Baby Issiah

Baby Issiah Bradley has arrived! Our new grandson arrived at 2:16 am this morning. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 inches long. DH and I went to the hospital this evening to see mommy and baby. Both are doing very well. I took lots of pictures. He is so tiny and precious. I just love being a grandma. Here I am holding Issiah.

First fishing trip of the Spring season

Here in the Midwest, the weather is finally warming up. The sun is shining....Yes, Spring is in the air. The daffodils are in bloom..Gosh, I have been aching to go fishing since the ice left the lake. There is nothing like the taste of fresh pan fried bluegill! My dad, sister and I decided today was the day. We would go to the pond. I like going there because I always catch a mess of bluegill, good sized ones too! Being on a private pond you don't need a fishing licence as, I don't have mine yet. In the beginning we weren't sure we would be able to go as my dad wouldn't be able to drive back to it with his truck, being so wet and all. We decided later that he would drive out to the pond with his lawn tractor with his wagon behind it to carry the bucket, bait and fishing poles. My sister and I would walk. It is a way to walk but, we didn't mind it as walking after all, would be good exercise. Even though at 60 degrees, the sun shone brightly,however, the north wind cut right through us. This made for a difficult time to cast our line out. Our lines at times got tangled a few times from some tall weeds amongst the shore line. The fish were hungry! It is no wonder as they do not have mosquitoes and such to eat yet. We used red worms and wax worms but the fish prefered the red worms today. It seemed my sister and I were reeling all the fish in until my dad got out his small cane pole and used it and then he was reeling them in right and left. No one got skunked .I am sure if I hadn't had to go to the bathroom so bad we would have stayed longer. Our pail was packed with fish! It was time to head back to the house. 51 fish=102 pieces divided by 3 = 30.6 pieces each to be exact. We all had enough for a meal and one batch for each of us to freeze for another meal, another day. Now, we had to clean all those fish. Most city folk would have to wonder at the sight of my dad, sister and I outside at the table cleaning fish with chickens walking all around us. My dad throws a piece of chicken gut now and then as the chickens scramble for that one piece. We laugh and talk. I had an amazing time and I really look forward to my next fishing trip on the pond. But, next time it will be 60 degrees and no wind!

A llittle of this and that

If I am not posting as much anymore during the week, It is because I have been extremely busy like tending my garden, Oh my....with all the rain and warm weather the garden is growing crazy and so are the weeds. I have been trying to stay on top of it all which is a tackle in itself these days. Oh..how embarrassing to have a weedy garden. Weeds are a fact of life with a garden and they need to be pulled. Seriously, I have to be attentive to them. Turn your back on them and they are back in your garden! When I am not tending the garden I have been fishing and having coffee with my Dad. In fact, I went again this morning with him and we reeled in 47 beautiful bluegill. The rest of the day was spent helping clean fish dividing the bluegill between us. I put 4 containers full in the freezer for this winter. We had so much fun that we fished again early this evening. This time, DH went with us. We took home 50 fish. HA! This time DH received the honors of cleaning them. I put 4 more containers in the freezer. We are ever so thankful the Lord has blessed us once again with a mess of fish. I must not forget the quality time spent with my father. Oh yes, and then there is our pet rabbit. Why have a pet if you never spend any time caring for it? I got this hair brained idea a couple of days ago to let little Bunny Boo in the house. I carefully spread newspapers all over the floor in one room. I can't trust the little guy after he peed on my friend from down the road. Okay, I am so glad this lady has a sense of humour! Anyways Bunny Boo and our little Yorkie/shitzu played and played...chasing each other like they were playing tag and were best buddies. It was hilarious! Now, I am not making a habit of bringing my rabbit in the house all the time. I have however have been making a habit of spoiling the little guy. Okay, No more excuses. I promise to get on the bandwagon here soon. Just know I am okay. Maybe you can relate?

Wordless Wednesday...New addition to our family

Meet Bunny Boo Rockstar! He is the new addition to the family. I am already spoiling the little guy. ummmm...I think he is a boy. I suppose it doesn't really matter considering it is the only bunny and no plans for more. He loves to be held and has a problem wanting to go back to his cage afterwards.

