A bit of Christmas~

Christmas is coming!

Stay tuned!

Hello is anybody there?

I know I have been away from blogging all summer. I have just hit a wall and I seriously have thought I would just let it go. I have had a couple of sweet emails wondering where I am and what is going on. Am I OK?  So yes I am OK and I will try a little catch up.

In May I planted 80 Dahlia tubers. They came up beautifully and gave me much pleasure this summer.

Also in May my son got married and we got our first daughter in law along with her two sweet children.
My grand daughter had her senior prom that weekend too.

Then came my Dahlias which I planted just before I had my knee replaced. That is a long story of surgery and recovery. We can skip right over it. My gardens suffered a bit while I recuperated, The Dahlias I got from Eden Brothers were the best. I cut flowers every day and loved having them in my home. Such a pretty bright spot they were. I ordered and bought from other sources, but these did the best for me.

Then one of our granddaughter's volley ball team is going to the playoffs and she was named All-Star for her school! It is her senior year this year.

I also got a little time with my friend and the kayak.

That is a brief recap of my summer. My Aunt from Ohio came to visit and my Sister and Niece came from Texas. It has been a great summer even though it flew by.

Last month I was installed as President of my local garden club and I am looking forward to more time with all my friends in gardening.

I have another little bit of news too. I decided to retire to enjoy some of the many blessings I have. My hubby is retiring at the end of January. We hope to have some day trips and leisure time in the garden. We have both had fast paced, stressful jobs, so we hope to get to enjoy life a bit. Funny thing is now that I thought I would have more time it seems like days just fly by, but I am adjusting quite well and enjoying every minute of it.

So if you are still out there and haven't given up on me, let me know.

Hugs,

It has been so long....

I can't believe it has been two months since I did a post. Time is flying by. So let me fill you in on what is going on in my Country Nest. First of all we have a wedding in two and a half weeks. My oldest son is getting married. He is marrying a girl who is perfect for him and you can feel the love! He has been home and I hope he never deploys again. I love  my country, but I love my son more and three times is too much. I do know of others who have been more and God bless them and keep them safe. It is a huge sacrifice for the whole family. I am thankful for all the service men and woman who keep us safe,

Our Garden Club has it's annual plant sale this weekend and there is lots of behind the scenes work that needed to be done. I have never met such a great group of women all with a similar interests. I have made signs, potted up plants and enjoyed great conversations. I have been in Garden Club for about eight years and have learned so much. I want to take the Master Gardener course. I hope to do this next year.

So the new living room set came in and I love it. It is a simple plain fabric. Except for  the accent chair and footstool. It is a bold print with charcoal, caramel and mocha brown colors. We got a couple matching pillows too. Bassett design it yourself allowed us to get a couch and love seat of similar style to our old one.  No sooner did we get the new furniture and the washing machine died. Then we went out for the new washer and dryer. I didn't think I wanted them, but they are really nice. A lot has changed in 13 years. Then with all the windy days our fence around the pool needed new posts so that got done too. It has been busy for sure.

The best news of all is Spring is unfurling the leaves on the trees and there is a warm earthy smell to
the air. I love the renewal phase. Pulling out the garden furniture and pots for planting. Buying lots of pretty flowers and planting a garden.  The temps need to come up a bit, but we are having a week of soft gentle rain which will bring the plants and leaves out. I smells so pretty.

My other news is that I am going in for knee replacement surgery. I have injured it several times and there are complications that need to be addressed. I will be going in after the wedding to get this done. Maybe in my downtime I will have more time to post. Get ready for the flower pictures.

My potting bench got a new coat of paint.

Canna waiting for warmer temps

The Hosta that has been in the pot in the dark shed. Love how it looks with out seeing daylight.

Lots of Basil and Parsley

Canna opening.

I was happy to have a solid couch after so many years with a floral print.

The bold (for me) chair I mentioned. Featured with Fluffy.

My Dahlias ready to plant. 

Fluffy loves to photo bomb.

Dreaming of Spring

The daylight hours are getting longer and that gets me looking forward to Spring. The Chickens are laying more eggs and the temps are better.

