The Blacksplash ...

The backsplash for the new kitchen was the hardest

thing to pick out

There are so many pretty colors, different patterns, different

materials....ceramic, stone, glass...the choices are endless

And I was just so confused on how to work with the

with the granite and it being so busy.

But I researched a lot on the internet, read a lot of designer

blogs and then consulted with the tile people.

And what I learned was that you can only have one "star" of

the kitchen.....it can be the counter or the backsplash

but not both. And the granite was def the star of our

kitchen so I knew I had to be more subtle in the backsplash. I had

been thinking white all along but then my sister Kandi mentioned doing it in black to break up the white from the upper and lower cabinets.

And I def did not want the subway tile. I love it but it's everywhere you go and I was afraid over time I would grow tired of it. So I went with the basic 4 inch ceramic tile in black but turned it so we had the diamond pattern and then added the one inch tile with a pattern in the brushed nickel like the hardware on the cabinets. I think it turned out beautiful. I say it is the jewelry of the kitchen!!

so here ya go........BEFORE.......

and AFTER.......

the only thing left now is the new furniture and it

should be in this week!!

later.......



Yard cleanup ...

all of my family got together yesterday to do a good yard

clean up at our parents home.

Due to some recent health issues, they haven't been able to get

out and clean up winter debris. Plus some things had just begun

to really overgrow and take over some areas.

We all brought some breakfast items over....doughnuts, fruit, muffins and bagels and met over there at 8:30 to start work.

it was a lot to do but as always, it's fun just being together.

below are a bunch of pics. And as much as I love a sunny day, I was thankful that morning was overcase.......1st, it kept us cooled off and 2nd, pictures are just soooo much better on a cloudy day!!

Gabe enjoying sitting on Papa's riding mower

Maddox started out dusting in the house for Memaw but then moved to outside and was "dusting" off the driveway..haha

Jacob taking a break.......

I didn't have my camera out while we were working on the back yard...then remembered I had brought it so these shot were when we were just about done working. Mom had made everyone Tacos for lunch....yum!

It was a lot of work but we were all happy to do it for our parents and a big thanks to our brother for coming up with the idea and organizing it!

later....



Bunny update and a red door ...

The update on the bunnies is....they are gone.

I think the mommy moved them because I don't believe they were

at the age to leave the nest yet. And I read that if she thinks they are

in any danger, she will move them. Well, after the stare down she gave me

and Pippa Lou's antics, I'm sure she feared for them!

So I'm sure they are ok and probably living under the Pompas Grass

in the front yard.....which is where we would always see her.

Now, the red door .... I've always loved a red front door

on a white house with black trim. And I had the door painted a red

but it was more a barn red....very dark. I really wanted a bright

red color but it's the kind of job you just kind of put off.

So last weekend the weather was perfect for that kind of project.

I put a baby gate up in the doorway so the dogs couldn't escape

and I hung a heavy painters cloth in the doorway to keep

flys, birds, critters out of the house. I knew I would have

to put on a couple of coats and I wanted it to be really dry

before we shut the door. And it did......took 3 coats.

But it sure looks good......what do you think??

later ......



Bunny update ...

We have been good about going outside with the dogs

so that they wouldn't mess with the baby bunnies

then tonight I went to my exercise class

and folks at home forgot to watch the dogs.

Bella Boo was caught digging at the bunny nest and

Pippa Lou got ahold of one!!

they got it from her and put it back in the nest.

and covered it up good.

A little later in the evening Pippa was barking like

crazy at the back door.

I went over to look out and .... uh oh, there was the mommy

bunny. And she looked mad....seriously, if a bunny can look

mad, she did. And she was just staring at our door.

I got a couple of pics, felt bad so I threw a few

carrots out and she ran off.

I sure hope she will take care of the babies tonight



later....

Baby Bunnies ...

This morning when Johnny went to let the dogs in,

he saw Pippa Lou scratching around the bird house post

and she would not leave......would not listen but then

again, what else is new!

So Johnny goes down there and this is what he found.

and dang, I thought I had turned the pictures...so

just turn your head!

 she had uncovered a nest of 5 baby bunnies!! And oh my, you

can't even believe how sweet and cute these babies are!!!

what she had scratched away was old grass that had fur all in it. You

can see the fur laying around.

that is what the mother uses to keep them warm

So we looked up baby bunnies on the internet and is says that

the mother stays gone all day and only returns in the middle of the night

to feed them. If you hear the babies crying, it usually means the mother

has not returned to feed them....that more than likely, something

has happened to her. Oh goodness, you know it will break my

heart if I hear baby bunnies crying!! We covered them back up to keep

them warm. And we will go outside with the dogs to make sure they

do not harm them.

later....

Frozen coffee ...

I took Friday and Monday off.....I really needed it!

and one thing I enjoy when I don't have to go to work

is having coffee during the day.

I normally drink 2 cups a day early

If I drink during the day, it will keep me up at night

So when I'm off of work, I enjoy afternoon coffee

sometimes from Wawa and sometimes from Starbucks.

But my favorite is to make my own frozen coffee

I put lots of ice, leftover coffee, a little bit of coffeemate

and some Skinny Caramel Macchato made by International Delight

then I run it on the frozen drink speed

mmmm, good!!

and if you add a little Baileys, even better

later...

Ready for summer ...

