Before and After ~ The Pond

Hi there everyone. It's a lovely day today. Paid a few bills and went to Sam's Club. JP ran out of oatmeal, peanut butter and prunes....I like to buy in bulk, it lasts longer that way. JP likes his oatmeal every morning. Peanut butter on apples, bread or by the tablespoons and 4 prunes a day.....to keep the doctor away???? Oh that's right, I forgot his apples!!!! Well there is still tomorrow.

So today I thought I would do some before and after's. The above picture was taken March 21st....as you can seen not much was growing. I wanted to get some pictures taken before "Rebuilding Together" people came. I think in this picture the pond is turned over....kind of hard to see. Nope....not turned over, I have it sitting up right.

The above picture was taken last summer 2014. I still had the pond sitting on top of the ground and the rocks built up around it.....it worked nicely, but a little unclassy looking. The goose did not mind though, as long as he was near the water.

In the above picture is "After" Rebuilding Together people came and fixed my pond and added an electrical outlet on the outside of the garage. They dug a hole and placed the pond in the hole and built the rock around the pond.....Mr. Goose is most happy now and can actually reach into the pond for a drink of water. You can't see him from here....but Mr. Frog is perched in his happy place and ready to jump in. I shall have to get a better picture at a later date. The Rebuilding people added flowers and red mulch. Yes, it is very, very pleasant out by the pond......I shall enjoy my backyard this summer. As long as the mosquitoes stay away and don't bite me.....geez they are mean this year.

I have added some new lights to my yard......I love the twinkling of lights at night time. So pretty.

Well it is time to walk Kylie for her evening walk. For tonight's jobs to accomplish, I have my spices to unpack and put in the cabinet and my antiquey things to put on the shelf above the refrigerator. Gosh I guess next place to work on is the basement. I have yet to make a few cards......have just been so busy re-nesting, have not had time to make cards. Hospice meeting is next week and I have no cards to give to them....oh oh!!!

Tomorrow is my appointment with the dentist for a "deep cleaning" he will be doing half my mouth.....Novocain and laughing gas are on order for me so I don't get too nerved up. Hope all goes well and I can be so relaxed that I doze off.

Hey....'da Hawks are playing the Ducks tonight....so I need to watch that and record "American Picker" one of my favorite shows. So you all have a good night and keep looking up!!!!
Cheers ~ Louise

Baked Oatmeal, Wolves and Ice

Hi everyone.........how's your day going??? We had a fun weekend, went to an Antique Show at the Tri-County Ice Rink, so much old stuff and sooooo much jewelery!!! I did end up buying an old ring for $12, fit me good on Saturday but now today, it flops around, should have gone with a smaller size. Oh well, it will fit again on another day.
The above picture is "'Baked Oatmeal with fruit" which I made Saturday night for Sunday morning. Needless to say it did not last for Sunday Morning, half of it was gone. I was going through my recipes and found this one, still having some bananas on the counter, was a good excuse to use them up. Here is the recipe:
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or I used almonds
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooked slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), divided (I used strawberries and blueberries)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir with a fork to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter and vanilla. spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. 

In this picture you are seeing my freshly made "Wolf" cards. I really like th is wolf, I borrowed it from a friend, so had to stamp lots of wolves so I could have lots of wolf cards. These cards will be in my Etsy store today or tomorrow. I will be selling them for $11.00 a set. Otherwise the cards would sell for $3.00 a piece. The inside of the cards are stamped with Happy Birthday and Thinking of you.

Here is a close up, I like the diamond cuts and sewing lines adds a little something to all the cards.

Another picture of the ice that caused so much trouble on April 10th. Our electric went out for 7 hours and when it came back on I was not able to go on the internet........had to have an upgrade via AT&T. All in all, it turned out okay. I guess the one thing I notice the most is how much I depend on Electric and most certainly take it for granted.  What, oh what will we do when the electric goes out for good, like in the TV show "Revolution"????

Well for the last hour and half I have been watching the news.....The Boston Marathon was running and two explosions took place at the finish line as the runners were coming to the end.....2 people dead and 23 wounded. They don't know if it was bombs, but it might be what it was. How sad. This will be news for quite a few days. I know a lady that was going to run the Boston Marathon but decided to go to California for the marathon out there.....I think God directed her steps for sure. She could have been in Boston and got hurt. How Great is God to care for even the little things in our lives!!!!

Well, time to close and go make JP his lunch and dinner as he is getting ready to go to work. I need to get dressed as I still have my robe on while typing this blog. So you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh!!!
Cheers ~ Louise