Introducing... Da Boys

My sister-in-law has two four-legged fur babies that I got to look after, walk and spoil with treats while she was back home visiting her two-legged, non-furry adult babies and grandbabies the last two weeks.

 

Without further ado, may I introduce Taz and Buster...

 

Two silly boys that gave me a good workout when we went for our walks.

Buster loves to chase the desert bugs...

and when Taz realizes Buster sees something then he's running over to get in on the action too.

Aren't they cute?  How can anyone resist those faces?!

 

I know LizzieBelle likes Da Boys.  She runs around and doggy dances in front of them trying to get them to notice her.  They notice her alright!  She's such a flirt!

I saw my first desert snake thanks to these two!

Luckily, the snake skidaddled to another bush when the boys weren't looking so no harm was done to the boys or to the snake.  They continued to sniff and dig and check out the bush where they first spotted the snake never knowing that the snake was long gone.  Silly boys!

Da Boys and I enjoyed our visits and walks and got into a comfortable routine but they sure were happy to see their Mama walk in the door!  There's nothing like the loyalty and faithfulness of a dog and its owner.

Till next time,

Farewell Winter, Hello Whaaa?

Winter?  Whaaaa?

It's 11:00 in the morning on the eighth day of the month of April.

It's 58 degrees.

The wind is howling and it looks like a cold, gray day in January.

Whaaaa????

 
A few days ago, I had the notion to pack away our coats that hang by the door.

Whew!  Thanks to sheer laziness, I'm glad they're still hangin' there.  I need them today.

CountryBoy called a bit ago and said it was cold, windy and snowing at the job. Whaaaaa?

And here I was going to have a big 'ol salad with some shrimp on it for dinner tonight.

Because it's April.

And it was gorgeous yesterday.

And because we like salads in April on gorgeous days.

Sigh.

But, alas, I'm cooking up some pinto beans this morning to put in our chili tonight because now, it's a chili-eatin' kinda day!

In April.  Did I already mention that?

And, by the way, I snapped these photos during yesterday's gorgeous April day.

In reality, I'm trying to enjoy a day even like today because, before I know it, the triple digits will be here.  And, I'm not sure I'm ready for that so bring it on (as long as I can stay inside and out of the wind, ha!).

Till next time,

Yesterday

... all our troubles seem so far away.  Or something like that!

I was at the computer (that resides on the dining table during the day) yesterday morning when I noticed an orange glow coming through the frosted window of our 'front' door (which is our only door but that's beside the point!).

I opened the door, peeked out and saw what promised to be a glorious sunrise.

So, I grabbed my camera, my tripod, threw on a jacket and slipped into my flip-flops that reside by the door.

I stood outside for quite a while taking various shots of the sunrise got chilled so I went back in to grab my cup of coffee while waiting for the sun to peek over the mountains.

I'd say it was worth the wait and worth my fingers and toes getting so cold I thought they'd break off!

It's mornings like this that remind me that the sun will rise every day no matter what is going on in our lives, that life is good and that God is still in control.  And, for that, I am forever grateful!

CountryBoy is working twelve hour days for ten days.  The long days began yesterday so I changed up my routine and decided to sit outside for a bit in the morning and do some reading since I now have fourteen hours (we live a ways from the job) during the day to fill before he gets home from work!

I'm currently reading one of my beloved Amish fiction books.  It's a thick book, four books in one, entitled 'Brides of Lancaster County' by Wanda E. Brunstetter.  Good book(s)!

Topping off sitting outside reading a good book was the view...

Quite peaceful.  I love moments like this.

In the afternoon, I worked on the baby blanket some more only to rip out two rows just before CountryBoy got home because I missed a stitch.  Sigh.  I tried to overlook it but I couldn't.  It kept glaring at me.  So to stop it from glaring at me I ripped everything out until I got to that stitch.  Stupid missed stitch.  Sometimes my perfectionism causes me such grief.  But, at least it's not glaring at me now, ha!

Till next time,

Guess What's In My Crockpot?

A pot roast with lots of yummy veggies?

Nope.

A whole chicken?

Nope.

Chili?  Spaghetti?  Mac-n-cheese?  Stew?

Nope. Nope. Nope and nope.  (Nope is one of those words that  begins to sound funny after it's said or read a couple of times, ha!)

Give up?

It's a Ginger Spice Decoction!

A what?

It's a delicious home made 'tea' made of ginger root, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks and water cooked on low for days (refilling what has been removed) and then left on warm (once the ingredients are removed) until all gone.

You can read about the benefits of this decoction HERE as well as get the recipe.

It's very good hot or iced.  CountryBoy and I add raw honey to our mugs even furthering the nutritional benefits of this 'tea'.

This is the second time I've made this 'tea' and I've decided to put the cloves and bay leaves in a bag made of cheesecloth simply for the ease of scooping out the tea.  After a day or two, the cloves and bay leaves sink to the bottom but in the meantime I think this will make it easier to get the tea out without having to use a strainer.

It's been brewing for several hours now and the 'house' is starting to smell good and spicy!

Mmmmm!  As I type this I'm sipping a mug-full from the last batch I made.  So delicious, simple to make and good for me!

What's in your crock-pot?

Till next time,

Almost Halfway

A couple of weeks ago I began crocheting a baby blanket for a friend of ours.  This is the first baby for she and her husband and they are super-excited as are her parents who are dear friends of ours (and they're coming to visit us in a couple of weeks, woot, but that's another story!).

After seeing the colors and theme, I chose blue for the body of the blanket and cream for the edging.

Can you tell she's having a boy?!

I'm almost at the halfway point.

About 42 more rows to go then it's on to the edging.

This is the first time I'm using this little 'counter'.  I'm lovin' it... makes it a lot easier on this pea-brain to remember how many rows I've done!

I also love this basket-weave pattern.

I've made hats and scarves with it and they always look great.  I'm thinkin' this will too!  (I'm also thinkin' this could be my signature pattern, hmmmm.....)

I'm hoping to get it finished before our friends (and soon-to-be-grandparents!) come visit so that she can take it back with her.  That is, IF she has room in her suitcase, ha!

I've seen a lot of people in blog-ville making some beautiful things for Spring.

What are YOU making?

Till next time,