Fishing with my Dad

I went fishing with my Dad yesterday morning. We have been talking about going fishing on the pond by his place for quite awhile. Yep, just my Dad and I. The pond seems so different than the lake when it comes to fishing. My thinking is that the fish are dumber. Really, some of the best bluegill fishing can be found in ponds. Remember always ask permission to fish on private ponds. If you are simply wanting to catch alot of fish regardless of size, most ponds will provide ample bluegill action. I grew up fishing from a small farm pond located close enough to my house that we could walk to it. I remember many times fishing with my mom, my dad and grandma. Ponds are still a great place to catch fish! Dad and I caught 38 nice bluegill in a couple of hours in the morning. I hooked a small bass and a few young ones that were too small to keep. My DH bought me a really cute lightweight 12 ft. cane pole awhile back. I love that pole! I have hooked more large bluegill with that little gem. I gave my dad the exact same pole for fathers day. He also hooked more fish with that little gem! Bluegill spawn in spring and early summer and this is a good time to catch them. When the water exceeds 70 degrees, begin looking for spawning bluegill in shallow water on their beds. Which explains why so many large bluegill we caught were females loaded with eggs. We cleaned all 38 fish. Dad filleted with his electric knife and I cut out the ribs. As a team it seemed like we had the fish cleaned in no time! Here's a picture of my dad cleaning the fish.





All in all, It was a great way to spend the day and be rewarded with some tasty eating!

Wordless Wednesday

Our grandson's birthday party was last Sunday. He turned 2 years old.

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little granddaughters are made of!

Thankful Thursday

Giving to others in need will help you realize that you might have more to be thankful for than you think. Yesterday my Dad and I talked about what we could do to help my son who is living alone, no job, no vehicle ( his truck doesn't run and he doesn't have money to fix it) no food, no nothing really. I worry everyday about him alot. He never asks for help. I know depression when I see it as I was in depression once upon a time when I was with my first husband. I worry about his faith and have talked to him about our savior Jesus Christ and that God loves and cares about him, but my son feels alot of pain right now with no job, no money, and with a broken down truck, no way to find or get to a job. Does his father help him? not to my knowledge. With winter upon us, it doesn't help with the worries. I pray everyday for him as any mother would do. Okay, so everyone knows that Christmas is supposed to be about giving and not receiving., so, my Dad went through his pantry and freezer, my sister found a few items, my mom threw in some extras and hubby and I ourselves went through our pantry and freezer. We all gave a little bit of what we had extra of. We ended up with a very large box of food. We dropped off the box of food at my sons house today. I want to tell you how awesome this felt. I hugged my son and told him I loved him and with tears in my sons eyes he took the food with such gratefulness and I imagine after we left he had to have been crying because, I know I did. So, this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for my son I am so ever thankful that even though we struggle ourselves especially at this time of year, that I was able to share some food from my stockpile. I am thankful I have the ability through couponing, sales and sorts that I can achieve this stockpile. I am thankful that I have such a loving and caring husband who treats me with so much love.and who loves my children as his own. I don't have to worry about sinking into depression ever again. I am thankful for my heavenly father who loves me and I love him. For my sister, my dad, my mom and the contribution of their own stockpile. So, is anyone out there doing something special for someone in need lately? For me, this Thankful Thursday I will not forget. More than receiving gifts, the true meaning of Christmas is in sharing. It matters neither the grandeur nor the price tag of what you give for it's the thought that counts, that matters.

Let it snow!!

Those needing winter weather to help them get into the Christmas mood need wait no longer. Here in northern Indiana it's snowing. UGH! Some of the reasons I don't like winter is directly related to the cold. I can't stand how my lips and hands get chapped. I use so much lotion and chap stick this time of year, or scraping frost or ice off the car windows or having to wait for the car to get warm enough for the heat to work. Driving on snow covered roads can almost give me ulcers. It's quite simple, I am not fond of winter. For hubby and I winter is a tough time of year. I would just love to do what the bears do and hibernate until Spring. But, I can't, so I must deal with it. I will embrace the winter season and let my inner child have some fun maybe perhaps I can take the stress out of the winter season this year. I can think like a child. Remember making snow angels when you were a kid? One year my hubby made a stellar snowman. The grand kids called it Mimi. Papa makes a Mimi every year now for the kiddos. I can feed the birds. One of our greatest joys is our bird feeding stations in our backyard. It is right outside the dining room and living room windows. I love watching the many birds who come to eat. The joyful little calls really lift me up and make me happy and the gorgeous red cardinals or blue jay against the white snow...Sublime! The lively spot of color in an otherwise dreary landscape is wonderful. Put out a bird feeder near a window where you can watch the birds. You will be amazed at how much they perk you up. I can ice fish with the hubby I know, seems a bit odd for someone who hates the cold and snow as much as I do but, if you are catching fish one right after another like the hubby and I did one winter, you kind of forget all about the freezing cold until you have to pee and there is no where to go and it means if you do find a place , you have to take off everything just about, just to go, Brrrr! I'm guessing ice fishing is not a woman thing. But, it is so rewarding to catch more fish than the darling husband of mine. So despite the cold and snow winter weather has to offer. I say, Let it snow!

