Hidden Treasure

One of our Rose of Sharon bushes by the front porch. It will soon be covered with beautiful lavender flowers for the summer – certainly a treasure. But look more closely . . .

A lovely and amazing nest – a treasure in itself. But look more closely . . .

What a treasure indeed! Sarah discovered these beautiful eggs last week and couldn’t wait to show me.

What a treasure we have in the beauty of God’s world all around us.

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” ~ Isaiah 6:3

Blessings,
Nancy

Our Front Porch Birds

I was able to get a couple of really great pictures of our front porch nest and birds the other day. Here is the best picture of the babies that I got ~

When I looked at them today, I could clearly see 4 babies – I had thought that there were only 3. They are almost too big to all fit in the nest. Here is one of them practicing flapping its wings ~

I also finally got a good picture of the mama bird ~

I had thought she was grayish at first, but she is really brown instead. I still haven’t been able to identify her in any of my books. Anyone have any ideas?

It is a rainy afternoon here, which will make for a nice cozy evening at home tonight. I am feeling the magnetic pull of my quilting basket, so I’ll be settling in to sew after posting this. Have a lovely evening!

Blessings,
Nancy

Roses Abloom

Some of our roses have started blooming, and are filling the air with a beautiful aroma. I was so excited when we found this home to discover that the original owners had planted a rose garden around one side of the house. While I am not a rose expert (or even close), I certainly have enjoyed having them, and hope that I will learn enough as the years go by to keep this garden going to enjoy for a long time.

Thought I’d share a few pictures I took while out in the garden the other day ~

We’ve been working hard getting the rest of the gardens finished planting, and there are a number of crops coming up now. I’ll share pictures as soon as I can. Temperatures are supposed to hit 90 degrees today, so we will be spending the afternoon outside!

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Nancy

Hot Chicken Salad Casserole

Looking for a dish to use up some of those Easter eggs you have still hanging around? This is a good one. I like to make it in the Spring, especially ~ probably just because the name evokes thoughts of Spring picnics and such. I have never included all of the ingredients listed in the recipe, which is something else I like about it ~ you can make it to your own tastes, or include just what you have on hand. I have been making this recipe for many Springs ~ it is found in this cookbook ~

Here is the recipe ~

Hot Chicken Salad Casserole

4 cups cooked, cubed chicken
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup (2 stalks) chopped celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup mayonnaise
10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 oz. jar chopped pimiento, drained
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 Tblsp. chopped green pepper
2 Tblsp. chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup crushed potato chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl stir together all ingredients except potato chips. Spread into greased 9 X 13 baking pan. Sprinkle with chips. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until heated through.

The basic items in this recipe are the chicken, rice, mayonnaise, soup, salt, lemon juice and chips. All of the other items can be included or left out as you wish. I always include the eggs and almonds in mine, and sometimes some of the vegies if I have them. Because I left out so many vegies in mine this time, I doubled the rice called for. It turned out very yummy. Here are a few pictures I took as I put this together ~

Starting to add ingredients to the bowl ~

Easter eggs, chopped and ready to add ~

I use this rice for this casserole, quick and easy, and one bag makes the 2 cups that is called for in the recipe ~

Ready for the oven ~

Ready to eat ~

Now we’re down to this many eggs ~

Hmm. . . let’s see. . .maybe it’ll be egg salad sandwiches for lunch.

Blessings,
Nancy

Our Easter Sampler

Just wanted to share a few pictures with you of our weekend. I took so many pictures, but I promise not to bore you with them all ~ just a sampler of them ~

We spent the first part of the weekend cleaning up the yard and the house ~

It wasn’t all work and no play ~

Meanwhile, inside the house, lots of eggs were being boiled and laid out to cool on a towel ~

Let the dying begin! ~

The next morning we donned our Easter finery and enjoyed a wonderful service at church. The children sang at the end of the service ~

We returned home to the wonderful aroma of these cooking ~

A few items along the center of the table ~

My mom arrived and added these beautiful ornamental peppers to the setting ~

The family arrived, each bearing food, and we laid out the table with a lovely array of spring dishes ~

We enjoyed good food and conversation, and then moved onto dessert ~ strawberry pie on pound cake and lemon cake with jelly beans. We added David’s birthday to our celebration, so 3 candles were added to the cake ~

He opened some fun presents ~

Finally, the moment the kids had all been waiting for ~ the annual Easter egg hunts. We had wondered if we would be able to do the hunts this year due to the rainy forecast, but the rain ended early in the morning, so we were able to be outside. It was quite muddy, but we were just glad to be able to get in the hunts – the sun even came out for awhile. We do three hunts usually ~ one for the littles, one for the middles, and one for the oldest kids (teenagers and young adults). Here are just a few of the pictures I took ~

It was a great day and was enjoyed by all ~

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, as well!

Blessings,
Nancy

Signs of Spring

Flowers ready to be planted, landscape mixes ready to be spread . . .

The first mow of the year . . .

Taking a break to bask in the sunshine . . . and . . .

Popsicles on the front porch.

My small gardens are planted and the big garden is all ready for seeds. I’ll post pictures of them soon.

Blessings,
Nancy

Our Nesting Mama

She moved into this nest from last year on top of one of the ceiling fans on the front porch. She sits up there even with children running back and forth to me while I sit in the rocker. Every now and then she will get startled and fly away, but then she gets back as soon as she feels it is safe again.

I still have not identified her. She has a white throat and belly, and is dark grey all over the top. It looks like she has a notched tail. I’m thinking that she may be a swallow of some kind or maybe a swift, but can’t seem to find her in my bird book. Any ideas?

She is fun to watch – I feel a sort of kinship when we are both sitting there together, watching over our little ones.

Have a nice day!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Lovely Iris

“Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

Blessings,
Nancy

What Part of Spring Are You?

I saw this fun quiz over at Dawn’s By Sun and Candlelight. The first time that I took it, the results didn’t seem quite right, so I tweaked it a little the second time, and the new results describe me to a “T”.
(what exactly does that mean, anyway?)

You Are Baseball Games

You like old fashioned things. You’re one of those people who values tradition. You enjoy a slow pace of life. You believe that life is all about enjoying every moment. You love the changing of the seasons, and you look forward to what each season brings. You are smart and a bit obsessive. You become very immersed in your interests.

What Part of Spring Are You?

So, you’re wondering what my first results were?

You Are Kids Playing

You are a free spirited soul. More than anything else, you are often just happy to be alive. You are always laid back and cheerful. You enjoy whatever happens to come your way. You are spontaneous and zany. You’re the kind of adult who still runs through the sprinklers. You don’t take life too seriously. You try to have fun at all times, even when you’re working.

What Part of Spring Are You?

While some of this is true about me, I am not very laid back and not always cheerful, and I don’t always enjoy what happens to come my way (ask my kids!) – although I do generally adapt to whatever it is. And while I do enjoy having fun with my children, I would rather soak in the pool than run through the sprinkler, and I’m afraid that I do take life too seriously and would never describe myself as “zany”! So, you see why I retook the test!

Hope you have fun with this!

I’m working on the journal pictures and hope to have them up by tomorrow.

Blessings,
Nancy

Spring Cleaning . . .

Everyone knows that princess high heels are required equipment for mowing the lawn.

Blessings,
Nancy