Orchids in Bloom

All of these orchids were Grandma's - she had a green thumb and at times had many violet plants which I think are hard to grow. Mom has the orchids now and as she says "has been trying to keep them alive for 4 years".

This purple and white one has been in bloom since Mom came home from the hospital. The white one in the last picture has been looking like it's ready to open for several days.

Nice weather here in Indiana all week - and in Iowa (although windy there). Bill is getting equipment ready to start planting. He had some helpers this past weekend. Our nieces and nephew helped him change sweeps on the cultivator.

I had a quick lunch with a friend on Sat. at Bub's with a stop at Quilt Corner for some fabric to make a rag quilt purse for one of the demonstrators in my downline. I gave it as a door prize at our meeting. She wants a pink and chocolate one. Will post pictures at some point. Think I'll cut the squares for hers today while it's nice and sunny.

Yesterday I met another friend for a few minutes. I'm like everybody else that moves away, when you're back, you want to try to fit in visits with everybody.

Mom's therapy is coming along. So far she seems to have a good day and then the next day she feels pooped. We've been trying to ice her knee more to get the swelling down. The therapist said we should see a difference this week.

Building in Carmel Continues

No matter what the economy, the building in Carmel never stops. This is on Main Street next to Bub's (a great burger place). Mom thinks it's going to be a parking garage, shops on the main level and condos above.

This building has been in the works for a long time - it's going to be the Performing Arts Center.

Yesterday we had rain all today. Today is sunny but chilly.

Mom's knee is getting better every day. Today the therapist could tell she's getting better because she started to turn corners too sharp with the walker. He wants her to keep rounding corners when she turns. He's had her go down the steps and walk outside twice this week. No therapist coming tomorrow or Sun.! But exercises have to continue.

I baked & cooked most of the morning. I baked brownies and froze some for Mom for the next few weeks. I roasted a pork tenderloin for moist, lean protein and froze some of it, made German potato salad, green beans and honey wheat bread. Yum! But no more cooking today or maybe even tomorrow!

More Things Blooming

These are some of the daffodils that Dad planted at their church. I went there yesterday to drop off corn pudding and cheesecake for the funeral dinner for Norris Foulke's family. They were neighbors of ours for years. His son, Gary, LOVES Mom's cheesecake so had to make that for him.




Mom's other darker purple crocuses in bloom.








I think the orange centers of flowers like this are amazing.

Today was a nice day but more showers and cooler temps are on the way so I got out and picked up sticks and raked a garbage can full of these burr things (from a sweetgum tree).

We had bacon wrapped steaks grilled on the charcoal grill last evening - Yum! With baked potatoes and salad.

Taco Potatoes

Mom has been enjoying having a personal cook this week. Today I made one of my favorite quick & filling meals: taco potatoes. We had a restaurant here in Carmel back when I was just out of high school that had baked potatoes with various toppings you could get like broccoli & cheese, chili & cheese, etc. My favorite was the taco one. You just bake one potato per person. Smash it with a fork and add butter if you like. I leave that off. I add pepper (I don't use salt since the taco seasoning has sodium in it).

Make taco meat (browned hamburger with taco seasoning). Top with shredded cheese (it melts a little if you put it on over the meat). Then shredded lettuce, taco sauce or salsa and some sour cream. Tomatoes are good on it too. I usually use a bigger baked potato for Bill and smaller for me. It's just nice that it's a meal all in one!

Bill went to a meeting today where he was fed a good lunch. He says he has plenty to do in the next couple of weeks getting equipment ready and picking up seed.

New Bronzes in Carmel

Carmel has added some more bronzes since I was last here! Not sure how many more there are going to be. They're all in the old downtown area now called the Arts & Design District. I took these pictures last week when we were going places before surgery.



The therapist Mom will have the rest of the time came today. He was very nice, professional and we learned a lot about how she should be doing the exercises. He'll be here the next 6 days before she has 2 days "off" although she'll have to continue doing the exercises every day - most 3 to 5 times a day.