BEWARE

BEWARE: Possible side effects of eating turkey after one hour of consumption!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Grandkids, Abigail, Jocelyne and Jasmyne enjoying some Papa time last Sunday!

Welcome hunting season

It's hunting season and that means hubby is on his hunting adventure again. While he's off in the woods I'm alone alot! While some wives complain about their husbands gone all the time during deer season I choose not. While I do miss him, lets face it, You might as well kiss him goodbye for the rest of hunting season. Welcome to hunting season! I accept it! Yes, I know he would rather be in the woods than with me and would rather spend his only day off freezing his rump off in a deer stand for hours on end without moving a muscle until a prize deer crosses his path.Yes, I will be prepared to drop everything at a moments notice to come outside and admire his kill. Again I will run the nastiest load of bloody laundry that my washer has ever had to tolerate and it will once again become socially acceptable in my household to smell like deer urine or acorns. I will once again help skin, quarter, pack and freeze deer meat down in my dads basement forming an assembly line. I will keep a smile on my face. If I let things like this get in the way of my happiness then I am going to be miserable all season long. The choice is mine, mind over matter. I don't mind because It is truly one of the things besides fishing my hubby enjoys. He can enjoy his man time and I will enjoy my man free time. I will clean out my freezer. This will make hubby happy because he will actually believe that you believe he's going to get the big one. I will stay busy by enjoying a relaxing day doing some baking, visiting my neighbor and best friend, blogging, reading, fall cleaning and getting my house organized before the holidays spending time with my sister, and Oh! It's the perfect time to maybe do some of that holiday shopping without my husband peeking in the bags. So, for those of you married to a deer hunter, Keep in mind deer hunting is an opportunity to fill your freezer with plenty of healthy meat. Remember, life will go back to normal after hunting season.

Grandparents Day

Today was a special day.Our grandaughter Jasmyne is almost 6 years old and in kindergarten.She invited her Mimi and Papa to grandparents day at school. Yep, my first grandparents day. Papa had to work and couldn't get out of it but Mimi went alone. Children kindergarten through the fifth grade sang and put on a skit for their grandparents. What fun! It was a joyful event. The gym was packed with smiles all around among grandparents and staff members. No one in the audience cared about whether the singing was on key or the words understandable. In fact if prideful beaming could produce energy there would be no need to light the gym today. It was remarkable. No performers have ever been more appreciated. Then there was the trip to the classroom of each grandchild. Jasmyne ran into my arms., so happy to have her Mimi there. She beamed and giggled and couldn't wait to show her Mimi everything from where she sits in class to her artwork posted on the walls. We also had cookies and punch together. Amazing! I cannot believe how much she has grown. What a joy to be there with her. I do not remember my grandparents being around at any of my school functions or my parents being there for my own kids school functions. But, then again, I don't ever remember grandparents day back then. I am glad I was there for Jasmyne and hope to be there for many more.

Applefest 2009

I live a frugal lifestyle and I love it! But, I will be truthful with you, I still waste money....if that's what you like to call it. But, because of DH's and I frugal lifestyle, wasting money, like today at the Apple fest made it all possible. It is a once a year thing DH and I do together. I must say......there is nothing like a full belly, a hot shower and getting into some warm flannel pj's after a cold long rainy drizzling day at the festival. Yes, you heard right a cold drizzling day. But hey, as always we had fun. We go to the apple fest every year! It's our day! and as always we came back home with our bellies bursting full from all that yummy fattening food the festival has to offer. Because everyone knows it all smells so good and you gotta try it all. We ate beef and noodles, ham and beans with corn bread, pork tenderloin sandwich, apple fritters, hot spiced cider, roasted almonds, New Brunswick stew oh yea, caramel apples. Yummmmmm! I think after all this food a diet is in order. Of course the raise a ruckus musical show which is our personal favorite and the wagon ride, cloggers, demonstrations, the magic show. I personally love going through all the craft barns and getting ideas mostly. So, tell me what is your favorite food at festivals? Have you been to any festivals this year?

