Flowers. Cards. Water Pond, Food

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having some nice days. I think it will finally feel like spring this week. Maybe I will get some things done outside this week. I have been enjoying my flowers....tulips, but they are starting to poop out now. It's a good thing I took some pictures of them before the rabbits and frost got them. The flower below, is actually a store bought bouquet that I treated myself to for Mother's Day. It's still sitting on the dinning room table, but it's little petals are starting to fall on the table.

My variegated tulips....so pretty, but for some reason the rabbit thinks it is food. Good thing I took a picture this day, because the next day they were down like the rabbit thought he was a lumberjack and "timber" they fell to the ground. (darn wabbit!)

My pink variegated tulips....I think I planted these the first couple of years we were living in this house and they are still going strong.

Pretty yellow tulips.

My pink tulips.

My orange tulips. I think I need some white and red tulips, maybe I should plant some this fall.

Here is a card I finished last night. I bought a new die cut which makes these cute little flowers, a nice little card for Thinking of you notes or birthdays.

Got my pond going the other day.....love the sound of water trickling. I had to tip the bond back upside and replace the rock around the pond. There's a few rocks that I need to have JP move, too heavy for me. I don't want to get another hernia.

So here is another Blue Apron meal I made the other day....very yummy and tasty. "Pork Tteokbokki with Asparagus and Spicy Black Bean Sauce" I didn't make it as spicy as it called for, so JP ate it with pleasure.

The asparagus was cut, blanched and drained thoroughly. Ginger and the bottom part of two scallions was cooked in oil with salt and pepper. Add the ground pork and cook till browned. Rice cakes (These rice cakes are Korean-a deliciously chewy ingredient often shaped and prepared much like a rice noodle) have been boiling in water till tender then added to the mixture along with 1/4 cup of the rice cake water. Then add the blanched asparagus, black bean sauce, soy glaze and half the reserved rice cake water and as much of gochujang as you like....(that is the spice). Cook a few minutes more, then divide between 2 dishes and garnish with the green tops of the scallions.....Enjoy! Yep we sure did.

Tonight I am making Zucchini pancakes for JP's dinner along with some left-overs. Bought a cantaloupe a few days ago and still have to cut into that. So I guess JP's dinner will be a modge-podge of things to eat tonight. 

Tomorrow, I have to go to the store and get some meds for JP and will probably tackle some weeds. I did get my front porch water fountain going.....yay! Now it is time to sit on the front porch, that is Kylie's favorite place to watch the world go by.

Wednesday, I have a date with Betty....my card making day......so you probably will see those cards on Thursday or Friday.

Well, you have a great day and keep looking up......better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

A Very Big Change......

Hi there everyone. How is your day going? Mine has been pretty busy, starting with getting Kylie to the groomer by 8am. Usually after I drop her off, I go to the store for food then come home. Today, I just came home. Went on the computer for awhile, then made some breakfast. Nothing fancy, chocolate rice cakes with cream cheese and strawberries. Sat outside on the porch for awhile. Then started washing the covers on the chairs and pillowcases that Kylie sleeps on. Well gosh, after a shower and haircut she needs clean bed coverings, right??.

Then I went outside to cut some rhubarb and made some crisp....NanaDiana's recipe this is so easy and makes lots....well, it should last at least a couple of days. The Groomer called to I could pick up Kylie at 2:30. So I stopped at the gas station for gas, pizza and coffee then on to the Groomer. Gosh, Kylie was so happy to see me....she must think I am not coming back for her....silly girl.

I ran across this picture of our house when we first bought our little house in 1991.....what a big change this house has seen. The tree in back of the house is WAY big now. The bush in front of the house was really small.....and that tree left of the house was the neighbor's tree...man I hated that tree, it caused a lot of problems. Finally the neighbor had it cut down....the limbs were rubbing on our roof.

The guy we bought this house from was single and getting married. So the extent of landscaping was....all rocks around the front and side and back of the house. Whew.....it took me quite a few years to remove the rocks and replace with flowers and plants.

In 2001 we got a grant from the City to get siding, windows, doors, a new porch and a roof done. The below picture is pretty much what it looked like......I did paint the porch and floor, probably 2-3 years after it was done. It stayed pretty much the same for all these years.

                          (both these pictures were taken in the same month....before and after)

Today.....this is what my house looks like now. The shutters were painted and put back up. The porch painted, new basement windows and a re landscaping......I am so very happy with my little house.....from what it looked like in 1991 to today 2015....it's a very big change!!!!

I wish the picture from 1991 was a little bit clearer, but it was a picture from an old Polaroid camera and had gotten very dark. I very seldom do scanning and for the life of me, could not figure it out.....suddenly I figured it out and "wa-lah" I shall have to do some more scanning of "Old Pictures". That should be fun.

Well, time to close this blog....need to go outside and plant a few flowers and move the cucumbers in the back. They only got about 4 hours of sun....that's not enough. Think I will do some cucumbers in the front....full sun there. Maybe over to the left where that big bush was....plenty of space to roam.

Have a good evening and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise