Today I went in search of blossoms. It's such a beautiful time of year and I was sure I would find fields of blossoms. Well, all I found were cows! Apparently it hasn't been quite warm enough to coax the blossoms to come out yet. They do publish the fact that there are more cows in Tulare County than people in the newspaper every year. I believe it is a true statement. It seemed like there was a big dairy farm on every corner! I finally gave up on my search for blossoms and took this picture of cows instead!
Love, love, love it! The best kind of furniture shopping is the kind you didn't plan and just happen upon. We were getting our car serviced, went to lunch at the restaurant next to the service station, and walked past a furniture store. I told Kent I wanted to look at the furniture while killing time waiting for the car to be finished. He NEVER likes anything I like and I hadn't really planned on buying a dining room set. I have been casually looking at antique stores for something and hadn't found anything I liked--let alone something Kent liked. We both saw this, liked it, and Kent shocked me and told the salesman we wanted it. Who am I to argue? I cut a bunch of his daffodils from the garden to complete the look. haha He thought they were the fake ones I used to have in that same pitcher.
After more than fifteen years, we are getting a new kitchen table and chairs tomorrow. I made these chair pads while we were waiting for this house to be built living in a little apartment on Caldwell Ave. All my sewing projects kept me from being miserable in a little apartment with most of our belongings in storage. Kent was sad to see them in the garbage as he knew how much time had gone into this sewing project. I told him I was OK with throwing them away--they had served valiantly. I'm looking forward to changing the look of the kitchen nook and not having to be worried that a chair would break when someone sat in it!
First of all, let me just say...UNBELIEVABLE!!! Fifty days and I'm still taking and posting pictures! I may be a little late, and I'm certainly no expert, but I can at least say I've made it fifty days. I'm a little surprised considering all that has been going on in my life these days.
OK then, here is today's picture. I drove around looking for blossoms. My mistake was driving south where there are predominately walnut trees not blooming or even leafing out! I took this in the Walmart parking lot in Tulare. The sun came out just at the right moment and this is a lucky shot. I love pink blossoms.
You've got to love Target clearance. These little lap quilts were only fifty cents! While visiting some of our newer sisters in the ward last week, one of them mentioned the Relief Society room at the Caldwell building could get really cold and they used to have little lap quilts the sisters could use to warm themselves up with. So far, the room has been boiling hot! (Just sayin'...) For fifty cents, it was totally worth buying some for the closet to keep on hand if we need them. At that price it was a no brainer to get some for the local woman's shelter. I think they will enjoy the hearts on them and know that someone loves them. :)
I would be lying if I said I didn't like dishes. Now, add to that stripes and polka dots and I would then ask, "Did I even have a chance?" When Target put these on clearance they JUMPED into my cart! I started with four of each and by the time two days had passed by I had a set of eight! Funny thing though, they are kind of shaped like a very shallow bowl and the food slips down to the middle of the plates. Too funny! We all laughed the other night while eating dinner and re-arranged our food to suit the design of the plate!
While Kent isn't a very adventuresome foodie, he is loyal. He loves the spice kits from McCormick Spices. This one is Chicken Tikka Masala. They are really easy convenient recipe cards with all of the spices pre-measured that you will need to make the recipe. The list of fresh ingredients needed are listed on the back of the recipe card--super handy to use while at the grocery store! I think we did a pretty good job of making this exactly like the recipe. The picture is totally the same as the one on the card! It tasted pretty good too!
I absolutely love this little bush in my yard. I forget the name of it every stinkin' year and have to ask Kent what it is. It is one of the first flowers of spring. Usually they are a deep pink. We saw some of the coral ones on our annual Blossom Trail drive and looked all over at the local nurseries until we finally found the right color bush. I love this time of year. I think a Blossom Trail drive is coming up soon.
I finally decided Emily was old enough to play with the puppet Grandma Holman gave to my kids. She thought it was hilarious. Erica and I were surprised she could figure out how to get him to move and walk down the hallway. Here she is sharing her Pez with him. We thought it was so funny she was sharing with him! Too cute!