This year I want to try something new. I want to plant some Dahlias and Asters and Zinnias. I want a cutting garden. I am trying to work less and have more time to garden. We keep cutting down trees, but we are at our property line. The neighbor joined us and cut some down but sadly it isn't enough. I have a 25x25' plot which has some perennials and a huge Limelight hydrangea in it. So I want to put a couple of 4'x12' raised beds on the right side of this plot. I am hoping they get more sunshine here. I have been ordering away and have some plans drawn up. I can't wait to see how they do this year. Here is my plot cleaned up. I did it last weekend and I don't think I have ever had it done by the end of February. My chicken droppings have gone in the compost for the past year so I am hoping it will help my garden grow too.

 The potting shed got a little color for Spring while I was out there. I can't wait to clean her out and be able to putter in my happy place. With the windows open and a warm breeze in the air.

I can't wait for it to be like this again. Isn't it hard to believe that this is the spot where my second picture was taken?

On a completely different subject I have put this set on Craigslist because I finally ordered a new set that should be here in about 3 weeks. The new set has the same lines. This set has been comfortable and has lasted so well. It is 18 yrs. old. I have been procrastinating for the last five years. It is just starting to show some wear on the corners. I hope we find someone to take it off our hands or I will be parking outside.

And then there was snow~

It seems that in February we are going to get all the snow we had not had yet. So when I am stuck in the house I bake, purge or clean. Today I baked. These little hand pies were a big hit in my house.
The recipe makes 8 little pies. Just a nice amount. Except they disappeared quickly.

I choose to use a blueberry filling, but you could use most anything your heart desires;
I found the recipe on the King Arthur Flour site. I love this site and have never been disappointed with anything I have made from here. This one will be into my Go To book.

One of my projects is to neaten up my recipes. I have books of clipping and printed sheets. I want to make a Go To book for all the recipes I use all the time and save the binders for when I am looking for something more or different. I will share these later on.

Oops, notice one is already gone? Well I had to taste test! Yum!

Do you have a favorite website or storage idea for recipes? I have a large red binder that is too cumbersome. Then 2 smaller binders for deserts and cookies. My recipe box that I have had for 43 yrs. I still know which cards are in there, some from my Mom, some from others no longer with us. I am too sentimental to get rid of that. So what do you do?

I am making progress on the Cricut. Their customer support has been oh so helpful. I am learning about the many layers on the program. 

Happy February 1st

The weather feels like Spring! Wow it is 60 degrees and the girls are enjoying their time outside.
The rest of the snow should disappear today!

 So I felt like making an apple pie. What is it about sunshine and warmth that makes me so happy?

I have another question. I just bought a Cricut machine. I wanted to use it to make signs.....I did research and looked ALOT. Now that I have it, ahhhh it seems complicated and I am not sure I can do what I want. Does anyone else have experience with it? I have been watching tutorials and am a bit frustrated to say the least. HELP???

on a snowy day

What is a snowy day like for you? When I woke in the morning it was grey and a bit gloomy. With the news hammering us about the pending storm I thought I had better prepare. The sky spoke loudly of the snow to come. I got up and did some cleaning. Then I made some french toast for the hubby,

Then I headed outside to check on the girls. They got fresh water and fresh feed. They don't like the snow and will fly over it whenever they can.

 I love to have soup on a winter day. Roasted-potato-fennel soup from The Bare Foot Contessa  is a family favorite.

 Saute the onions and fennel.

 Add the quartered unpeeled roasted potatoes along with your chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil.

 Add the cream and then I use my submersible stick blender. I personally like a few chucks of potato so I have more control this way.

Serve with Italian bread and prepare for a satisfied tummy.

 The chalk board at my backdoor. It is winter after all.

It is always nice to have some friends over for coffee and dessert. 

 The candle lights cast a pretty glow when skies are dark. It makes everything feel cozy.

 Some of my winter decorations grace my kitchen. Anyone for a snowball fight?

 I try to be sure the pantry is stocked for winter. I always have provisions for soups, sandwiches and lots of baking supplies. I love to heat up the oven and bake. This time we have Wowie cake and hand-pies. YUM

Today we have 8-10 inches of snow. The house and tress are covered. It doesn't feel bad because we haven't had much snow this winter. It is wet and sticks to everything making it look pretty. When the sun comes out it will all slide off.