeous, glow in the sunlight strawberry blonde. My "D" and I would have a different kind of adventure. Siblings can butt heads, and at one time or another, we did it very well. Remember me saying once that I was like her living doll. So many pictures remind me of her, the hair, the dress, the make-up, one or all had her hand in it. But sister's are sister's, we forgive, we love unconditionally, life is good again.

 

Behind her is my brother "L". Oh boy do I remember him well at this time! Being 14 his main joy at the time was to pick on us girls. I think I got it the most but would bet my sister's feel they got it worse. I'm not going to argue. He was awnry and most every one got a taste of his trickery. Having him for an example when my teen years came, well let's just say it was kind of wild! I mean if he did it, why can't I! Praise God my hubby came into my life!

 

Beside him is my sis "M". She was 18 here and I don't remember much of her at home. I do remember breaking a statue, hiding it and myself for fear of punishment, and thought for the longest time she was always mad at me for breaking it. What seemed like years to me, were probably just days in reality, but the view of a child is so different isn't it. Later I would get to babysit for her and then her daughter babysat for me. She listened without judgement or sides. I can't say it enough of how much I love her. I usually get to tell her a few times a week. I love those blessings

 

There it is, the 1st sibling Easter photo I remember. My baby brother wouldn't arrive until December of 1962.

 

 

This is how I remember my mom back them. Doesn't she look beautiful!

She could have wrote her own cookbook and been another Julia Childs.

I love her hair and how it is tied up.

She did that a lot, ha, and so do I!

I love being my mother's daughter.

I love being a sister.

I love being a wife.

I love being a mother.

I love being an aunt.

I LOVE being a grandmother!

 

But, I LOVE, LOVE God for guiding me through it all!

 

No matter what, I have always and will always love Our Journey Through LIFE!

 



We Celebrated “Green!”

How did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

If you’re like most, you probably had some corned beef and cabbage, some ale, maybe even some awesome decorations adorned your surrounding. You would think as often as we go a bit overboard on some of our celebrations, St. Patrick's Day would be included. It hasn’t really been a call for one yet. I’m not saying it won’t ever happen, just hasn’t yet. Though we have a friends whose birthday is the 17th, there was a time…so one never knows what the future holds.

For a couple years our son would march in the parade…



…but the Big “C” changed that. This was 2011 and just a month before he began his journey. Knowing the pain he was having, his determination to fulfill a commitment, he managed to walk the whole way.

Of course we have styled the green before as well…

                         
                         

But this year, we just hung out.

Saturday we went out garage sailing (sales). I had seen a few places that might have items we could use for furnishing the guest house. I don’t remember without looking back if I mentioned our guest house was going through a transformation. Our other son put up walls, widened a doorway, made a hallway (with hall closet), and 2 bedrooms. Watch for it’s revealing later this year (hopefully) with before and after pictures of course.

Our search didn’t produce any results for that list but we did find….



For $35 this king head and foot board for our room. Not being a fan of the shiny gold, we bought products on our way to hopefully make it look something like this….

         

Or something like this if we mess up and have to paint over our mistake…



Either look, or something in between, will work just fine. Since it really isn’t an antique, I won’t stress over it to much. I won't be using the foot board, so we/me/he will practice on it first. I plan to use it in my garden as a trellis and assures the head board has a better chance of coming out as we hope. Another before and after for later, but hopefully this one will be completed in the very near future.

While at Home Depot, we also picked up more dirt and more vegetables. I love when hubby goes with me. He always finds things he says I need. So I agree I need, but know I could make do without, (on most things that it) but since he is offering to buy it for me, sure I can use it, thanks bunches babe.

To think one can get excited about plant labels and seeding boxes. I have always just used popsicle sticks and flat tray from the nursery. Oh and he bought asparagus. I didn’t tell him till later it will be a couple years before we get to eat any.

On our way home, wouldn’t you know it, a service call comes in. No problem. Our customers are our life. I don’t mind tagging along most times and since this one was out at Hidden Shores, this was one of those times. It’s a nice drive, well not too scenic, but enough and allows for conversation along the way. It’s been a while since I have been out that way and I love seeing the changes.

Fortunately there was nothing wrong with the machine. It was FULL of…

 

…which means it won’t accept anymore. Definitely we found our pot of gold!

 

With sailing over, service completed, it didn’t leave much day to tackle the garden.

