Busy, Busy!

Yesterday was pool opening, which means bleach, broom and hose. I have to clean the concrete around the pool which is stained from tree blooms, leaves, etc. What a job, I will be sore from that for a day or two!! But that job is over with and now I can relax.....or so I thought.






My husband has been wanting to build a game room/pool house. He finally decided where he wanted to put it, mainly due to the location of water, septic, etc. so I graciously had to donate my flower bed. We got up early and transplanted my dogwood, impatiens, and hostas and now the mess begins!!!



First tree down left a hole large enough for another pool, (looks like to me)




It is nice to have a friend with a backhoe!!! And one that is willing to donate time to this project!




He can mess up a yard in no time!!!



Now construction can start....just as my pool time begins...ugh!

Have a good "hot" day all!

Canon vs Canon

I love my Canon Cameras, really I do. The cost difference between the two is pretty significant and sometimes I really wonder why! For the zoom lens, I admit you need the more expense of the two, but for simple point and shoot, my SD1100 is just perfect. I never leave home without it, fits in purse or pocket and is always handy. I saw these beautiful clouds last night and decided to try both cameras for a few shots. Here they are, what do you think?








And then this rainbow appeared and I only used the Rebel on it, beautiful moment, they don't last long!



First 2 pictures are shot with PowerShot, second 2 with Rebel. Guess the colors are a bit more vibrant with Rebel, but PowerShot is still an awesome camera.

Have a good day all!

Shredded Beef Au Jus

Do you take Taste of Home? This month there were several really good looking recipes I want to try. I made this one last night and I will surely make it again. Easy, easy. I love a good crock pot recipe, this one has so much flavor. For the recipe click here Whole wheat buns, meat topped with slaw, yummy.

Have a good day all.

Annoying!!

Half the time I cannot open any blogs. The screen shows the blog then error pops up and it all disappears. I have read that some people are losing entire blogs, or followers, etc. This is really frustrating. Sometimes it takes forever to open, and I just give up. Sorry I haven't commented, but I am trying!!!






Best close this before I lose it/ha

One More Shower Photo

Ok, if you would like to put a face with the bloggers, head over to Tales of a Tool Woman for a picture. Left to right; Tales of a tool woman, (my niece), Granola Chic, (like one of the family), Solar Powered, (my little girl), 26 Dresses and Counting, Molly's Mom and moi, Nanny!

Sweet girls, great friends and family!

Hope you are all having a good Memorial Day! It goes from sunshine to rain here! We are having the traditional ribs, potato salad and baked beans. What are you cooking?

The happy Mom and Dad to be,



All little girls need to support the Hogs!



My Girls! Aren't they sweet?



It was a perfect day in Fayetteville, Arkansas for a baby shower. It is so much fun for friends and family to gather for such a sweet occasion. Mom and Dad got so many great gifts, that they will put to good use very soon. I can't wait to see all of these beautiful gifts in the nursery....waiting on sweetpea to arrive....

Have a good evening all!

Another Week Gone!

I hope you all have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. I am just about to leave for North Arkansas, where friends and family are giving Solar a baby shower tomorrow. Aren't baby showers so much fun? It is really amazing how much "stuff" is needed for a baby. I'll try to get some good pictures to share with you!

He Did It!!!

Congratulations Kris!
Your journey has been so much fun to follow!!!

Have a good day all!

Container Gardening....

I am trying a new kind of tomato plant this year, Celebrity. They grow better in containers, (or so the story goes) They are really growing and blooming, I just hope they stay this pretty until I get some fresh tomatoes!!! If I had a tiller and someone would fence an area for me...I would have a garden. The deer would keep a garden eaten without a fence. Presently, I will just water and tend my container garden...




Jalapeno has lots of babies, I love peppers.



Hot Pepper plant isn't blooming but sure is pretty.



Just a word or two about American Idol. You know the judges can endorse and promote Adam all they want to, but LOTS of Americans actually like Kris better.
What's up with Paula's hair? Really!
Did you notice that she was able to complete sentences for a week or two but now she is back to her old self!
Off to enjoy another beautiful day outdoors.
Have a good day all!

