Good Saturday morning!

I came downstairs to find Audrey all curled up on the sofa, reading a book, and Jake drinking coffee and watching the news. All this before 6 am!
Now everyone else is awake and I have 4 cuddly little girls snuggled up with me here. We are going to take the girls out for breakfast shortly, then walk around the Amish market this morning before taking them home.

It's supposed to rain later, so there won't be any outdoor activities today! I may get Jake to put the screens in the storm doors and take down the winter windows on the sunporch this afternoon.

So that's all the excitement that's happening here today. What's happening on your part of the Beach?

Good morning, Cottage. It sounds like the PJ party was a success. I wish I ciould join you all for breakfast.

Rain is pelting against the east windows but it's supposed to be gone later. We will have keeners lining up for the plant sale by eight although the doors don't open until nine. I hope they dress warmly because it's also pretty cold this morning.

I'm feeling very tired this morning and wish I could go back to bed. Maybe this will be an afternoon nap day!

Good morning Cottage I was thinking windy weekend after I looked at our forecast. Hope you and the girlies have fun at the market. I would love to visit that market some time, it always sounds like fun.

Ruth - an afternoon nap sounds perfect. Good plant sales are like that around here. If you don't get there early all the best stuff is gone.

Nothing much on tap this weekend. It's way too windy for much warbler activity so any birding we do will be close to home. I have some big cleaning jobs to get done so will start tackling those instead. We are settling into our new situation and figuring out what's next. It's complicated but we are in a much better place than lots of people so no complaining from here.

Meanwhile my ticker is completely truthful again and I'm focusing on dropping a couple more lbs. My body has really slowed down the last 6 months or so. My Dr. says "well when women get older blah, blah, blah". I am not fond of this explanation I think getting outside and more spontaneous exercise will really help.

I'm planning another snack cake today. I found hazelnut agave so I think it will be decadent

How is your weekend shaping up? Stop by and have a cup of whatever gets you going (I hear Cottage is making lattes).

HAZELNUT AGAVE?!?! Oh..my....gosh, that sounds fabulous. Where did you find that Cyndi? On the DW thing...when one door closes? Let's hope this means she's on to bigger and better things, I hope it all turns out well for you.

Cottage - You've probably said before, but how big are the girls? Wow, they all go out in public well together? I guess as pure siblings, mine bicker...if they had friends, they'd be better. It's raining here, but it's beautiful to me .

Ruth - if you take a nap, I'll take a nap! Unfortunately, I'm the only one in the house that likes them, so I almost never get one .

Me - work, woo-woo. THen I'm hoping to work on the garden, finally. We started a couple of weekends ago, then realized what we were tilling up was a drainage field. Not good. So, the DH is just going to raise the bed (which will be equal to the one next to it anyway), but it's taking some work. I want some fresh greens!!

I did get to go on a lovely hike yesterday (I so love where I live!) with the pup. Garmin said it was 6.1 miles, and even running some of it, it took me nearly 2 hours. Saw a park ranger, he warned me of the dying racoon...can we say "rabies"??!! It was so quiet and peaceful, and kicked my butt too.

Speaking of which...can anyone recommend a human joint supplement they're happy with? I know a lot of them are poor products.

Have a great day!

Good morning

Linda - cuddly little girls sounds delightful, lucky you.

Ruth - Naps on rainy days are the best.

Cyndi - Those aging female hormones really can do a number on us! I made the snack cake once, with blueberries, and have banished it from my house. Too good.

Twynn - Your hike sounds wonderful.

We still have work to do today before our first round of company comes. Then DH heads to pick up his mom so maybe I will get a nap in too

Good Morning

I'm still up in one of the corners of our old house....I think I can call it exercise to go down and make coffee...so I'm sitting here clueless about the weather AND caffeine deprived. The agenda isn't set yet, but I'll probably head down and meet Mom and her group for breakfast(possible bike opportunity), check the thrift store and head to Denver to look for bedding plants. Tonight I'm cooking a vegetarian mexican dinner which we agreed on instead of going out tomorrow. I guess I'd better get some yardwork in, too.

Linda, thanks for getting us started! Your morning with the girls is a perfect snapshot in my mind! Have a great morning and day!

Ruth, I wish you could go back to bed, too. Is tomorrow Jazzies test? I hope your plants sell fast so you can get right home and enjoy the weekend.

Cyndi, sorry the birding didn't work out. As much as we seem to clean it seems it should finally be "done"....oh, I forgot, furry friends...I'll blame it on them, anyway. I know things are really complicated...

Twynn, have you ever had maple agave on your pancakes?? It's just as good as the hazelnut...hmm..I may make whole wheat baklava for Mom's dessert tonight. I have the capacity to make it SB friendly. I'm rereading about the raccoon...a little confused. I heard a story about a woman being attacked by a rabid RC that would curl your hair. No idea on HJS...Have fun today.

Karen, enjoy your company....and try to fit that nap in.

Ok, I'm going to take a little hike and find some coffee. I think Bing is ready for an outing, too.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Good morning ladies!

Cottage, what kinds of things do you buy at an Amish market? I've never heard of one. Sounds like the slumber party was a big hit! Too bad it's going to rain.