We spent this past weekend buying new flowers, mulch

potting soil .... power washing the deck

and just cleaning out winter!!

Now we're all ready for sitting outside and enjoying the weather

and here's all the little pots of my herbs for cooking

and here's Johnny and Pippa Lou enjoying the clean deck!

later...

Backyard mystery ...

I have a backyard mystery

unlike the mystery last year with the strange animal droppings

(turned out it was a deer jumping our fence)

So here it is.....last year a friend gave me some seeds for

a periennal vine. I planted them in a pot of dirt on the deck and they

sprouted within a week. So we dug a big hole by the fence, and

transplanted the seedlings into the ground. As the vine grew, we trained

it to go along the fence. It was beautiful all spring, summer and fall.

it has very dainty little purple flowers that almost look like orchids.

when the flowers die, they form into a seed pod and dry up

In February, I pulled most of the seed pods off of the vine

that was still entangled in the fence. Took the seeds to work to

share with my co-workers. 

So this past weekend, Johnny and I were looking around to make sure

everything in that area was coming back.....yep, there's the peonies, all 3 of them looking great peeking through the dirt. Butterfly bush...very nice and full. Then we go to check on the vine and it was gone! No longer were the dried out runners entwined on the fence and there was a big hole where we had planted it last year. What the heck...

at first we thought maybe the dogs dug it up but there would have been

traces of the vines....and there were no vines laying around.

and the hole is dug up too perfect to be the work of my

little doggies.

I still had a couple of the seed pods at work so I'm going to plant

those and try again....

and no, I haven't seen evidence of deer so it wasn't them!

later.....

Shrimp Creole ...

If you love shrimp creole, you'll love this recipe

it's easy peasy and it's mmmmm good!

I always have to tweak recipes a tad bit but I really didn't

have to on this one. I put my notes to the side....

here ya go....

1/3 cup shortening (I used my new health kick, coconut oil)

1/4 cup flour

1 lb med cleaned shrimp (no head, tail or vein, ewww)

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2 because we love garlic)

1/2 cup minced onion

2 tablespoon parsley

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup water

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 can tomato sauce (15 1/2 oz)

2 cups rice, cooked (I used our other new health kick, Quinoa)

Melt the shortening in sauce pan over high heat. Add flour, cook stirring until light brown. Reduce heat

Add shrimp, cook stirring for 3 minutes

Add garlic, onion, parsley and bell pepper. Cook stirring

for 2 minutes.

Increase heat, add water gradually. Add salt, pepper and tomato sauce.

bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer 20 to 30 minutes

serve over rice, noodles or Quinoa!

this makes 4 servings so for a crowd, just double.

make sure you have all ingredients ready and lined up

because you are constantly stirring

this shot is right out of the camera so it has an orange

tone to it...it's the lighting in my kitchen.

the sauce is actually red!

enjoy!!

later......

Easter ...

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE....



later...

Spring stuff ...

Def spring when you see the bags of mulch around

We have lots of yard work to do

and I can't wait to hit up Lowes for some new flowers

But I'm trying to hold off as we are still getting some

cold weather.

Here in Virginia we are not quite past the

last freeze. But soon....

later....

Quinoa...

I just discovered Quinoa....

Quinoa ( /ˈkiːnwɑː/ or /kɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish: quinua, from Quechua: kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

so yes, sometimes I think I live under a log!!

haha....I knew nothing about Quinoa.

A friend gave me some so I cooked it up

and ate a bowl full with a little butter and some cheese

and yum! I loved it

will be eating a lot this now!

later.....

Trouble with a capital T ....

Saturday I went out to lunch with a very good friend

we talk so much we hardly eat!

So I didn't finish my hamburger and brought half of

it home in a styrofoam container.

And I set it down on the table.....meant to put it up

but Johnny and I decided to head over to Costco.

When we came home, this is what we found....pieces

of the container on the dining room table



and then we saw a tomato laying on the floor

and then we found the empty container in the den

along with a pickle but I didn't get a pic of that

apparently, she doesn't like tomatoes or pickles

and here's the culprit!

yep ... her name is trouble.....with a capital T

and how do we know it's her...because she is the only one

that gets on the table. I do not like animals on the table but this one

she sneaks it in whenever she can!

later....

Mason Jar Salads ...

I saw the Mason Jar Salads on Pinterest and I thought

it looked fun....and handy!

So first up was digging out my jars and

washing them up

then the store for all of the salad supplies

lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, water chestnuts, strawberries

cabbage, shredded broccoli salad, celery, cheese



I would have liked to have put avocada's in the jars but wasn't

sure how they would do

and then cut up everything.....

The first layer is the dressing.

I did a couple of jars without dressing....just want to see how they

turn out.

the next layer is cabbage and shredded broccoli

you want this layer to be the one that is ok to soak up dressing

then just start adding the layers

lettuce is the very last to add

and just mash it down.....I just kept pushing it down more

so that I could get enough in there

and here ya go......enough salads for the week

we can either grab these to take to work for lunch

or have them for dinner. All of the chopping is already done!

later....

Spring is here ....

It's spring time in Virginia

Lots and lots of pollen every where

the cars so covered you can't even ride with the windows down!



oh look, I have to get my car inspected in May

but the good part is

we have beautiful green grass now....

and with the arrival of spring brings

lots of grass cutting

which equals "green socks" on the pups!!

haha...

later...