My Garden updates...

I'm very happy to say that my garden is doing splendid! I have many, many tomatoes growing which makes me smile! Yummy...I can't wait!

Then I've already been eating my lettuce and it's great! I believe that I'm going to plant some more, there's still plenty of time for it to grow!
I have also have a tiny lil baby green pepper and on the rest of my green pepper plants I can see they also have babies growing to! I love my green peppers. Of course, I really enjoy almost every kind of vegetable.


Look at my lil baby zucchini, how cute is that! Poor lil thing though, just as soon as it grows it's mine for the eating! lol I hope it yields some nice ones this year seeing that I only planted one zucchini plant. I really like to put zucchini in a lot of my dishes and besides, I want to make my zucchini bread...it's out of this world and you will love it!
So...To all my fellow gardeners, I'm leaving you with happy thoughts of a healthy and growing garden! Until next time...

Clematis anyone???

The deep and majestic color of this flower is so rich and and exciting. It's warmth attracts me to it. The Clematis and it's deep beauty. Every June without fail my Clematis comes to bloom. They pull towards the sun and it seems to deepen their color and shade of purple. What a gorgeous and exquisite flower this is!

I didn't plant these myself, but, I did plant some bulbs of Clematis earlier this year in a better section of my yard, so I can't wait to see those beauties next year! They say that they're the Queen of Climbers!
If you haven't guessed it by now my favorite color is purple and boy I sure have many shades of purple through my yard! In fact that's the color of my bedroom to! lol
I hope that yous enjoy these pictures today, I know that I sure enjoyed sharing them with you!

Which Stitch are you???

That's right...what Stitch are you??? Beading Daily has the answer for you. Maybe you're a Right-Angle Weave, or maybe a Brick Stitch, or a Herringbone Stitch or even a Square Stitch or what about a Peyote Stitch.
Lets be honest and see what stitch we are. So...are you a:
Right-Angle Weave
You are a very cerebral person, but have more than one flowing garment in your closet. Maps are laughable to you, as you always know your way. Unfortunately, people think you’re babbling when you try to explain things to them.
Or you may be a:
Brick Stitch
Reliable and strong on the outside, you are fairly complicated on the inside. You happily let your guard down around friends, who can always entice you onto the dance floor to show off your righteous moves.
Or maybe you may be a:


Herringbone Stitch
Life for you is a series of ups and downs that eventually lead to a harmonious and ordered whole. You rely on a little help from your friends for grounding and support and you probably know a thing or two about walking a tightrope.
Or even a:
Square Stitch
You like things to be finalized and fairly buttoned up. You color inside the lines and probably have a big collection of Delicas. People like to be around you because you have wads of money hidden under your mattress.

How about a:
Peyote Stitch
You come across as put-together and easygoing, but the truth is you’re fairly lazy, often tread on thin ice, and like to play the horses. You don’t like to be confined to one way of doing things and would rather experiment, sometimes at the cost of showing off your inner workings.
So...which Stitch are you??? I have to say that I do color in all the lines and have a pretty good size collection of Delica's, but have no money stashed under my mattress! I can only wish! Then again I'm fairly easy going, but don't ever play the horses, gosh, I don't even ride horses. lol I'd have to say that I'm reliable and strong on the outside. Plus my life has had a series of ups and downs, and maps are laughable to me, I don't understand them. lol But I do where I'm going. Hmm, maybe I'm Freeform. lol So...which Stitch are you???
To see the entire article please stop in at Beading Daily today!

My Iris and Honeysucle....

This is my beaded Iris Crystal Drop. It's made from the Peyote stitch and on the other side of it is a Tulip. It's so beautiful when the sun hits it, all the colors of the rainbow shine through the crystal. I keep mine out all year long on a stand but you can hang them from your window, put them in your car on your rear view mirror or just save them for your Christmas tree as a ornament. I didn't post a picture of the other side of this Crystal Drop because I didn't have any Tulip pictures of mine to show you. lol
Now here's my Honeysuckle...when it's in full bloom not only is it a beauty but the fragrance of it is just beautiful!

A couple of years ago my mom gave me a couple of Iris's to plant. The greenery had come up but not a flower at all. Then she passed away last year suddenly. Now this year, for the very first time one of the plants that she had given to me bloomed and has the most gorgeous flowers on it! So, I wanted to share these pictures with all of yous. Oh...thanks mom for the beautiful Iris! I love them!