Sunday hubby went up to meet the worker and his helper at the rental. Plan was to get them lined out and then back home. Actually hubby’s plan was for them to work Saturday. (flexible as we are, we just switched) Already not happy the work was rescheduled to Sunday, when he got up there the guy displayed more lack of respect and it was one of those enough is enough moments, and he fired him. Yes, FIRED! Not something we usually do. I don’t mind they quit if we don’t fit, but do not ever like having to fire someone. I must say I am not surprised. We LOVE to help people. Tend to pay out more then needed at times, but always with good intentions. After a while, it seems to bite us in the butt with some. That old saying, “You only get what you paid for”, comes to mind. What about you work for what you are paid. Amazingly, hubby was able to get done in 3 hours what this guy claimed would take him and a helper all day! He even had the nerve to call back later that day to apologize. Can you believe he called my hubby a Jew? My hubby a Jew! Apology accepted but we still don’t need your type of work.

Once he got back home, we reviewed our plan of attack on the garden when “Bug” called wanting to come over for a visit. “It would be a working visit”, I said, “but your welcome to help in the garden.”





     Before











With harvest tucked away, it was time to move in some supplies…

                     

The tires will become our potato planters.               

  Buddy loved visiting with the neighbors horse.











The forklift was needed to bring up brick and of course he needed help!




Of course while the adults continued to work, the kids needed to cool off. Ok, we did sit and take breaks just to watch these 3. Their the best distraction!

                    

Even the dogs had fun!

                        

 

This little Buddy is not afraid of the big dogs at all!

 

         

And by the end of the day, we had 2 planters added at the gazebo, ready for soil and plants.


                           

        After











A BIG truck should be delivering the under-bed for the gazebo sometime this week or next. I have flagstone left over from the pool deck and will lay it out within the space, filling in the spaces between with crushed granite and cement. Once in place, you sprinkle down with water the granite with cement in it and when it dries it dries firm like concrete but with a crushed granite look. I’ve been making these kind of walks in my garden for 30 years. We redid the walk around the pool last year at a cost of $34. I’ll bet I get the floor in the gazebo for less then that if not half.

    

A very “Green” St. Patty’s Day for this Journey Through LIFE!

Spring on Unusual Egg Hunts?

I mean Bring On!

I’m not really sure what it is!

Spring one day

Then winter the next.

Back to winter, then back to spring again, all in a matter of weeks, not month’s. Then summer decides to join the party!

It’s got plants and animals all mixed up as well!

Back in January we found one of the neighbors turkey’s had nested in the corner of our yard and our other neighbors yard.

      

According to the information I found online it should have taken about 28 days. 

Laying generally begins in late March to early April through most of the country. Turkeys usually nest in areas (old fields, cutovers, pine forests, stream edges) with a well-developed under story that provides some bushy/vine concealment. One egg is laid daily until a clutch averaging 9 to 11 eggs is completed. Incubation takes 28 days, and all poults hatch within a 24-hour period.

That insert was for wild turkey’s which isn’t what these guys really are. We’ll call them domesticated, free range, community (3 home) turkeys. But I imagine it doesn’t matter really.

Well, here she is 30 days later. Nothing!. Every day we go check on her and tell her she had them to earlier. Just days after is when it turned wintered on us. Freezing in the desert is becoming more common and for a few days temperature’s got too low for eggs to be out in. Hubby laughed, cause if there was a way I could have ran a light for added warmth, it would have been done. But she picked a spot that wasn’t possible of doing. So we just wait.

 

March 9th – Still no babies!

 

 

 

 

Then yesterday when I left to do my motherly duties, I saw one of the other lady turkey’s acting strangely next to the carport. Not uncommon for them to fluff when walked up on when I wanted a picture of her odd behavior.

    

Heat stroke? After all it was 90 out.

Seeing her hunker down in some shade behind the “Grands” hotwheels, I left. Maybe she did just need to cool off. When I got back she wasn’t there and just went about things. After hubby got home and I told him about how funny she was being, we both began to wonder why she was hanging out there. Lately they all have been playing around that area for a while.

    

So a light bulb went off!

I’ll bet…and sure enough…

    

She laid 11 eggs right there! Now what do I do?

This morning as I was walking about, looking things over, I think I could have one of the men take 3 pallets, secure them together, forming a fence she will still be able to get in and out off while offering some protection, while she’s off doing what mother turkeys do. Not the most attractive thing to have right at the beginning of ones drive but we’ll make do and see how it unfolds. The “Grands” will want to ride their things next time over so something has to be done.

Quite an unusual egg hunt don’t you think. Did I tell you our handy guy, while repairing the roof Bug prepped, found an egg up there too?

Come Easter I wonder if the “Grands” will find others we haven’t!

Oh what a springing dinging time on Our Journey Through LIFE!