Bradford Pear Trees......Not for the Long Haul.......

This past June while we were in Myrtle Beach, we lost one of our Bradford Pear Trees. To quote Grandpa Walton when he showed John-Boy which Christmas tree to cut down, "It's what I've watched grow for all the days of her life." My husband Bill planted all three trees when they weren't much more than sticks with leaves. For 12 years I've watched them grow through all the seasons. Until June, they had all three grown so much they were touching each other. It's so sad to have one gone, with the others to follow, soon, I'm sure. The builder of our neighborhood gave almost everyone at least one Bradford Pear, and out of 39 homes, you could count on one hand how many are now left. Mine didn't even fall during a great storm...it wasn't even raining. Just a freak gust of wind was all it took. I'm glad no one was standing in the yard.

This was the first season the trees were planted in 1998. The little tree to the right of the house is the one that is now gone.



This was taken in 2005. They were putting in a sewer so that is the mess in the yard. The tree is to the right of the truck.



The tree in all it's glory this past Spring.



This is all that is left of the tree. You can see right through it because the center core of the tree is what snapped in a freak gust of wind. We will have to cut down what is left and grind down the stump. I can't bear to do it till the leaves are gone...it's pretty ugly now, but it's still alive, so I will wait till they all lose their leaves. Then it shall be the final goodbye..........

Some things I've been making in the kitchen

It used to be that I'd get in the mood to cook and try new recipes. Over the last several years I haven't really wanted to cook, so it feels exciting that I've had such an interest the last several months to want to make new things. Here are some things I've tried out on my family recently:


This is Bruschetta. My daughter Susan actually made the Bruschetta, which is chopped Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, red onions, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and season to taste. I fried the french bread in garlic infused olive oil. I told Susan I had to do something, or else I couldn't post it as something I made.





I found this recipe in a cookbook I bought at a yardsale. It's called Broccoli/Spinach Bake. It's really easy to put together and looks really pretty on the table. Everyone who has tried it has loved it. It's a great side dish for chicken or pork, or even to take to a church potluck dinner.



I admitted in my last blog I'm learning how to fry chicken. I've been successful so far frying chicken with the skin on. Last night I fried boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. These things were really huge, so I cut them in half, then I even cut the thickness of the halves in half. (Does that even make sense??) I use a seasoned flour by House of Autry. It's really good and saves me from having to season my flour as this one is perfect. After I patted the chicken fillets dry, I coated them with the seasoned flour, dipped them in egg, then coated them again. I shook off any excess, then fried them in 1/2 inch of canola oil. They came out perfect. Very juicy and tender.





I just tried this recipe today. It's called "eggs in a nest" and I saw it on the movie "Moonstruck." You take a slice of french bread (Which I had left over from the Bruschetta) and make a hole in the center. I then buttered the bread and put it in a hot pan. I cracked the egg into the hole and let it cook. I thought flipping it over would be tricky, but it actually went well. You can top with bacon and keep your egg sunnyside up, but I don't like mine that way. This was very tasty!





This is a Spinach and Ham Quiche I made for dinner one night. I even made the crust, which always seemed so intimating to me, but my sister Kelley showed me how to do it with the food processor and it's really quite easy. A Quiche is great for any meal, as it makes such a pretty presentation and is so easy to prepare, but it looks like you spent alot of time in the kitchen. Oh, and real men DO eat Quiche!

Long Overdue Update

Wow, it's so hard to believe that so much time has passed since I've last posted. Good thing one of my New Year's resolutions wasn't to blog more. So much has happened since my last post.

First, my daughter Julie and granddaughter Cassidy have moved into their own home again. The house has been way to quiet without Cassidy around all the time. But they are so happy to be in their own home.

Second, my daughter Melissa has gotten married. It was quite a surprise and if it's possible to elope but only be 20 minutes from your parents house, then that is what they did. But they seem happy so I'm happy for them. It's also one more person out of my house, and since she's still technically a teen that I know longer have to police, it's quite the bonus.

