Nothing Endures except Change

As a grow older, I grow fatter!! Yikes!! This is not a good thing! I see my reflection and think, I cannot figure out how this is happening...
I have such little energy that all I do after work is the chiropractor and then I get home and very little gets done. My energy is gone, my belly is big, and my knees are killing me. My veggie garden hasn't been touched since October. I have bags of bulbs that need to be planted, something I usually love to do...
After loading the pics off the camera card, I got a clue as to what has happened.

Chicken Tetrazzini. Loaded with cream, cheese, and pasta. Delicious.

Sour cream pancakes and applewood smoked bacon. (noticing a trend here??)
It's no wonder I can't get my butt out and get my chores done! Too many carbs, too much fat. I need to make a change.

This morning, Hubby and I started the South Beach Diet. No carbs. No sugar. No fruit. It is called Phase 1 and it lasts 2 weeks. Then you enter Phase 2 which is less restrictive. We haven't even had dinner yet and I'm stuffed. This is a lot of work and I spent a lot of money at the grocery store, getting the necessary supplies for the food I will make. Lots of preparation, lots of planning. Hopefully, it will pay off and we will be healthy and thinner, very soon. This diet concentrates on low-glycemic foods.

This is lunch. I found this recipe on a fantastic site for healthy recipes. Kalyn's Kitchen. I altered it a bit by adding more olive brine to the mayo, so mine is a little watery than her recipe would be, but I tasted it without the other 1/3 c of mayo and was happy with it.
Her website also has a feature that allows you to save the recipes and add them to a shopping list. I know it sounds basic for some of you that are so incredibly organized, but I need all the help I can get!

In Houghton, Michigan last week. I kept thinking the hotel was not using this area to its full advantage!!

This is the view out of the rear of the hotel. If I were the manager, there would be a brick patio with chairs and tables and those portable heaters. The only thing out there was a cheap plastic chair with an ashtray for the employees that smoke. The restaurant faces this gorgeous view. 

A pensive walk on the pier. This city is 7 hours away from where we live. 

The irony of her walking away from me was way too obvious. 

This pier jutted out onto the Keewanaw Waterway. It was cold but sunny in Houghton on this day, but we got out of there just in time. Two days later, they got 5 inches of snow. They are scheduled to get over 240" more. The 3rd snowiest city in the country. 

How can this child be MINE???

What a Crock!

From this:

To This:

in a little over an hour!
Aren't those little crocks so cute??

 I inherited them from Mother-in-law! I can imagine her creating wonderful soups and chili and baking homemade bread for her family along with homemade desserts.
She was also a career woman and sewed many of the curtains and throw pillows around their home.
I do not sew. My cakes, if any, come out of a box. I don't own a single curtain.
My mother-in-law is a little over 5 feet tall with dark hair and her make up bag consists of a tube of lipstick and some "rouge", (her words, not mine!)
I am almost 6 feet tall and my make up bag is the size of a lawn and leaf bag.
But we get along so well and she has taught me so much. I give her credit for giving me the gardening bug.

We both love to cook for the family and one memorable Thanksgiving, early on, she was sharing with me a salad recipe that I have never made, but she made for years. After it was sliced an set on the gorgeous china, I said, "it needs some garnish!"
She thought she had exactly what it needed, out in the garden. I looked outside on Thanksgiving in Chicagoland, a drizzly and dusky evening, everything was brown. What the heck could this lady pull out of her garden??
We put our shoes on and walked to a corner of the yard. I didn't have a garden at this point in my life. I was a city girl, just been married and starting a family. I had no clue about plants and I don't ever remember noticing them, at this point.
We came to a little border in her landscape and when we approached, bunnies scattered everywhere. We bent down near a shrub and she pulled on a lanky piece of still green plant I hadn't even noticed. She held it up to me and said, "what do you think about this?"
It smelled like gum.
MINT! Mint?? Here??
She cut a few sprigs and we took it in the house. We placed it on the plates and my mouth hung open in disbelief. How could mint be growing in the yard?? In WINTER for cryin' out loud!?