I hope that you enjoyed all the pictures...thanks so much for stopping in. Oh...if you haven't noticed by now I'm a picture nut! I love pictures and I take so may pictures my sons all make fun of me. lol But now I have yous to share them with. Thanks and have a great day!

A Giveaway from Sandi Preuss at Small Town At Its Best...

Sandi is having a Giveaway at her Blog For her 100th post! So please visit her today! Congrats to you on your 100th post and Happy Anniversary to you and your husband! Thanks so much Sandi!

My Hostas,Tiger Lily's and Lily's of the Valley...

How does you flower garden grow? Hmm, let's see one of my flower garden spots are here in my front yard. I have 2 different Hostas plants and a type of Tiger Lily's also a couple of Lily's of the Valley. The Hostas have grown so much in the last 2 years that this year I'll need to do some dividing and then I'll have many lil Hostas to plant all over again. They say that you're really suppose to divide your Hostas in the early Spring, but I believe that I'm going to do it at the end of Fall this year. My Hostas have the most beautiful purple flowers that shoot out from the gorgeous green foliage. I just love them!

I also have Lily's of the Valley in this flower garden, along the one side of my home and in the side flower garden! Right now they're not in bloom though, but you can see their gorgeous foliage they have! They bloom in the very early Spring and the fragrance that come from those are just beautiful, somewhat of a very sweet scent...just a wonderful aroma! They have small white bell like lil flowers on them that are just so pretty.
I do in the very early Spring also have Daffodils and Tulips here in this flower garden to. That's before the Hostas comes back up though but they all look fantastic!
Then I wanted to show you how absolutely gorgeous this flower really is. How vibrant it's color is! I wish that you would be able to smell it's beautiful fragrance that it has.
There are many species of Lily's, about 110 or so different kinds. They're very easy to grow, come from a bulb and very easy to transplant! Did you know that Lily's also attract Hummingbirds? So if you're a Hummingbird lover like I am...get yourself some beautiful Lily's!

Black Eyed Susan...

I thought that for the next couple of days or so that I would share some of the flowers and plants that I have in my yard and also give you a update on my garden. I'm going to start with my Black Eyed Susan's and how they began to grow and what they look like today...



I have them in three different areas of my yard. The colors are so vibrant and beautiful! They're easy to no care what so ever and come back every year. When I cut them to place in a vase they seem to last any where from one week to about 10 days. They grow some where between 2-3 feet high and they love, love, love sunshine!

Bracelet Give Away over at Nancy E. Schindler, Round Rabbit's...The Rabbit Muse

It's Giveaway time again ladies and gentlemen, so please go and check out what you have to do to be in drawing. It's a awesome bracelet, so please go and take a peek. Here's the Link

Watch my Sunflower Grow...

Sunflowers have always fascinated me because of their size and all their beauty. I always found Sunflowers to be quite pretty so I decorated my dining room in Sunflowers and Roosters...what a combo, I know. lol
So then I decided to try to plant a couple of the gorgeous fellows outside my dining room window and sure enough, here's one of them in mid grow for you to see. There are 3 total but the other 2 don't look like they're doing so swell. I'm not sure why, but at least I have this one from the seeds, so I'm happy! These pictures aren't the very best though, my camera is on the fritz and their taken from my trusty cell phone! But, I even captured a bee in one of the shots to! I've heard they can grow as high as 10 feet, hmm well we'll just see about that now won't we.

Here's some Recipes for yous...

I have to apologize, I've been so busy that I didn't remember until now to post something for today. So I thought that I would pass along some recipes. I hope that yous like them. Have a awesome day! Enjoy...

Tomato Salad

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups sliced field tomatoes
2 cups halved red or yellow cherry tomatoes
2 cups quartered plum tomatoes
1 cup sliced red onions
DRESSING
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Slice sun-dried tomatoes ( I used the ones packed in a jar in oil). Place field tomatoes on a platter. Layer with plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes and red onions. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and pepper. pour over tomatoes just before serving. Serves 6-8.
This is wonderful tasting as well as an attractive salad.

Hoisin Garlic Burgers

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger root
1 egg
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

In bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, green onions, parsley, first hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger root and egg. Mix well. Makes 4 to 5 burgers.
In small bowl whisk together water, second hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Brush half of the sauce over top of burgers.
Place on greased grill and BBQ for 10 to 15 minutes (or until no longer pink inside). Turn patties, once and brush with remaining sauce.
dress your burger and enjoy!