Asian Chicken Thighs

Don't you just love a good thigh or wing recipe? Economical and still a great flavor.
This one is just so flavorful, I could have it weekly. Don't know where I got this recipe so I apologize to whomever?? But here it is:

5 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
5 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 T orange juice
2 T soy sauce
2 T ketchup
1 T white vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced (I use the jar of chopped garlic, so easy)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (I have not found this, but searched on web for recipe and made my own,,I mean 1/4 tsp isn't much)


Hot cooked rice
Sliced green onions, optional

1) In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil over medium heat for 18-20 minutes or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the warm water, brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes and five-spice powder; shake until sugar is dissolve.

2) Pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning occasionally.

Serve with rice. Garnish with green onions, optional

Easy recipe and I'll bet you have almost all of the ingredients in the pantry. That's the kind of recipe I like.

What's your favorite thigh or wing recipe? I'd love to have it.

Have a good evening all!

Cute, Cute Commercial

My new favorite!

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I want that puppy!

Farrah's Story

The hair that changed the world!

Did you watch Farrah's Story last night on NBC? It was her touching and revealing story of her battle with cancer. I admire Farrah so much for sharing this battle with us, and yes she has fought it with all her might! Even in my sleep last night my mind was still on Farrah. One of her last lines was "The only thing that can help me now is a miracle" We are praying for the miracle Farrah. If you missed it, it is going to be on NBC.com for viewing. It is worth your time.

Have a good day all!

Yippee! Pizza Night!

Nothing better than a big salad followed by a large pizza from Shotgun Dan's.
I have my half picked....canadian bacon and pineapple....what do you want on your half?




Have a good evening all, I'm outta here/ha

Yard Day

Yesterday was spent mowing, etc which I really enjoyed, except for "The Wind"




Yes it was blowing!! I don't like wind, but at least it wasn't raining so I had to make the best of the sunshine hours. The outdoors smells so good right now. It is just so sweet smelling and all because of the wild hedges and honeysuckle....
Can't you just smell them? I love May, it is just my favorite month.






Trixie loves for me to mow, she follows me from front to back searching for lizards! This girl loves to catch a lizard and stand there and bark at it! Well OK she does bite at it until it quits moving.

Sometimes

they are just playing possum and crawl off after she feels victorious and walks away!




This is her favorite spot to rest! Gosh I need mulch!!!




Yard Work! It just never ends, as does house work, but I enjoy the outdoors so much more! One more thing; Do any of you know what these strange things are??? They have a very sweet smell, actually like a sweet potato, see the flies on them? If you accidentally touch one they are just mushy and they seem to only last for a day. Very strange..




How about Kris Allen? Awesome, good luck Kris!

Tonight is Grey's Anatomy season finale, and it has actually gotten much better since the beginning of the season.

Have a good evening all!

My New Friends!

For some unknown reason I did not watch Friends! Maybe I was hooked on another network at that time of night, or maybe I was just not very smart.....whatever the reason was, I would like to apologize to everyone involved in making this show the best I have ever seen and now own, yes own all ten seasons. I watched season one thru Netflix and was hooked from the first episode..then decided I had to have them, not just rent them. There are so many extras on the dvd collections. I love the producer commentaries; they tell so much about how the scenes came together, it is fascinating. All of the gags and bloopers are included plus the video of Smelly Cat, which I now sing nonstop/ha The best part is the interviews of the cast after season 10, which I could hardly watch. For those of you who watched Friends, I don't know how you stood the end of a season. I mean when Joey bent down and picked up the ring and Rachel said yes....how did you wait until next season??? I just shed a tear and put next season in. And Gosh how great were the Thanksgiving episodes??





All of this brings me to tell you about the request my husband made...well can I have the collection of my favorite show? Of course, was my reply, what would you like? GUNSMOKE!!!! Oh my, 20 seasons, 640 episodes!!!! I am glad I have many good books lined up to read, cause I'm just not up for this!!! It is funny to see stars when they were very young though. Last night Jodi Foster and Joanie (from Happy Days) were on an episode and were so young, just little girls. Sometimes we argue about who the people are, it's fun.





I leave you with my favorite Joey Tribbiani line:

How You Doing?

Cooking With Paula Deen

I found this recipe in the May issue of Cooking with Paula Deen and it is so good! I tried to find a link for it but could not so here is the recipe;

Quick Chicken Parmesan

3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins (I cut up 3 boneless, skinless breasts)
4 T oil, divided
1 6 oz bag fresh baby spinach
1 26 oz pasta sauce ( I used bertolli tomato & basil)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 16 oz box fettuccini, cooked according to pkg directions (I used Barilla Whole Grain thin spaghetti)

In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
In a separate dish, lightly beat egg. Dip chicken in egg; dredge in bread-crumb mixture.
In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 3 T oil over medium heat. Cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan; set aside, and keep warm.
Add remaining 1 T oil to skillet: heat over medium heat, Add spinach: cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from pan; set aside, and keep warm.