Bill says he has been working on the planter and some other stuff (fans ?) - less than a month till they can plant, he's been to a couple more gun shows and yesterday the fire dept. burned a house (on purpose). Had to have the plumber come to the house. It snowed there a couple of days ago and everything was covered in snow again but yesterday was nice - good day to burn a house. He's watching lots of Sy-Fy and living on pizza I think.

Spring is in Indiana

These crocuses were in bloom to greet Mom when she came home from the hospital yesterday. Great timing! There are lots of flowers that are getting ready to bloom here. Some of the neighbors' daffodils are already blooming. Dad had planted lots of bulbs at their church, and the daffodils there are about to open. I'm sure you'll be seeing more flower and blooming tree pictures from me in the next couple of weeks.

The therapist came to Mom's today. It's so nice that they come to the house! He went over the exercises she's supposed to be doing 3-5 times a day and made sure that she knows how to use the walker to back into the shower and other daily things like that. As you can imagine, the simplest things take a lot of effort. She's supposed to be sure to eat at least 3 meals a day especially including protein to help with healing. We were told that ice would be her best friend. We're keeping busy!

Homemade Salsa

When I got to Mom's last week, she had made this homemade salsa for us. It was good! It's the Pioneer Woman's recipe (click on the underlined word recipe to go to her blog for the post showing step by step pictures & instructions). Be sure to read the comments with her recipes.






Mom found these new Tostitos dipping strips! I don't know if we have them in Iowa yet.

Mom's surgery was today. The surgeon said it went well even though her knee was in pretty bad shape. She had kind of a rough time with nausea and vomiting for a while but the nurse got it under control after trying a few medicines. Tomorrow may not be easy either - first time for therapy, starting pain pills, etc.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Stamp Class

Whenever I come back to Indiana, I try to have a meeting for the demonstrators under me and a stamp class for my customers here. I had the downline meeting on Sat. (forgot to take people pictures) and the stamp class Sun. afternoon.

Becky, Mom, Susan, Carol & Connie. They made a pinwheel card and a 3 x 6 card using 2 sided designer paper.


This is Suetta and her mom showing off one of the cards they made. It used the Beautiful Wings Big Shot embosslit die found in our current Occasions Mini catalog (you can see it by clicking on it in the right column of this blog - pg. 24). When you run this embosslit through the Big Shot, you have 4 different sizes of little butterflies!



This is Lauren, Jeanne & Carol making the pinwheel card.

I also demonstrated how to use the Circle Scissor Plus with glass mat and using the Big Shot scalloped square die to make a rag quilt purse (will have pictures of that on another day). You can run over 100 different materials through the big shot besides card stock & paper (like aluminum from pop cans, sandpaper, fabric . . .).

Fun days of stamping!

Finishing Up

Mom got her hair cut yesterday, and we went to another appointment. We have a couple more places to go today or Mon./things to take care of before surgery Tues.

I'm making a few more samples and some little purse nugget holders for favors for my downline meeting tomorrow and stamp class Sun. I also haven't started what should be a fun project: rag quilt purses made with cutting the fabric scalloped squares with the Big Shot.


These little purses contain a Hershey nugget and are just cute for favors (for mother/daughter teas, etc.).

Spring has Arrived in Indiana!

It was a great weather day here - high of 72! I looked at Iowa weather online - 35/feels like 28.

Mom and I went out for breakfast - we're trying places she's wanted to go and doing it before her surgery! After surgery I'll be cooking! Then I took advantage of the nice day and walked on The Monon Trail. Lots of others were too. This picture shows some roller bladers coming toward me.

This woman was pulling a "kid carrier" behind her bike.

This evening we tried a place called Stacked Pickle. It wasn't too exciting.

This bronze was outside the restaurant. The last picture is showing all the people eating outside today and this evening everywhere. The temps. are going down some in the next few days plus chance of rain.

Back in Indiana

I headed for Indiana yesterday. Mom is having knee replacement surgery. While here I'm having a Stampin' Up! meeting for the demonstrators under me and the next day a stamp class for customers! I was getting ready for these events the past few days - and getting everything packed for the trip. This is all stamping stuff in the back of the Pilot.