Ruth, Plant sale in the rain?? Bummer! I was hoping you'd have sunshine. It sounds like rain or shine it will be successful!

Cyndi, I'm so glad to hear your positive outlook on your DW's job situation. A little positive thinking really can go a long way! I will keep my fingers crossed that she finds something soon.

Twynn, Yikes!! Tilling up your drainage field can't be good! Sounds like the raised beds will work nicely. I'm going to my mom's house tomorrow to get the ground ready for my garden... I'm ready for fresh veggies too!!

Karen, I hope you get your nap. Have a great time with your company!

Debbie, sounds like you have a very busy day ahead of you! What are you cooking that's vegetarian Mexican food? Mexican food is my FAVORITE!!!

I don't have much planned today. I need to create a menu for Mother's Day tomorrow, which will probably involve split chickens slow roasted on the BBQ and sweet potatoes of some sort (and obviously a salad or something). I think I'll take a gander through the SBD recipes here and see what sounds delicious! Have an awesome day everyone!!

Morning Ladies.
I have to work today - but Cottage - the mention of an Amish market reminds me of the farmers market we have here. I should go down and check one out (they hold them at the harbor quay on weekends). What a nice morning that would be! Check out the market then take a little stroll along the water front ^_^.

Kelly - good luck with your mothers day dinner - its sounds like its going to be amazing. I have to work mothers day (so i can't cook for my mom) but at work (a health care facility) we are serving a special mothers day dinner: lobster. The residents really like it so it should be a fun night!

Tywnn, the girls ranged in age from 5 -9 years old, and they're all very well behaved. I wouldn't hesitate to take them anywhere. We had a delightful breakfast together, and they helped me select a new rhododendron to replace a dead one and Jake let them all pick out hanging baskets for their mothers for tomorrow. BTW, I take Shiff Glucosamine every day, and it's really helped the stiffness I used to get in my knees.

Kelly, the Amish market sells all kinds of wonderful things. You can get dry goods, fresh farm produce, homemade cheeses, baked goods, and whatever else you can think of. The prices used to be really good, but now that they're attracting a lot of tourists, the prices have gone up considerably. But it's still fun to walk around in and browse.

I just have Amber here now, and she's busily painting rocks and turning them into ladybugs, mice, and frogs. I'd love to be outside, getting some planting done, but it's turned really windy, so that idea is nixed. A nap sounds very inviting.

Hello friends!

Things are quiet here at my mom's now. The services are behind us and we're trying to settle into the new 'normal'. My daughter's on a plane to Houston right now and Fergie and Dan are headed back to Maine. We just finished writing some thank you notes and we're headed to the mailbox and then the grocery store afterwards.

Oops, Mom is ready sooner than I expected, so I need to go. I'll check in again later, I'm anxious to catch up on all the news I've missed this past week.

hhaffner, how sweet of you to make a special Mother's Day dinner for the residents. I bet they really appreciate it!!

Cottage, the Amish market sound awesome, other than the inflated prices. I hate when somewhere I've gone from the beginning gets popular and hikes up their prices! I guess that's just the way it goes.

Heidi, I was not very regular here this past week due to a large school load, so clearly I missed something. Did your father pass? I'm assuming the services you mentioned were for him. I'm so sorry!! I hope he is resting peacefully.

Thank you Kelly. Yes, my dad died on Sunday night.
I'm staying with my mother for another week, and we'll see how things go from there.

It's raw and rainy here today. I just got back from a [very] short walk and I'm drinking a cup of hot tea to warm up!

Hey ladies!
Long time no see! It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me. I've been working non-stop on finals and I'm finally home for the summer! So now I can go back to spending time on here! I think all my finals went well--here's hoping!

Very excited for this summer and all the opportunity I'm going to have to really focus on my weight loss. My (potential) job doesn't start until the end of June (summer camp) and it involves A LOT of walking/activity. Yay!

The greenhouses were packed but we got all our plants....got home too late for a big dinner, so veggie-mex has been moved until tomorrow.

Kelly, I've been experimenting with some of the meat substitutes so we'll have a spicy meat sub./bean burrito. I have sprouted wheat tortillas, two fresh salsas and a tad bit of guac....light on the cheese sounds healthy. I AM making sopapillas for Mom, and haven't determined if I'll eat one or not. Your lunch sounds good, too.

hhaffner, I'll bet the residents will love dinner tomorrow! I volunteer at a Sr. center where I live.

Heidi, good to hear from you. I hope the quiet feels good to both you and Mom.

KatehSparrow, Congrats! on finishing finals!

I guess I'll goof off a bit more and get dinner rolling..

Good morning from frosty Delta.

Well, snow was predicted but they were wrong again! My car is loaded with leftover plants from the sale - I was just too tired to move them all into the barn yesterday afternoon. I really had planned a nap but decided to start a new baby quilt instead. The sale went really well despite the rain. Gardeners are a hard lot!

Church this morning and then the nap may happen. I don't think I want to even look at a plant - just as well since it is going to be very cold.

Debbie, I see your light is on. Jazz's test is not until next Sunday. Thanks for asking.