Preheat broiler.
Add pasta sauce to skillet; place chicken over sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Top each chicken evenly with spinach. sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned. Serve over pasta.

The flavors are so good together! I think the May issue is one of the best ones ever. There are lots of recipes I want to try. I've already made Bubba's Steak Finger recipe 3 times. He uses crushed saltines in the dry mixture and it makes for a good flavor.....

Have a good evening all!

Gotta Have My Edy's

Have you tried these? They are so delicious!! My brother and snl told me about these and I can't stand to run out of them now. 60 Calories each. I love that they are not like an ice cube but more frozen fruit consistency.

Beat you can't eat just one!

Hope you are all having a very happy mother's day. Rain falling here.......still...

Kris Comes Home

It's been a crazy day in central Arkansas caused by the arrival of Kris Allen! I can't until Tuesday to see what all they show on Idol of his homecoming. The response has been amazing. It will be a great show, be sure and watch. Arkansas has surely showed their support of Kris today and wish him the best!





Have a good evening all!

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

Have A Great Day!

Reality TV Addiction

Yes I admit it, I love, love reality TV. Another season is coming to an end and on one hand I am happy that I will not be tied to my TV and on the other I am sad for all these people that I Love to not be in my home every week......

First: American Idol

Of course I am partial to Kris, being a nice guy from Arkansas. I also like Danny and Allison but I Do Not Care For Adam and I think he will probably win. For a great synopsis of the show be sure and read BooMama's blog. She does an excellent job.



Second: Dancing With The Stars

I am pulling for Melissa. I fell in love with her on The Bachelor and I would be willing to bet that she says Bachelor? What's That? Go Melissa, you are the winner!



Third: The Biggest Loser

Don't you just love this show? I admire everyone on this show soooo much. I really want Mike (18 years old) to win but I think Tara is really unbeatable. Did you see last night when Ron, crossed the finish line on the marathon? Gosh, talk about tear jerker,,,he is my hero.


Fourth: Last but not least....Survivor

Am I the only one who still watches??? I will admit there will never be another Rudy, Richard, Susan, Jerry, Colby, Rodger, Elisabeth, Tom, Boston Rob (oh my I vowed I would never watch this show again until he was gone, I think I went in another room for maybe 30 minutes/ha) but I still enjoy watching the back stabbing mind games they play. I don't think they starve like they did in the first seasons, seem to have it a bit easier these days.



I almost forgot Number Five: The Celebrity Apprentice

I love this show!!! When it first began I made the comment that I hoped Joan Rivers would be the first to go. Well snap judgements can be wrong....I hope she wins! Don't like the poker player, Annie, no, don't like her at all. I was so wrong about Joan, she is a tough, energetic, lady.



Well gosh, now that I think about it there is a... Number Six: The Amazing Race
I hope Margie and Luke, mother and son, win!!!!





I am hoping for more free time after these shows are over....No I will not watch the new season of The Bachelorette, starting May 13....I love Jillian....no I will not watch....will you tell me what is happening if I don't watch....you know she has 30 bachelors to choose from... up from 25 previously....no I will not watch.....no I will not watch....

Almost time for AI, gotta get dinner on the table...ha
Have a good evening all.

Mowing in High!

OK at 3:00 I decided to mow the front yard before the rain.....It was really bad! I put the mower in high and finished that part. Well guess I'll weed eat around the flower beds and trees, Done. I like to be completely through with the front before I move on! Weird, uh?



May as well mow the side....Done...weedeat..Done.


Moving right along...may as well mow the backyard...Done.....weedeat....Done


Guess I can mow all the way to the pond.....Done


I finished it all before the rain!!!! That makes me happy/ha Heavy rain and winds moving in tonight, ho hum same story, different verse.

Tip for the day:
Use blue corn tortillas in your next batch of nachos, fajitas, or quesadillas for more effective weight loss. A team of Mexican and Venezuelan researchers found that tortillas made from blue corn have a lower glycemic load than white corn tortillas do, so they won't raise your blood sugar as quickly. The blue variety also has more protein and less starch.

Have a good evening all!