The snow had finally melted off our grill and I got a little path shoveled to it. We didn't have any steaks but at least grilled some hot dogs!

Today mom & I went to a class re: her surgery and then out for lunch at the restaurant, Ghyslain at the Sanctuary, where artist, Nancy Noel's work is sold . I sure wish I would've had my camera with me - some of you would've enjoyed seeing a picture of our plates - works of art themselves! I had Quiche Lorraine and white bean chicken chili. Mom had a spinach quiche and sweet southwest potato salad. We didn't try any of the fancy French pastries.

You can see that most of the snow in Indiana has melted! The sun was out for a little while and it's 60! I think I'm headed to the Monon Trail to walk but radar shows rain is almost here.

Snowmen Be Gone

The other day I decided that since it's March, the snowmen need to go! I still have 3 out but they're being taken to the basement one by one!

There have been pictures in our paper of various things written in the snow banks with spray paint - like "We Want Summer Now".

I got out my Easter egg cookie jar that I love. I bought it a few years ago from the Hershey's catalog. Bill asked if there were really cookies in it. I told him "no, and don't touch it!!" :) It's sitting on a lace doily made by my grandma.

Diane & Lacey came over a few days ago. Funny to see where she has to sit to reach the pedals! Also funny that when I got the camera she said "and this is going to be on Facebook"! They are getting ready for the baby at their house with adding a bedroom.

Time to Dig Out

Yesterday I decided it was time to shovel the snow out of the screened porch. The snow is finally beginning to melt a little so thought that maybe if I shoveled it out of the porch, the carpet would dry quicker - by July if we're lucky!

The basement has been dark this winter with snow covering the window well covers. I was able to get this one uncovered so my stamp room will have some south light!

It was harder getting to the windows in the deep snow that you sink down through than it was shoveling them out!

Bill & Tim hauled corn yesterday. They're working on their last 2 bins but they're at Tim's which is on the highway, so they won't have to worry about hauling on the gravel roads anymore. Our neighbors are also hauling past our house.

Today they're taking the combine to John Deere in West Bend for its annual checkup.

Buckeyes

I told Reed, the choc. & peanut butter lover, that I would make Buckeyes and send to them at college. Our family usually makes them at Christmas time, but I didn't this year.

They only have 4 ingredients: peanut butter, a stick of butter, box of powdered sugar and vanilla. You mix these ingredients, with your hands at the end, and then roll into balls the size of buckeyes.
Look at that sun shining in clear to the kitchen!

Mom gave me this cute little electric melting pot that's perfect for melting choc. and dipping candy. The little pot is just the right size to make the choc. deep enough for dipping. It keeps it at just the right temperature with no messing with water and a double boiler! It would also be good for keeping melted butter warm for lobster.

I put the balls on a tray on waxed paper and put them into the refrigerator until they're good and cold, then dip with a toothpick - leaving part of the top undipped so they'll look like buckeyes!

Just let the choc. set up before eating! I like them best cold. The perfectionists take their finger and rub the peanut butter a little bit to cover up the toothpick hole.

Hope the boys are surprised/happy when they open their mailboxes!

Warm Sunshine

Look at the sunshine coming in the front door! I opened it this afternoon to go out and knock some icicles down. I ended up leaving it open because the sun coming in was so warm. Then cleaned the glass of the storm door. The furnace actually quit running for a while. When I went to the grocery I was tempted to go without a coat! All of this due to the temp. warming up to about 26!

Before the snow all melts away, a few more pictures of how deep it's been here this winter! This is Peggy's back yard.

These are both sides of the road at Peggy's house




Flooding is being talked about. Everyone is hoping for a slow melt.

I'm watching The Bachelor finale tonight. I'm afraid he's going to make a bad decision . . . Bill is going to be glad when this show is over! He can't believe it's on for 3 hours tonight! St. Lucia where they're at is beautiful.