Another challenge complete!

I've had this one sitting on my scrap table for three days now and finally got around to finishing it. The Portland Rose Gardens are absolutely beautiful and the smells are heavenly! It was such a gorgeous day and spending the entire day with my daughter, Nicole, was so much fun. Here's just a sampling of what we took in ...

#8 

If you live in the area, this is a "must do!" and its FREE, just a small hourly parking fee. Have a wonderful day - Godspeed

Scrapbook Generations Online Crop ...

It's been a productive month for me getting photos, past & present, scrapped all thanks to the month-long online crop going on at Scrapbook Generations! There are so many options to chose from .... layouts, cards making, even coloring! Just thought I'd share what I have been able to get done to this point ....

#1 

Yaquina Bay

#2

hangin' out!

#3 

We are 12's!

#4 

 feral family   

#5 

Carving Party

#6 

New Glasses

#7 

Lincoln City

I still have 9 to get to go and with the weather turning wet and chilly for the next week or so, I'll be hunkered down in my craft room and playing some more. Who knows, maybe I'll actually tackle some of the card challenges too!

Have a wonderful day and be the reason someone smiles today!

Godspeed 

Garden spaces!

Well, after some research on how to assemble a cinder block garden to the height I'd need to prevent too much bending and save my back, we found out that going three high would entail more "building" that we had anticipated. So, we started checking out galvanized stock tanks and VIOLA! We are now gardening in these two beauties!

We set them up just off the property line and next to front porch. The sun is abundant in this spot, when its not raining that is, and set back far enough that you really have to look in this direction to see them from the street. We plan on putting up a fence in our front yard this summer,  but planting time is now and we didn't want to wait. :)

Of course, we thought after we had the dirt all in them that we should ave laid down a fabric weed barrier before  placing the tanks! Live and learn, right?!  LOL! I'll just get a good mix of vinegar and water to spray the grass and we'll place gravel around the bases to clean it up and look nice. I'm so excited to have fresh veggies at our fingertips now and with our little greenhouse, we should be able to grow cooler weather veggies year round!

Our daughter, Nicole, told us we are now "trendy" because many people are starting to use them for gardening, especially in the front yards where ours is located. I had to chuckle at that ... Mom & Dad in their late 50's are "trendy"!  I like the sound of that! :)

Now to decide what to plant .... off to the garden supply store I go!
Godspeed

How does your garden grow?

Mine grows in POTS .... on my front porch! We don't have the space in our backyard for a garden since we made it into our "extended living space" and since the county took back the land where we once had a community garden, we have to come up with other options. For now, if we want our fresh tasting garden goodness, we have to grow in pots which is actually pretty easy if you know how. :) 

   White potatoes in these two ....

yellow tomatoes that a friend started from seed and so generously shared with us ....

& garlic flavored chives in my flowerbed, which she also shared in a plant exchange we did. :)

I've also planted two pepper plants, jalepeno and Anaheim chili, and zucchini in this flowerbed. We are in the planning stages of building two raised beds for more veggies and strawberries. Decided to use cinder blocks since they won't rot and look unsightly in a few years. Also hoping this pesky slugs don't like the roughness on their undersides either! ;) I'll definitely share once we start building!

Until then, happy gardening and see you in a few days!

Godspeed

OH, SO PRETTY!

I couldn't help myself this morning .... I'm suppose to be finishing up my chore list, but was drawn to the beauty outside my front door! The sun was shining ever so brightly, the birds chirping, bee buzzing in the neighbors beautiful flowered shrubs, hummingbirds making a visit to the peonies, and just a gorgeous morning here in the PNW! I grabbed a cup of decaf and took a sit for a bit just taking in all Mother Nature had to offer while enjoying my beautiful gifts from my children this past Mother's Day .....

My children know me all too well, and I am so Blessed beyond measure to have them in my life! Hope you also had a beautiful Mother's Day!  But then again, isn't everyday Mother's Day with all the love, kisses, hugs, dirty hands on the wall, muddy footprints, etc. But something we wouldn't trade for the world!

Now if I don't get off here, that chore list won't get any thing crossed off it today! 

Godspeed :)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In keeping with the festivities of today, I have decided to try out this new recipe I found posted on the El Paso site, along with some tasty Sangria! Looks so GOOD and makes me hungry just looking at it!

Chicken Enchilada Bundt Bread

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup diced onions

2 minced garlic cloves

1 - oz can Old El Paso™ Green Chiles

1 tsp Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix

1 1/2 cups chopped/shredded rotisserie chicken

1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

1/2 cup diced green bell peppers

2 (8.5 oz) boxes cornbread mix

2/3 cup milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup Old El Paso™ enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

** Sliced green onions or scallions for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.

Saute the onions in the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper. Stir in garlic, cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the green chiles and cook 3 minutes to evaporate the liquid. Add the taco seasoning and the chicken, stirring to mix well. Remove from the heat. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese.

Prepare the cornbread by whisking together the two mixes with 2/3 cup milk and 3 eggs. Pour half into the prepared bundt pan. Spoon the chicken filling evenly in the middle of the pan on top of the cornbread batter, leaving space along the edges and the tube of the pan so the filling will stay tucked inside of the bread. Cover the filling with the remaining half of the cornbread batter, spreading evenly to make sure the sides have filled in with the batter and there aren’t pieces of chicken or cheese poking through the cornbread.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until the cornbread is browned on top, the sides have started to pull away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the cornbread portion comes out free of crumbs. Cool 5 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate. Pour the enchilada sauce over top of the cornbread, then top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and the chopped green onions before slicing. 

