Every time you think we have forgotten you...we haven't.  Always on our minds. :-(


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvD6l1QSaRQ

Ma famille

No matter what is going on in my life, I am blessed to have these kiddos...my daughters and my nephews.   :-)

French lake

This is how we spend our weekends.  :-)

Miss Ally

http://youtu.be/D6-EUSvJchI
Listened to this the day the boys went missing.  There was such hope that they would be found. This song will always remind me of that time.

" So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light
Cause oh they gave me such a fright
And I will hold on with all of my might
Just promise me we'll be alright. "

Heartbroken. :-(

Summa is nigh

I've been on a health kick lately and I'm trying to eat better. Today I made these healthy oatmeal/banana/flax/ raisin muffins. Bit of a mouth full. I had the recipe for oatmeal muffins, and then I modified it...A LOT...so I guess they are my own special recipe.

These are some flowers that I planted and haven't killed yet! I've managed to keep them alive for a couple weeks and they are even starting to bloom. I'm so proud.

The kayak laying in wait, ready for someone to take it for a spin.

The green house is doing well. It has exploded since planting it 2 weeks ago. I can't wait for the bounty. :-)

:-)

I have been away from this blog for so long, but I hope to start posting more in the next couple of days.  Stay tuned.  :-)

Love

My Pinterest home.  Come visit me.  :-)
I am so in love with Pinterest, that I am going to start a new blog to showcase everything that I make from there.  Check back soon.  :-)

Done like dinna

The greenhouse is pretty much done for another year.  So to use up the rest of the veggies, I made another batch of pickles...bread and butter this time, and some salsa.  Mmmm.  I used just about all of my mason jars, so I guess my canning is done for another year.

 And because I can't resist, I'm posting a picture of last night's sunset from my front door.  I never get tired of seeing this.

Awww...

Kaylin and Duke (our friend's new Little River puppy).

Fall is in the air

What more can you ask for, after getting off work on a late summer's afternoon, than to come home and enjoy a classic novel and a glass of homemade wine, while sitting out in the sun?

 The BIGGEST spider I have ever seen...hanging out on the veranda by my feet. 

 My first batch of pickles for the year.  Disappointed with how they turned out...too salty.  But I'll be making more.  :-)

 I bought myself some fall mums, because they are so beautiful and every girl deserves flowers.

Soon, we will be spending our evenings cuddled under a blanket in front of the fire, instead of in flip flops out on the deck.  I am not ready for summer to be over!

Night

We have some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world right in our own front yard.

I love how cozy the front porch looks in the evening.

Around the yard in 80 seconds

One more trip around the yard, on what could be one of the last sunny days of summer.  How sad.  But on a good note, finally a pumpkin!  Our pumpkin plant kept growing and growing, but no sign of any pumpkins until this little guy started to grow.

Tomatoes.  I keep getting impatient and eating the red ones off the vine.  But eventually we will have enough to make fresh salsa.  Or maybe I'll just pick all the green ones and make green tomato mincemeat.  :-)

Cucumbers.  We have so many of these.  Pickles are in our future.

 The girls' playhouse in the backyard.  It did have a window box with flowers once upon a time, and the paint job isn't finished...but it's a great little hide out for them.

Doo do do, looking out my front door.  Need to finish staining the veranda, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.  And I wish there were more sunny days and more time to sit out there and enjoy it.

Do you like to jam?

Mmmm...blackberry jam.
We found our own secret berry patch in the woods right next to our house.  We've been waiting weeks for the berries to ripen so that we could pick them and make something yummy.  Can't wait to try it on some homemade biscuits.  :-)

Metallica

On July 14, 2011... my dream came true.  A dream that I had been waiting for nearly 17 years to fulfill.  I finally saw Metallica live in concert.  And it was amazing!  I was completely soaked and shivering from the cold, but it didn't matter. There are no pictures...I didn't even bring my camera along.  I didn't want anything to distract from the experience.  For over 2 hours, I was submerged in metal.  It was a night like no other.  Indescribable. 

Bright Sun Shiny Day

I spent the day outside, soaking up the rarity that is sunshine.  I took my camera along with me.

Perfect day for washing the beds and hanging the quilts out to dry.

Our lovely little green house.  It still amazes me that we can grow our own food.  It also serves as a nice warm place to sit and read, hence the lawn chair.

My hanging strawberry plant.  Please grow little fella!

Flowers that lived through adversity and proved me wrong.  I had planted these last summer. They were forgotten about and abandoned outside, all winter long.  I was planning to throw the whole thing away, but I noticed signs of green.  Now after 3 weeks in the greenhouse, I have beautiful flowers again.

Our new wheels!