Grape Harvest

When we moved to our home seven years ago, one of the requests I made was that I wanted my backyard as "lush" as possible....like an oasis in the hot desert. We got busy planning how we wanted the yard to look...Having a grape vine meant a lot to both my husband and myself. I can remember as a young girl, spending "hours" under the vine making my famous "mud pies"...."Only use the grapes on the ground" my dad would tell me. My husbands paternal side immigranted from Italy so you can figure how important "grapes" would be for him....
The first few years after planting, we got mostly foliage. There were a few grapes but the birds always beat us to them. Each year there after we got more and more fruit.
Now in the present...the economy is in havoc and many are returning to simplier ways. More and more are putting in gardens or doing container gardening. I've always known that the Lord would take care of us and He's proven his promise this year.
We noticed early that a lot of grapes had formed. We watched everyday, determined that the "birdies" wouldn't get them this year. We were prepared to take desperate measures if need be.... A week ago, we harvested a large mixing bowl full of the "fruit of the vine"... then this past weekend, we hit "pay dirt"... We got up early, to beat the heat, and harvested about 25 pounds of grapes!!! Mercy...now it's time to do more canning...Isn't it wonderful how we are blessed each day by the promises of God?

*Pictures are a sampling of our harvest... isn't it spectacular???

In Memory of Michael Jackson

This has been a "hard hitting" week in the entertainment world..First the passing of Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett and finally Michael Jackson.
I can remember where I first heard "The Jackson Five". It was in 1969, I had came home from class in Stillwater and I heard them sing "ABC". I remember thinking, "boy, they're good". Little did I know that was to be the beginning of a 40 year career, ending so tragically. Michael had gone through so much...highs and lows...and he was working on a "comeback" to begin in London in about a month.
This just goes to show you that in EVERYTHING... God is in control. May he rest in peace...he will always be remembered.

"Little Chef" Vintage Oven

All of us girls can remember playing "house" and making delicious meals with our imaginations and our toy stoves. I didn't have one, but always wanted one. My speciality was "mud pies" made under the grapevine, using the warmth of the sun as my "oven" and adding grapes as an ingredient.

Well...one of my favorite blogs that I love to visit is "Sugar Pie Farmhouse". Aunt Ruthie has the most wonderful spirit and it's obvious that she loves the Lord. She also has the most darling home, which she spends so much time and love into making it a special place for her family. One of her accents in her kitchen is a little oven...I noticed it the very first time I saw it. I've been in pursuit of one ever since. I finally found one and it's on it's way to my home... I can't wait.


Right now, I've got my eye on some utensils that go with this little oven. I hope I am able to get those too.

I decided to try to find some history of this "find" and came across a Little Golden Book that was not written to go with the oven but has little recipes that can go with the oven. If I can find one of these, I'm hooking it too.


I know this all sounds silly but it's fun to re-live some of our past childhood memories. Those are days that are long past and sometimes can't be recaptured.

Blessings,

Our Secret Garden

One of the conditions on moving was that I wanted a green "lush" garden....something to remind me of home. We've been working on creating just that.

We tried many different plants and shrubs and found that roses grow well here in the heat. We have many different roses, some going down the side of our home...most are in the backyard garden.

All gardens need a "garden gate". Upon entering our garden, we have a beautiful mandavilla vine called "Stars and Stripes". Hopefully within time, it will grow and cross over the arch above the gate.

As you look past the patio area, you'll see a gravel path leading to our solitude bench under the grapevine. Nearby, we have an old Franklin wood burning stove with a wine barrel sitting on top. The reason for that is we have a "puppy" that likes to get on top of the stove and peek over the wall into the neighbors yard....Hunter is a real character.

Moving a little to the East is another view of our solitude bench, nestled in the grapes. Nearby, on the wall, is a collection of whimsical birdhouses. Some birds use them, most just stop to look.

Even though our yard is not very big, we've tried to make it as "lush" as possible. One of the things we did was to use a Chaste bush and trained it to be a tree. Every Summer, we get the most beautiful purple sprigs of flower for a couple of weeks and then it provides much needed shade.

One thing for sure is that the heat will zap all the moisture out of everything. On a trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, we picked up two rockers made by the Amish. Every summer they have to be repainted or they become "kindling" waiting to happen. This season, we've painted one, Cherry Red, and are waiting for a calm day to paint the other Forest Green. We love to have splashes of color throughout the garden.

As you can see, our garden is a "work in progress".... we still have another patio to build (as you can tell by the pallets of stone). Hunter has worn patches in the grass that need to be replaced...all of this takes time and "elbow grease". Yes, I would love to be home in Oklahoma but for now, this is our "getaway" from the hustle and bustle of a hot, fast city. ... More to come.

Soda Pop Box

On a recent visit to our local grocery store, we discovered a rustic looking soda pop box. We both examined it and without saying a word, we both thought, "we can make that and make it even better." The price tag on the box was $129. WHEW... that's a lot of money for a poorly made box.