How you celebrating your May 5th? 

BUSY weekend!!

This whole Spring Cleaning thing has really been so worthwhile! I am lovin' the way things came out and can't wait for the temps to turn up on a regular basis to sit, relax after a long day, and enjoy a cool drink! We decided that we will keep the patio furniture we already have, but rearrange it to open up the area and make it more useful. 

Unfortunately, Saturday we had to remove a couple trees. One was getting way too tall, appearing to begin splitting in the middle, getting top heavy, and leaning in towards the house. We've watched it for a few years, but it was definitely time to take it out. Sadly, the one next to it was getting choked out and dying, which we didn't realize until the larger one was removed.  So, we are now down to one and hopefully that will fill in pretty good. I will say though, the little red maple does look pretty happy now that it has full sun!

Sunday was a play day for me while Butch finished the pressure washing, he wasn't up to tip toeing thru the tulips with the rest of us! LOL!! But we had a great time looking at the pretty flowers, picking our bouquets, and sampling the foodstuffs from the various vendors. 

The girls and I will compile an order together since we have to order at least 50 of each variety. Here are my top three that are on my order list:

The grounds are absolutely beautiful with small grouping of tulips and various trees and shrubbery:

And one can not go to the Tulip Festival without bring home a bouquet of their own!

We met up afterwards for lunch with Butch and it was the perfect ending to a great afternoon! I just love having our families living just a few minutes away! We can just decide at a moment's notice to make plans happen. :)

Have a pleasant Monday & Godspeed

Ideas please!

Today our temps climbed to the mid 80's so I got a head start on my day and the final pressure washing I can reach! Its a good thing too because my neck is saying "OUCH!" and my hand says "No more, please!" LOL!! You actually find all these little muscles you thought had left you in the aging process! I'm so ready for a dip in the hot tub, but I'd have to clean it first .... NOT! LOL!!

So now my dilemma is, decorating! Here is the corner I'm claiming ....

I'm looking for a 5 to 6 foot privacy screen to put in the corner to cover that electrical box.  I'll add a lounger and small table so I can just sit, chill, read, etc.  I have some outdoor artwork I've been checking out to hang on the privacy screen and with the addition of a few pots of pretties, it'll be a bit comfy and cozy! 

And then there's this side ....

I'd like to have a wooden step built to cover that ugly gray one that exists here now. I've contemplated painting the concrete, but it sounds like a bigger job than I had intended. Wonder how ceramic tiles would look?! I can hear Butch now!!! LOL!!

Okay, now that I have all these ideas running around in my head, what do you suggest? Since this will be our "forever home" I really want to make it something to be proud of and livable. 

Godspeed

Spring Cleaning!

It's that time of year to clear out all the dead ick of winter from our yard, sidewalks, flower pots, and get this yard back in shape. My first project was the front flower bed. After a few hours of turning the dirt, rearranging some bulbs and plants, I decided that I had way too many bulbs and they've all found homes in various locations of Clark County, LOL!

Then it was onto the next phase ....

It hasn't been an easy task with all the steady rain we've had since the first of the year, but it has finally subsided, at least long enough for us to get some major cleaning done! And my major cleaning, I'm referring to pressure washing! We started with the front porch & furniture, moved onto the sidewalk, front of house, and eventually stopped on the one side of the house ..... and that was just Sunday! Monday & Tuesday I tackled our looooong driveway and outside fence.

Today I have Ruby here so we are planting some pretties for the front porch to give it that homey touch! :)

Have a beautiful day!

Godspeed

A scrapbooking kinda day ....

The weather outside is transitioning from "Oh, not again!" to "What a gorgeous Spring day we're having!" One minute its beautiful & sunny, the next its cloudy & cold. So, what's a girl to do you ask? Scrapbook!

I've decided to get the old ones pretty much on paper and in the appropriate albums before starting on our most recent vacation a few weeks ago. This one is a bit on the "rookie side" but its getting me back in the grove to get out my papers & tape roller and get those photos scrapped!

So, without further ado, I present to you our Pumpkin Patch photos from this past October 2015 with some oldie but goodie papers:

Bella Blvd's "Family Tree"

 The ScrapRoom kit club 2008

I'll be back tomorrow with another, its time I got ready for the first ball game of the Little League season! Oh boy, more photos!! LOL!!

Godspeed

Happy Easter!

Blessings to you & yours for a Very Happy Easter surrounded by the ones you love!

Godspeed

Chicken, YES CHICKEN!

Last week we took the plunge and ordered our very first 40 lbs. box of chicken breasts from Zaycon Fresh. Since hubby and I are changing our eating habits and making healthier choices, this is just what we needed.

At $1.69 per pound, we just had to see what others raved about. Well ..... it is awesome! Although it took about two hours to split, trim, and package, its definitely worth the time and effort! These breast were HUGE, so I filleted each one and we ended up with 39 individual meals costing us approx. $1.73 per meal for the two of us!

So what does one do with all that chicken you ask? I have been scouring the internet and have found some rather tasty make-at-home meals! Here are the three I've tried so far and all three were amazing!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Orange Chicken

Honey-Lime Sriracha Chicken Lettuce Wraps

And since we'll have the girls tonight and they LOVE their chicken nuggets, we have to check this healthier method for their favorite food. I'll let you know what they think!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

And now, I'll get back to searching! Have a great day!

Godspeed