Archive for August, 2012

10 Aug

Just Enjoying…

Posted by ivegonecountry in Uncategorized.

Billy had to work late the other night so I decided after checking on the animals and watering all the plants to just sit a spell.  I picked a white wooden rocking chair on the porch by the goldfish pond.  It was just starting to get dark,  I kept thinking…I guess I should go on in the house.  But I just couldn’t.  The  weather was perfect, the bull frogs were croaking, goldfish were swimming, mosquitoes were biting….well..really only one or two, and the view of the green grassy fields backed up against the mountains was too captivating to leave.  I rocked until Billy returned home.  It was so pleasant….and I was glad I chose that over plopping down in front of the television.

After not feeling well for a couple of weeks I suppose I just keep savoring all the little things.  It is a real blessing to be healthy.

Everywhere I turn I notice things that changed over the last month.  The weeping willow has finally recovered from the haircut Billy gave it.  I love to see the  limbs gracefully blowing in the breeze.

I keep telling Billy how much I LOVE the willows LONG hair.  Hint… hint…so he doesn’t cut it anymore.

The Crepe Myrtle Trees are bursting with blooms.

The branches are just loaded…they are absolutely gorgeous.  This one is by the house…but we have several different sizes and colors sprinkled on the land.   Each one is beautiful in its own way.

Even while I was stuck in the house I was able to enjoy the hummingbirds through the window.

They have been very active.  I can’t even count how many times I have replenished their food supply, I even had to buy more red food coloring.

It is really hard to get a good picture of one of those guys.  They are small and QUICK.

One time I saw a  picture of a hummingbirds nest in a magazine.  They put it next to a quarter, that is how small it was.

They are fun to watch, they often fight with one another.    Very seldom do I see more than one drinking at a time….

However, I was able to catch two feeding here.  I suppose they are sharing because they are husband and wife…just kidding

I also saw two deer crossing in front of the house. We have them on the land but it is rare that they came this close to us.  I’m not sure how, but I think they know when it is hunting season and when it isn’t.  Lately you can see them in the nearby fields grazing, usually four or so at a time.  Several days recently I counted a dozen grazing at one time.  They are beautiful in the field at dusk with the sun setting.

and yesterday I saw some wild turkeys at the cabin.

Billy and I stopped to speak to the neighbors across from the pasture.                       I couldn’t help but notice this sitting on his fence …

it was so picturesque.

And his ducks running to his pond….

Day or night it is fun to watch the animals and enjoy the scenery.

When I started this blog it was a way for me to share the things I feel I am learning from God while living in my new surroundings.  I couldn’t help but think while I was sick that…the world goes on without us.  But the world can’t go on without Him.  He not only gave us all we have and enjoy in this world, He is also the sustainer of all life.

I enjoy creation…but I really stand in amazement of the Creator.  I pray I always keep my eye on HIM as I marvel at His creativity.

9 Aug

Peanut Butter Apple

Posted by ivegonecountry in Recipes. Tagged: , .

I love this idea.  I did not come up with it on my own.  I believe I was in 7th grade when a girl named Susie brought one of these in her lunch.  I was totally amazed.

It is easy to do….and great to pack up for on the go.

Pick the apple variety you like best.

 

Get a good sharp knife…..

 

Cut around the core …I usually make a square…sometimes if it is stubborn I turn it over and cut from the bottom side as well.

 

Push on the core and…….Wah…Lah!!!

 

Fill the center of the apple with ….Peanut Butter.

 

Now isn’t that neat.

You can pack it up easily…to take in the car for later…a picnic…or kids lunches.

 

I find that I eat apples a little more this way.  I like getting that little bit of peanut butter with  a bite of apple.

Anyway, that is something I thought you might like to try if you haven’t already.

Oh….and thank you Susie’s Mom!!!!

 

8 Aug

Just thinking….

Posted by ivegonecountry in Uncategorized. Tagged: .

So I probably think a little differently than the average person.  I recognize that….and I am alright with it.   But sometimes….I just wonder about things.

For instance…my little sister and I have a thing we do.  We disagree with which direction the toilet tissue should be placed in the holder.  So when I am at her house….I change it to my way.

…when she is at my house…she changes it to her way.

I’m sure you can see that I am clearly right.

We have a lot of fun as we disappear into every bathroom, especially before we leave each others home, and quickly change every roll in the house to OUR way.  We have done this for years.  For some unknown reason I still get a kick out of it….and I still get surprised when I go into a guest bathroom… sometimes days after she has left and find my toilet paper all WRONG….I have to laugh.

I read in Dear Abby or Heloise this week an article confronting this very issue.  So can there be a right or wrong?  If so who decides?

