Checking out the farmer's crops....

Looks like the corn is about ready to be harvested...

Love the sight of beans waving in the breeze....

The Sedum are blooming and the butterflies are loving it!

My 14th grandchild has arrived! Beautiful baby girl...

Maddy Jae Anna has arrived in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 21 inches long. Everyone is healthy and doing fine! And she is beautiful! She is a special gift from God and we will treasure this little gift always! What a darling little family this is.

Proud Nana! And I wore pink in her honor today! I am sure that will also be her favorite color! Welcome to this world little Maddy Jae Anna!

Lost my peacock....

Went to check on my "little flock" this evening and found my most beautiful peacock dead with his head lying through the fence. It looked like his neck was broken. He should have been able to pull it out but maybe he got to flopping around and in this heat ended up breaking its neck. So now I have one flew away and one died. Sad day on the homestead!

Rose Moss and tractor tires....

As a little girl I can remember going to my beloved grandparents house. There was so many exciting things to do there and it was a place I loved to be. I can remember going at a very early age when everyone told my mom I was too young to stay by myself. But I remember staying and wishing I could even stay longer. On one of my trips there was a new baby sister being born while I was gone. On the way home we passed a place that sold ice cream and I gladly traded my new baby sister to my grandfather for an ice cream cone. Sorry Carol! I drive by that little place every now and then and still smile at the thought of that! But the flowers my grandmother planted intrigued my little heart the most. My grandmother must have had a very green thumb or else put a lot of time and effort into seeing that those flowers were so beautiful. She grew Hollyhocks, and Sweet Williams and Dahlias but the flowers I remember the most was her tractor tires planted with Rose Moss. I think there were three of these tractor tires planted out next to the drive and the highway and I remember them being painted red and white. I'll have to ask someone else about that in case I am mistaken, but that is how I remember them. And I would sit along the edge of the tire feeling the warmth of the sun on the rubber, picking the tiny seeds and placing them in a pill bottle to be brought home and planted so I could have the same delightful little flowers. There were yellows and pinks and reds and whites and I loved them all!

This year I built a circular flower bed with a solar fountain in the center--which rarely worked-and planted the delightful Rose Moss in it. It has bloomed prolifically all summer and brings a smile to my face when I pass by it. Just as it did 50 plus years ago when I was so little.

I may be waxing nostalgic but Aah, the simple things in life are still the best!

Struck by lightning?

While mowing my yard yesterday I noticed something major has happened to one of my favorite trees. Tool Belt Jim says he heard a loud noise during the storm the other night and is guessing lightning has struck the tree. Now the question is how damaged is it? Does the branch need cut off? I loved this tree cause my kids have all had their pics taken standing in the center. It branched out in 4 different directions and my guess is it is a very old tree.

The bark has been ripped off from the very top to the very bottom...

Shards or pieces of bark were scattered not only around the tree but for quite a distance away.

There is a squirrel nest in the top of the tree right about where the lightning stuck. Bet that was quite a jolt for him!

Guess we'll wait and see if the tree starts dying....

My patio has butterflies everywhere...

The butterflies have arrived! After the rain the other day and the weather has cooled down some, the butterflies began to invade my patio. Maybe they like the cool concrete or maybe they just wanted to surprise me with their beauty!

This little cutey has a damaged wing. Isn't it awesome how beautiful God has created His creation?

Those ugly bagworms!

They are just plain ugly! What else can I say?

Crepe Myrtle Trees in bloom

Crepe Myrtle trees are so beauty with their delicate flowers. And the name reminds me of my Grandma Myrtle. I planted three trees a few years ago and this is the first year they have really bloomed and looked very pretty.

How gorgeous is that? And in my favorite color pink!

Beautiful place to sit a spell..

Hostas are flowering

The hostas are flowering which makes me think Fall is not far behind. My daughter always loved popping the hosta flowers when she was little. Actually, I think I remember her doing that just last year! Ha. Ha.

Such a delicate and beautiful flower!

It's been really hot outside, which reminds me of a joke...

The temp has been anywhere from 104 to higher and has been know to read 127 in car thermometers. Which reminded me of this joke I saw....

My son-in-law is a great cook!

And so is my daughter. We had supper at their house last night and it was the best meal I have eaten in forever. Steaks from the grill, pork tenderloin cooked with a rub, corn on the cob, cheesy mashed potatoes, home-made bread and carrot cake for dessert. And now I am truly stuffed!

My daughter makes much better mashed potatoes than I do. Notice she has also added cheddar cheese. Yum, Yum....

These were huge ears of corn that a farmer had brought in to sell at our local store.... she

wrapped them with foil and let them bake in butter.....

And speaking of baking....my daughter also made homemade bread.....did I raise her right or what? And don't forget she's doing all this in 100 degree heat and using the oven which heats up the house.....and also don't forget she's gonna deliver a baby girl in 3 weeks! What a woman!!!

And now for Steve's specialty. He's the man when it comes to grilling. These steaks were scrumptious! I keep telling him instead of being an assistant manager of Walmarts he should open his own restaurant!

And he put some kind of rub on the Pork Tenderloin and it was also delicious!

Look at this little one eating his first ear of corn! He loved it! At first I was holding it for him then I thought "what the heck, let him get the feel of eating a messy ear of corn for himself!" And he went right to town on it.

Hope you enjoyed sharing our family dinner with us! We'll do it again sometime soon!

Homemade Granola Bars

Here's a great recipe for making your own granola bars:

4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup rice crispies (optional) I left out
1/2 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce or smashed bananas (I used baby food bananas and applesauce and mixed them)
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (I used half choco chips and half peanut butter flavored chips)
I also added some maple syrup just for fun

Try any combination of chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped dried fruits, candy coated pieces, chopped nuts etc.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease one 9x13 pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, peanut butter, margarine, honey, rice crispies, brown sugar, and applesauce/bananas. Stir in the chocolate chips and other optional ingredients.
3. Firmly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let cool before taking out of pan.

Cut into individual bars and bag with a couple to a bag. Then put the smaller bags in a gallon size bag and freeze. That way you can take out only the amount you need. They do not freeze solid and taste great!