FRUIT PIZZA

This recipe is a really nice end to a pizza party.

1 frozen pizza dough
1 pkg. cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can pie mix fruit (your choice)

Thaw pizza dough and roll out to the size of a pizza pan. Pick the pizza dough all over with a fork, this prevents bubbles in the dough. Bake in 500 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes till golden brown. Soften cream cheese and mix with sour cream and cinnamon. When pizza crust is cool, top with cream cheese mixture. Spread to edges of crust. Top with can of fruit of your choice. You can also top with a variety of fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi etc.)
Slice and enjoy. Serves 8-10

BBQ Burgers
SAUCE:
1 C Ketchup
1/2 C Packed Brown Sugar
1/3 C Honey
1/4 C Molasses
2 tsp prepared Mustard
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Liquid Smoke
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Bring to boil, remove from heat
BURGERS:
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 C Quick Oats
1/4 tsp each Onion salt, Garlic Salt, Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef
1/4 C of above BBQ Sauce
Mix together and make 6 burgers.
Grill burgers, basting with BBQ Sauce during last 5 minutes
Serve on grilled buns with toppings of your choice and more BBQ sauce if desired.

Tangy Shrimp Summer Salad

1 lb. medium shrimp
1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 lb grape tomatoes
1 medium cucumber thinly sliced (optional)
1 head lettuce
1/2 bottle (about 8 oz.) Kraft Zest Italian Dressing
1/2 bottle (about 8 oz.) Kraft Catalina Dressing

Clean and de-vein shrimp; cook in Old Bay seasoning (do not overcook)
Place onion and shrimp in a deep casserole dish.
Mix dressing together and pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning at least once.

Add shredded lettuce to individual salad bowls. Top with shrimp/onion marinade mixture. Add tomato and cucumber.

Hot Sausage Dip

1 roll (16 oz.) hot sausage meat
1 block (8 oz. ) cream cheese
1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes with chili peppers

Brown sausage meat in skillet; drain off excess oil.
Combine meat, cream cheese and tomatoes. Microwave on high, stirring every 2 minutes until creamy. Serve hot with Tostitos Scoops.

Creamy Veggie Dip

1 cup mayo (can use dairy-free substitute)
2 tsp fresh horseradish

Mix vigorously, keep refrigerated. Pour over the top of the vegetables or serve on the side for dipping.

Grilled Vegetables

2 red peppers, cut in half
2 yellow peppers, cut in half
4 medium Zucchinis, cut into 1/2 inch wide slices
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower

Spray the vegetables with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper. Grill on both side 3 to 4 minutes each.

This is a quick, easy summer recipe; can be served plain or with the Creamy Veggie Dip.

Zucchini-Tomato Strata

4 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or 1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup spicy vegetable-tomato juice cocktail
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup stuffing croutons

Arrange half of zucchini slices in bottom of Crock-pot. Top zucchini slices with half the onion, half the garlic and all of the mushrooms. Repeat with remaining zucchini, onions and garlic. Arranges sliced tomatoes over top. Combine juice, basil, oregano, salt and pepper; pour over casserole. Cover and cook in Crock-pot on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. Top with stuffing croutons and cheese during the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Beads, Beads and more Beads...

Last week my step dad and his new wife took me out for dinner at Olive Garden and then took me to one of my most favorite places...Pat Catan's! They bought all of these gorgeous beads for me and took me out to eat because after almost 41 years of me smoking...I quit! Wow, if I would have known that I was going to be getting all these wonderful beads I would have quit along time ago.
I have to admit though with quiting smoking I've gained some un-needed weight that I'm now fighting to take back off! But all and all I feel great and I'm not only proud that I quit but I'm happy that I did and don't understand why I didn't much earlier in my life! All of my family and friends are so proud of me! None of my sons or their wives smoke, I actually was the only person in my family that did smoke. My grand-children are so happy that I stopped smoking to!
So, here's to me and quiting smoking...new Beads, Wow!!!

How precious is this...

I had taken three of my grand-children to the playground, as we were walking back home and I happened to look up and realize just how precious two of my grand-children were! I pulled my cell phone out as fast as I could and snapped the picture without them even realizing. This is Kaley and her cousin, my youngest grandson, Aden. I was walking behind them with my other grand-daughter who's the twin sister of Kaley...Haley. Isn't life so precious when you look at these lil ones, no cares, just happy...cousins! How great is that!