Me and My Shadow

Easter evening, Melanie, Dave and Kiley stopped by when they got in town after visiting with Dave's family for the weekend. Kiley looked so cute in her little Easter dress, and she walked and played very lady like in it.

I couldn't help but want a picture of her with me, we got all of us with her, but this one is just of me and my shadow. Anywhere I go, you will find this little girl helping me. Whether it's cleaning house (she likes walking on fresh wet mopped floors), loading the dishwasher, (she unloads it, or closes the door on me), vacuuming the carpets (she stands in front of the vac and let's me vac her feet), folding laundry (she likes taking off with a pile of folded clothes and running away giggling), working outside in garden or flower beds (she eats the dirt clods, and finds any rocks that lay around), picking up debris from the yard (she good at picking up sticks, and picking her favorite ones to chew on), re-arranging furniture (her little grunts and groans as she pushes things with me), raking leaves (she has her own rake). Well enough listing what the two of us do.

It's been so re-vitalizing for me, these last 20 months bonding with my granddaughter. This time has also re-bonded me with my own girls and my son in law. I have been so blessed with my family. My love for them grows everyday in every way.

Hello God

Hello God,

I must sound like a broken record by now.

2011 has found me praying so often for better

weather, less snow, warmer temps, sun shine,

and lately less rain, shelter from storms.

So, I will begin this prayer with a big

THANK YOU GOD, for watching over

us once again, during the last batch

of storms to move across the USA in

our area, for keeping us safe from the

destruction many others suffered in that

storm. Thank you for sparing the lives

of those whose homes were destroyed.

Please Lord, shine your sun on us today,

dry the soil, so we may plant our seeds

and rejoice in new growth from your earth.

Please lead me thru the day, show me

what I should be seeing and doing.

Give me strength and guidance, what you

have in store for me today. In Jesus' name

I pray. Amen

Another day at Gramma's

Kiley and Daddy after a hard day at work and play.

This is my little K, running away from Gramma,

cause I said it was time to go inside.

She loves learning. She got letters and numbers
for Easter, so she can learn her ABC's and 123's.

This basket usually holds my girls old McDonald's

toys from happy meals. Kiley loves playing with

them. But she dumped them out, and decided

she was going to sit in the basket herself.

She's a tad too big, but she giggled and tried

to get into anyway.

I say she succeeded.

First Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday Easter Egg hunt at Jerseyville Manor.

I took Kiley to her mom's work for their annual

Easter Egg hunt. They parked the residents in front

of the windows, so they can watch the children.

Normally, the residents would be allowed outside

in the garden court to watch, but the cool damp

sprinkling of rain would be too cold for the older

folks. Kiley was the only child to go up to the

window and wave at the residents watching.

She waved, blew them kisses, and showed them

her eggs she found under their window.

After the hunt began for her, she got so

excited with every egg, she did her little

stand and scream thing she does. Oops,

she is allowed to be vocal here and at home,

guess we should start toning it down for out

in public.

She found about 2 dozen eggs, and out of 3

size eggs, Kiley found one of them.

She got a prize bag, filled with candy,

and a bottle of bubbles. How fitting as

she has been introduced to bubbles and

loves them.

So glad to have been able to attend her

first Easter Egg hunt and watch how much

fun she had, and how entertaining she was

to the residents.

Happy Easter Kiley.

Bubbles anyone?

Kiley was introduced to a new experience.

Bubbles

What is Easter without the traditional

bottle of bubbles and the neat things

they sell to make the bubbles unique.

We have been having so much rain lately,

the bubbles are keeping the grass clean

after we have enjoyed an afternoon of sun

shine and playing outside with them.

I just wish there were more afternoons

of sunshine than we have had.

My boys and their toys.

Steve and Dave got these parts free to play with.
They looked at every piece one at a time.

There is several pieces which will come in handy on
some of our tractors.

Then we had to take this load to the farm for storage
and future use.

Nothing like good ole farmers helping each other out.
That farmer wanted his shed cleaned out, and my guys'
helped him get the job done.

April 2 - Strawberries, Onions, Radishes & Lettuce

Let's dance and dance and dance.

I got my garden ready for planting today. Steve and I headed to the farm, he checked my garden area and said it could be worked. So I took him to get the 706 IH to hook to the disk, he then went over it like 5 times, and it all turned up nice and moist, yet dry enough to start planting in it.

Oh, how happy that made me. I did a little jig right out there in the dirt. I got the big tiller out of shed, gas-ed it up, checked the oil, and then Steve started it and did my area I wanted to plant my strawberry plants in. I carried the bags of top soil from truck while he tilled, and I got my tools and plants and waited patiently while he tilled. We added the top soil, he went over the ground again one more time to mix that in. Then I was on my hands and knees planting those strawberries. Yeah baby.

I had started doing house cleaning exercises with some online friends to get in shape for gardening back in mid Feb. We are also eating healthy and loosing pounds. I have lost so far 13 lbs. And my back and hips are in shape for gardening. Whooohooo. Only thing is, I didn't get my knees and ankles in shape for the crawling on the ground then standing up. Man do I feel old. At one time I didn't know if I could get up, as I was backed against the fence. Next time, I am going to plant on the inside of garden, not against the fence where I can't back up to get up without getting on my rows. Live and learn............

Since Steve was what farmers call striking off our field, I planted my 30 strawberry plants, and 2 rows of yellow onions sets, then a 2 foot row of radishes, and a 6 foot row of leaf lettuce.

My seedlings I am growing in the house are really taking off. I am setting them outside for the day time, as the temps are warm enough, and the sun is just what they needed to help get them growing. It's too early yet to plant transplants in the garden, with night temps still hitting in the upper 30's. But my garden is started and I am so happy to get out of the house and not have to clean everyday. I love cleaning and am a little ocd about a clean house, but it does get old after a couple months of that is all I have done.

Anyway - I pray all my things grow from this first planting. And I am so looking forward to planting the rest of my produce and watching it grow.