Last week we were at the beach with family and I made this picture

Have you ever really looked at your toes?  I mean like really looked closely at each one independent of the others.  From the front they can look one way…but if you carefully look at one at a time…they often have a unique shape.  A shape you do not notice just looking down at them.

I told you….I think out of the box…..

Now for a really long time I have wondered who says so….about certain things…..

Like a package of ketchup.  Who decided that amount should be and would be the amount of ketchup served for all these years?  The same with the salt and pepper packages.  I personally never thought the salt packages were big enough…which meant you had to open more ketchup packages that are already to small to make the fries flavorful enough.  Of course if you have McDonald’s fries…you don’t need salt or ketchup….they are perfect when they are HOT!

Then I had a discussion just the other day with my son about rubber bands.  You used to get a rubber band around a newspaper…matter of fact we had so many rubber bands he literally started a rubber band ball when he was younger…which got a pretty good size.  Now I have to buy a package of rubber bands to keep some around the  house.  Who decided to do away with the bands around the newspaper?

I am getting more of these hard  square ties that I don’t really have another use for.    What happened to all those twist ties….I hardly get those anymore….you used to get a lot when you bought a box of trash bags….then it went to draw strings and flaps.  I will have to say that was a good idea…but I miss the extra ties I kept in the drawer.

What about a candy bar….

The regular sized candy bar is usually a good size.   Sometimes I pick out a different kind and it looks like it was shrunk in one of those shrinky dink machines.

I do get amazed at how many sizes and shapes they make now to appeal to every need.  A candy bar used to be a candy bar size…and penny candy was just that….a penny and was penny candy size.  Now for some reason we pay a lot more for the smaller cuter candy….especially if it wrapped in the holiday colors.  And really….does anyone ever eat only one of those?   I think I like seeing one regular candy bar wrapper in front of me, than five or six of the smaller ones….that really makes me feel like a pig.

Last but certainly not least….as I am forever having a list of things like this run through my head at any given time….who decided that we all wanted canned cokes?

Yes, you can still buy coke in a glass bottle….but you will not get it out of a vending machine in front of a gas station.   When you can find them in the grocery store, you will pay a pretty penny for them, especially the small ones…for some reason they always tasted better.

Alright maybe one more…..speaking of gas stations…..who decided to start being gas stations and stop being service stations?

One day I was pumping gas.  The station provided someone to wash your windshield for customer appreciation that day.  My granddaughter Layla was with me and she kept asking me….who is that man?   What is he doing?

Once again the wheels were turning in my head about….who made that decision to stop checking the oil and washing the windshields and providing free water and air for the customer to use?  Wow…and remember the free things they gave away with a tank of gas?  Oddly enough you got service…a smile and a gift and hardly paid anything for a gallon of gas.  Now we have to take out a small loan to fill up the tank and put it in ourselves.   If you need air for a tire….you better hope you have a pocket full of quarters to feed the machine.

I know things change…and money is usually the bottom line of why things change….but sometimes I just wonder who got the final say.

Well… that is all for now…I was just thinking.

2 Aug

Beach Time

Posted by ivegonecountry in Uncategorized.

We try to get together as a family at the beach at least one time a year if possible.  The bigger the family gets the more difficult it is to schedule a time that will work with everyone.  This trip….Garrett and Layla couldn’t be with us.  Garrett couldn’t take time off work and he has to have access to the internet to do his job.  The internet isn’t as reliable here as it is at home, he found that out the hard way about a month ago.   Sure miss them both.   Maybe next time we can ALL be together.

We have had several really bad storms.  Thunder is rumbling and it is raining as I type.  I am trying to get this post completed quickly in case we are disconnected again.  We just had service restored after a storm came through on Monday.

When it isn’t raining it is really nice.    A lot of swimming has been going on.

 

Riley is being more adventurous….she is swimming more without her frog life vest thing a ma jig…..

This is her frog thing…..

Andy has one that has a shark face on it…..

He is enjoying going all over the pool with his on.  Last year he didn’t trust that it would really keep him afloat.

 

After everyone was water logged….Hide and seek was played.  Andy was counting…..

 

Poopa thought he was really hiding good…..but Andy found him pretty quickly.  Andy is almost five…Poopa is going to have to do better than that next time.

We also went Putt Putt golfing

I loved it when we did that on vacation as a child.  I always thought it was so neat to see all the decorations and the pretend animals.   Hmmmm…..I suppose not much has changed through the years!

 

I got tickled at this sign…..BEHAVE!      Love it.

I didn’t realize that the kids were really old enough to play…..

We all had a good time.

I didn’t look at the score card….but I am pretty sure…..I WON…

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