Well.... we talked about it on our way home and knew we already had some of the materials that we would want included in ours. Wayne has an excellent eye for spotting things along the highway and had previously found a bundle of styrofoam (normally used for insulating ). Our son, whose in the sheet metal union, had given us two 3'x4' sheets of galvanized sheet metal. We had some scrap lumber to build the internal frame....all we needed was the Redwood lumber for the outside finished product plus a hinge and something to use as handles.

We jumped on starting the project quickly...first visiting the local Lowe's to get the Redwood lumber and other hardware. This project actually took 3 weekends because, after all, he does have to work. He started by building the very bottom, making it 4 inches thick, this included the insulation and tin. He next build the frame, which included the legs. He then added the Redwood sides and completed the bottom portion by adding more insulation to all four sides. He then covered the inside with tin and used silicone caulk to seal the seams. The last major portion of building was the lid, which included a 1 inch thick plug that would seal the top.

When it came to adding the handles, we quickly decided we had bought the wrong style. We ended up going to the local feed store and purchased some horseshoes for the end and top handles. Of course, we had to have one "pony" shoe for decorating the front. We added a few rustic metal stars and all we're lacking at this point is an authentic "Coca Cola" wall mount bottle opener, which we are looking for.

We have a store here that sells vintage soda pops...Bubble Up, Nesbit Orange and Grape, Sasparilla, Old fashioned Root Beer and Cream Soda. ALL of these are made with cane sugar and have the "old fashioned taste" that so many of us grew up with. Even our glass bottled Coca Colas are made with the cane sugar...

Oh by the way... the total amount of money we spent on this was around $40 and we are sooooooooooo proud of the way it turned out.... Bring on the 4th of July...we're ready.

Our Precious "Sweet Pea"

Isn't this the most precious face.... this is our "Sweet Pea".... Ziola, 8 months old

Happy New Year

I'm still not "in the know" to this blogging thing. I can't seem to remember to add something more often than I have. Please bear with me, as I'm still learning to add pics etc. In the meantime, here's wishing you a very Happy New Year. Hope that this year brings you all the joy that you desire...

Summer is going....

It's hard for me to believe that the summer is almost over. July was a busy busy month for my family. It started off with a VERY quick trip home to Oklahoma. We left July 3rd and returned July 7th. I went to see my oldest son and also to reconnect with childhood friends. There was other motives as well....Ted's, Braum's, Del Rancho...the list goes on and on. We even brought back two huge Black Diamond Watermelons, something we can't seem to find here in Vegas. On the way home, we called son #2 to check on the well being of our "soon to be" newest granddaughter, due the end of the month. He told us that she had been born, she weighed this and was that inches long. I was so upset then he told me he was just joking. BUT, later that evening, more like 1:30 AM..he called us again and said he "wasn't joking this time." Our "daughter-in-law" was in labor and she was at the hospital. I said it in quotes because they aren't married, but you wouldn't know that. We were more than 3 hours away, but quickly gathered our thoughts and drove home, straight to the hospital.

Ziola Rain was born July 7th at 11:09 AM. She weighed 7lbs and 5oz. She was early and even though her weight dictating otherwise, she had some problems. They rushed her to the NIC-Unit and she was there for 22 days. A very stressful time in our lives. But God does answer prayers and she's fine, home and doing well now. Her "big brother" Ocean came to see her on the 22nd and he's still here. Along with him, "Aunt Jan" came and spent a week with us. Needless to say, we're exhausted.

Now we are in the "rest mode"...planning on some fall camping trips and of course, going to see our "precious sweet pea" as often as we can...Life is wonderful, isn't it?

Happy Anniversary Wayne

Today is my wedding anniversary. Nine years ago, I married the love of my life. It wasn't my first marriage, but it was. I had been a single parent of three for nineteen years. All of my friends would tell you that I always said "I would never, ever marry again". But the Lord works in mysterious ways. Through modern technology, I met my husband on the internet. It wasn't through one of those "chat rooms" but through a mutual friend. We sent messages for 4 months before I allowed him to call me on the phone. After 3 more months, we began a year long relationship of flying back and forth between Las Vegas and Oklahoma City.

On June 19, 1999, at Noon, in the mountains of Mt. Charleston, among the beautiful Aspen trees, we were united in marriage, with my children, our families and friends all present. It was beautiful. It seems like yesterday.

Wayne is my best friend, my soulmate, the love of my life. The Lord brought us together and we've had THE most fantastic life together. I can only wish that others could be as happy as us.

Happy Anniversay ...my knight in shining armour ~ ~ ~ ***

*Picture taken at the site where we took our vows

Blessings,

Honoring My Father

Today is Father's Day...and I write this to Honor My Father. He has been gone for almost 30 years, but there's not a day goes by that I don't think of him. He was a man of quiet demeanor, soft spoken all the time, loved to share stories, make things from wood, and fish. He never raised his voice, yet you knew he meant business. He spoiled me rotten and taught me a lot. His work ethics were impecable, passing the trait of hard work leads to good things on to my brother and myself. I wish he were here...I miss him so much. Yet, I know, one day we will meet again. Happy Father's Day Daddy... I love you.