IT was that moment that I caught the gardening bug.
Do you remember when you caught it? Was it nurtured from childhood? I love to read about folks and their introduction to plants, I wish more bloggers would share their inspiration.
I do have to say that Mother-in-law is still a dear friend, but I have to be careful with what she inspires me to do! Since I've known her, she's sported a pixie hair cut, I've never seen a hair out of place. Even while boating, it falls right back into a perfect pixie.
So, I marched out and got a "pixie". oooohhhh.
Not a good look for a naturally curly haired person. AT ALL.

Took me about a year to get rid of that mess.

as the growing season slows, I hope to read more inspiration posts from my blogging buds!

Sunny and warm with possibility of happiness

Saturday was a gorgeous day, here in Northern Illinois. The sun shone gloriously, the winds died down, the weather was absolutely perfect.
I was inside the entire day. It's the end of My Darling's volleyball season, her senior year. We were at a tournament at a local high school. My Darling did such a wonderful job that she drew the attention of other coaches there. They named her to the All Tournament Team and gave her a medal.

It was worth it. I missed a beautiful day with many hours of warm sunshine, but look at her. She's come so far from the asthmatic and shy toddler. At 6'2", she has a few college offers to play volleyball. If I think about it too long, I will cry.
Like I did on Saturday when they called her name.
I have to ask the question...how did it go this fast??

Homecoming, 2011

Photos before the Homecoming Dance

Nolan and Cassidy.
below is Cassidy's wristlet. Her date's mom actually MADE this! It is attached to a gorgeous crystal bracelet!

I learned a very hard lesson this day. 

We showed up for pictures and Nolan's stepdad had a huge camera and lens. He was really running the show, directing kids where to stand. Took a lot of pictures on a tractor, but hey, we live in farm country! I put my camera away, he assured me he would send copies of his photos. I was fine with that and ran around meeting other parents and talking. I later noticed he was shooting directly into the sunlight, which is an absolute no-no. I then noticed he had his flash on, even with Nolan wearing glasses and shooting into the sunset. ugh

Lesson learned: a big fancy camera doesn't mean the photographer knows what he's doing. Take your own photos.

Here's a shot of my Little darling, reaching for the ball. This is part of what is taking up all my time!

Stormy and Sunday

 Rain clouds on Saturday, I have just a few more holes to dig...

 Prairie storm

The morning after

Our boy...

 clownin around with Gracie

Turning 21 next week. 

This is a great kid. Never any trouble. Ever. 

God has truly blessed us with the gift of this boy. 

Now, a man. 

Sheesh....

Finally!

Tomatoes!! I didn't rip out the plants, although they still aren't as healthy as the TomatoBerry!
I really just grow the large ones because my Mom in law wants me to, I don't care what size my tomatoes are, but she really likes them, so I think I should be bringing her some, today!! It looks like they cross-pollinated with my TomatoBerry tomatoes!

Can you see the pointy ends?? So cute!

Here's another one! I will pick them today and run them to her. She'll be so surprised.
Until she reads my blog, that is! I think she's my biggest fan...! I was not blessed with a loving mother, so God saw to it that Cherie came to my life!
We have spent 20 years in the kitchen, on the computer, shopping and enjoying what each other contributes. She did not have a daughter and I did not have a mom. How perfect!
The other day she suggested to me that I print and frame some of my pics. I don't think I'd ever taken one I would consider framing, really.
But, I love Love lOve this one!!!
I don't know what it is about this, but when I finished running the editor, I loved it. I love the color green, so maybe that is the reason I am so thrilled, but the glorious pepper plants, how different from the finicky tomatoes!

Healthy foliage, abundant peppers, what a rewarding thing, growing peppers is!!
Peppers and cherry tomatoes for me, friends!!

I will finish the Deer Resistant bed, today. I really must. The plants are not doing well, sitting near my deck. They want to be in the ground!!
So much has happened, I would like to get a few hours to sort it all out and get a plan together, maybe after church tonite?
Right now, I am going to spend time with my son, who is home from college for a few days.

He looks ready to get up and dig holes, doesn't he!!??

on the beach

the only pic of me on the beach the web will ever see....

this is the guy that makes my dreams come true

smoke filled the atmosphere while we were in Florida, none of my sunset shots were any good.

I didn't take the good camera, just the little Sony, so not many shots are good enough

100* and smoke. That's what the weather forecast said. Smoke. How awful!

vacation shot of my Darling