Once in a while Emily can play with my iPad and draw pictures with the Doodle Buddy app. She loves the crying baby just like Hayden likes it! She can only play with it if I'm sitting in the same room with her and she is very careful and close by my side. It is an expensive toy, but it sure does the trick sometimes!
I thought Emily looked super cute sporting her camellias from Grandpa's bushes! I couldn't figure out how to make her eyes sparkly blue. I'll have to practice my photo editing skills when I have more time.
Good thing I went to get my robe out of the dryer. If not, I may have never found the phone sitting on the window sill. I had already spent a fair amount of time trying to locate where I had put the phone. The battery was nearly dead, so it wasn't beeping to help me find its whereabouts.
It's probably a good thing that I occasionally have Relief Society meetings at my house. It makes me put the iron and ironing board and the long table that is usually out all the time away. It does look really nice with everything gone! I should put them away more often.
Suffice it to say, this was a MUCH cooler picture in my head! I thought I had taken it with a strong enough angle to make the discs look really cool...so not the way it turned out. Live and learn! Next year it will be a much better picture! haha
This month I made red velvet cupcakes filled with chocolate fudge and a cream cheese frosting. I also made the cute little free-form chocolate hearts on top of them as a garnish. They were supposed to all stand up like the one in front, but alas, they all fell over! I love these damask cupcake papers! They were yummy delicious!
This post if for the boys: a volleyball, football, bag of lemonade, lesson manuals, fan, flag, fake poinsettia plant, basket, plastic silverware, paper cups, paper bowls, license plate, white board markers, portable ironing board, hot cake turner, a messenger bag, pink paper placemats and a big blue rubbermaid tub! This is what was in the Activities Committee and the Relief Society closets we had to clean out at church on Sunday. :) We hope to get everything put in our new cupboards by next Sunday. Have fun boys!
I've become obsessed with lists...ward lists! Here is my pile of the day. These are the records of the new members of our ward. Kent and I have been compiling a working ward list with somewhat accurate records. It's going to be a while until we get it right, I'm sure! I may not know all the faces, but I think I know all the names. :)
Erica and Peter are busy moving and we are busy tending the grandkids. Here they are having great fun having a 'sink bath' in the kitchen. They were both a little leery of it at first, but as soon as Emily figured out she could pour water back and forth she was happy. Noah seems to love bath time! Cute kids!
My guilty pleasure this past year is having a cleaning lady. I love Cynthia! She comes every week and helps me by cleaning the downstairs living space. It has changed my life and I have more time to do what I need to do everyday. I don't know what I will ever do without her! Every week she pays special attention to Emily's toys in the cradle. She lines all the bears up and folds the blankets and stacks them up in a pile. Too cute!
I finally decided that a poorly arranged vase of flowers was better than not having one at all. I have had these silk flowers up in a closet for over two years now and finally decided to put aside my fear and arrange them in this vase Kent bought me. I was paralyzed thinking they would look awful and kept finding a reason not to arrange them and put them out on display. I'm also tired of my formal dining room not looking decorated and figured it would add a needed element. I think they look just fine and I should have just done this months ago!
A little bird told me the Bishop was sick with a cold. I thought he needed some of my homemade chicken noodle soup and wheat bread. As a bonus, I made some "faux-tess" cupcakes for dessert. At the same time I was messing up the kitchen, Erica shampooed the carpet in the family room. Things kind of looked pretty messy there for a while. In this picture you can see that I'm trying to 'fill the frame' and make the shot more interesting...hmmm...it just looks like a giant mess to me!
Guess what came in the mail today? My yearly calendar Melanie made me. I LOVE IT!!! This year she decided to start with the month of February. Also, a new feature is a picture of the grandkids on their birthday. So cute! Thanks Melanie!!!
Last night we had the adult meeting for Visalia Stake Conference. Well, the much rumored boundary changes actually happened. Our ward, as well as all other wards other than the Exeter ward, have new boundaries. It is pretty much like the game 'Fruit Basket Upset.' This is the intersection of one of the major changes in our ward. It will be fun getting to know our new ward members.