Third, my husband Bill retired from his job in April. I wasn't expecting that for another 18 months. I'm still looking for the book about what to do with a husband who is young, healthy and active, but no longer has a job. It has been quite an adjustment. How many vacations can you take in one summer? Well, we are getting ready for our third trip to Myrtle Beach since May, and that's not counting day trips and weekend getaways. He's like a kid on summer vacation. We are suppose to be getting the house ready to sell, but honestly, how can you do that when you are never home? It's just as well. There are so many foreclosures and short sales on the market, and we don't even know where we are going to move. We've been talking about it for a couple of years, so what's another year????

Lastly, my firstborn has returned to the nest. Now this is the daughter I never thought would live with me again. Trust me when I tell you this was the move of last resort for her. We put her downstairs in the "green room" which is the only room in the house where we haven't replaced the carpet. We save that room for the adult kids, who aren't used to following the rule of "No drinks allowed out of the kitchen." She's great to have around as she has such a fun personality. She also works long hours, and she's taking me to San Francisco, CA in January when her job has their convention, so I'm being extra nice to her.

Well, that's a general overview of the major things that have happened since my last blog. I have a sister that says blogs are no good without photos, so I posted a few for this one as well......


I've been trying to fry chicken without getting 2nd degree burns. I finally figured out that if I pat the chicken dry before I dip it in egg and coat it, it will fry without splattering grease. This chicken was really good.



Here I am driving our boat. I don't really drive it though. I can usually be found on the back of it reading a good book.




Cassidy's first day in the pool. Does this get-up scream "Over-protective Mom" or what????

I Think My Card Gig Is Up..............

Well, this was going to my Valentine's Day blog to tell you how wonderful my time was with my hubby. This year I wanted dinner and a movie. That might be normal for most everyone else, but my hubby is not fond of going to the movies, so we rarely go together. We went to see Dear John, which I thought was pretty good. He might have also, if he could just get past the bloopers. He doesn't watch a movie just for entertainment value, he's too much of a detail person, I guess.

But this isn't about him. This blog is about me. I going to confess something here that my husband doesn't know. I recycle greeting cards. I've done it for years and he's never caught on. One time he did notice that he "thought" he'd gotten that card before, but usually he never notices. I save every card ever given to me, and over the decades, I saved all the cards given to him by me. So when a holiday comes around, I'll pull out a card for the appropriate occasion, he'll read it, it hangs around for a few days on a table, then I put it back in the drawer and maybe it will be used again one day. It was a good plan, perhaps bordering on genius, I thought.

Until this year. This year I should have been more careful.


Here is the card and box of Godiva Chocolates my hunny gifted me with. He's always thoughtful with his cards.



Here's the front of the card I gave him. I thought with the couple dancing, it was romantic, so I just assumed it said Happy Valentine's Day inside.




However, when hubby opened the card, it said Happy Birthday Day to My Husband! He was surprised I didn't notice it when I bought it. Confession is: I didn't notice it when I pulled it out of my card drawer!




So there you go. I've confessed to one of my many vices. I can't even promise I'll never do again. Perhaps Bill even appreciates the money I've saved over the years. Then again, maybe I'll be seeing a few recycled cards myself..............:)

Snow Angels...Not that hard, right??????

To prevent cabin fever, Cassidy and I decided to go outside on this sunny, snowy day, and make snow angels.

The backyard was all covered with snow, the perfect playground for The Lady and Kid.




The Lady and Kid were all smiles as our adventure began. What fun snow angels will be!




We shall walk up the hill to find the perfect spot!




The Lady made a snow angel, just like when she was a Kid!!!!



The snow angel looks like she's missing her head. The Lady know's she had a head on her shoulders when she laid down.




The Lady sat up and discovered she wasn't a Kid anymore. She could not get into the right postion to get back up on her feet again.




The Lady had to crawl a great distance to get back onto the flat ground of the patio to get back up again. The Lady probably won't be making her own snow angel again.





The Kid makes her snow angel with the Lady's help. She of course won't have to crawl across the yard, because she has The Lady to help her up from the supine position.




A snow angel made by a princess. The angel is perfect, just like the Kid!




The Kid fell into a deep hole. She doesn't seem to see this as an opportunity for more fun.



The Kid is very sad. Her boot has come off. Even though she has four pairs of socks on, this distresses her greatly.





Mommy had to come and rescue the Kid. The Lady was dealing with her own issues, as she had fallen down and couldn't get back up.



The Lady managed to grab the lonesome boot when she got back onto her own two feet.



The Kid is not happy about her bootless foot. Mommy will make that all better. The Lady and the Kid still had fun, but the Lady is now very sore!

I'm being picked on by Mother Nature......

I feel like I've been slapped down by Mother Nature. True, I made fun of being snowed-in last weekend, but I didn't realize it was a crime. This weekend I've been REALLY snowed-in. It's no joke this time. Last night I even saw lightening flashing during a period of white-out conditions. I'm being really tried on this "Cabin Fever" thing.

This is the deck outside my kitchen door. I keep thinking that I'm going to look outside, and the whole thing will have collapsed into the yard.




This is part of my front yard. The lampost has mature boxwood bushes around it. They are all completely covered. I already lost one to the December 19th snow. It split down the middle from the weight of the snow.




A pretty pic of a snow covered tree. Notice the snow drift to the left of the pic.




Billy outside to begin the Great American Digout. Or a secret Ninja mission, I forget which....




Here is a visual perspective on how much snow is on the deck. Neela loves to go outside, but couldn't figure out how to get over the wall of snow. How ironic that she is standing on a mat that says "Let It Snow."




Cassidy has been making this face at me. She has also taken to calling me Darlene instead of Grandma. Every once in a while, she just calls me Lady. I've been forgetting her name and calling her Kid. We're both going through a phase, I think.




Looking out towards the yard. The swing is to the right of the pic. The shed is in the distance.



Here is a pic of Cassidy taken last June. She is standing in almost the same space as the pic above. I miss the green trees and grass!





That hump is my car. All that you can see are parts of the sideview mirrors. Bill started to dig it out, but decided to wait till Spring thaw.






Well, I'd better head back inside. There are people waiting for me.....people I've been holed up with for far too long....wait!!!!...what's in my hand????....what does it have to do with cabin fever???? Why do I keep hearing the phrase "HERE'S JOHNNY!" in my head??????

A Snowy Day...........and Night

I've often wondered what other families do on their snowed in winter weekends. My sister Kelley cooks French gourmet meals, sets beautiful tables, has roaring fires, and then they all play board games and read books together. I thought I'd post a few pics of my family's recent snowed in weekend.

I woke up early on Saturday morning. The snow was beginning to cover the ground and make everything beautiful.



My front yard was becoming a winter wonderland. What fun it would be to be snowed in together with the ones you love.




My son Billy took this opportunity to play his drums......alot. There was no escaping the pounding beats. The natives were becoming restless.




Bill took to his recliner and pulled the blanket over his head. He came out periodically looking for food or drink, but otherwise, this is where he stayed.




Cassidy had a major meltdown and had to go lay down on her bed. She did this often during this snowy weekend away from the world.




Julie was on the couch with Cassidy lying upon her. She was taking a break from knitting thread into lace. That is for another blog though....




It was starting to get dark. Melissa and Tommy saw no reason for almost a foot of snow to alter their Saturday night date night. Melissa always dresses so appropriately for the outdoor weather.



The cats eyes were glowing from within. She was hearing the same voices I was..."Come on out you worthless pup, and take your medicine!"...........





It's now dark outside at the Overlook Hotel.....cabin fever is setting in.......how many people are really inside this place with me??????