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to another blessed thankful Thursday. Today I am thankful my dad is going to be alright. He has been sick and I was very worried about him. Those that know me, know I am close to my dad and closer to him that I have been in years. I am thankful for the opportunity of getting to know him as a person over these past years and try to appreciate every moment I spend with him now. Hubby and I enjoy his company when he comes over for coffee as well as fishing with him off the pontoon. It is a relationship, I have wanted for years but never had like I have had the last year or so .My relationship with him is the best it has been. He was supposed to come for coffee the other morning but, never showed up. I later found out that morning he was very sick in bed. First thing I thought was he had the dreaded H1N1 virus or maybe the swine flu or just something terrible Many dreaded thoughts raced in my head. I know , that probably sounds silly. Heck, when you are up there in years like him it is hard to fight something as simple as the flu or any virus for that matter. He went to the doctor this morning and he has an inner ear infection. Now, though this is not good, it is good it is not the flu or something along that line. The doctor gave him medicine and I am confident he will get better now. Hubby and I are looking forward to his recovery and another morning with coffee and fellowship. Thank you Lord for another week of faithfulness!

Spending time with family

My DH

My sister Debbie with Sassy ( She just loves her Aunt Debbie)

Me, Debbie and Dad

Dear ole" Dad

I had a really awesome day today. I didn't get anything done but, it's Sunday and aren't we supposed to rest on the Sabbath anyways? I think I am going to need this rest because the rest of the week will be extremely busy for me. I will be canning more tomatoes and juice besides getting ready for my sale. I can tell you right now, I am hardly super woman when it comes to these sort of things. This is going to be a tiring week for sure. Anyways, I love spending time with my Dad and Sister and today was just that. Debbie made lunch and brought it over.We had stuffed green peppers, ( DH loves these and Debbie had promised she would make these sometime for him) corn on the cob, fresh sliced tomatoes, cheese, kohlrabi, and green tomato bread. YUMMY! Debbie is a fantastic cook and I don't believe there hasn't been anything she has made I didn't like. In fact, I usually end up with the recipe afterwards. She takes alot of pride in her cooking. Dad was invited to eat with us also. We all had good food, and good fellowship. I believe spending time with other family members is important. Time goes by more quickly than we realize at times. I don't want to look back and wish that I could have spent more time with family members like my dad or sister but didn't because of whichever reason it was at the time. Have a great day everyone!

Summer Heat, Summer Fun

Summer here in Northeastern Indiana has finally gotten Hot ! We have a heat wave! With a heat advisory warning in effect. Which means that it is a prolonged period with high temps at or exceeding 100. Now , the way the summer has been going, I thought I would never see that. Summer here has been rather cool with below normal temps. It is really too hot to do much of anything unless you are playing on the lake or staying in the air conditioning.. Anyways, We still had a good time today. Hubby and I had breakfast out really early this morning and I made a quick trip to Walgreen's and CVS. We had my sister and her friend here for lunch She made a large southwestern salad, brought cantaloupe and brownies made from scratch. Which was perfect food for such a hot day. Dad stopped in for coffee and to chat. This is a regular thing every Sunday to have my dad over for coffee. We always love having him stop by. Later, after Dad left, we all took a pontoon ride around the lake and swimming. There is nothing like great fellowship, Good food, and staying cool playing in the water. We enjoyed ourselves alot! For the rest of the day I am staying in the air conditioning and vegetating. Now that sounds good for the rest of the evening. Stay cool everyone!

Spending time with family and friends

Hey all! It has been a busy weekend here in Indiana.I believe summer feels like summer now. Hot and sticky! We had our little granddaughter Jocelyne, overnight last night . When granddaughters stay overnight at Mimi's and Papa's house they always insist on going out to village kitchen for breakfast. Village Kitchen is the little mom & pop restaurant we always go to. We had a good breakfast with the wee one and hit a few garage sales before taking her home. My sister called and I spent the rest of the day helping her. It is always nice to spend some sister time,and we got alot accomplished. Later when I got home, my stepdaughter Amanda and her boyfriend with his 2 kids stopped over to go swimming and go for a pontoon ride. Later we grilled hot dogs on the grill.I guess what I was going to have tonight for dinner we will have to eat next week. Just when I thought I could get on the computer I didn't. Hubby and I spent time visiting with the neighbor friends across the drive. You know, sitting around the campfire, shooting the breeze, we even went out on their pontoon for a ride and yes, you guessed it, grilled hot dogs and grillers. So far, this has been a busy and fun weekend. I love spending time with friends and family! Take the time to spend with your family and friends. We all need it!

Our garage sale adventure

I have to say this has been a long tiring day today. We got up at 6:00 am this morning, grabbed a bite of breakfast and coffee and were on our way for a day of garage saleing. Just the hubby and I spending time with each other. We found a few treasures we thought we couldn't live without like a sauder bookcase , new, still in the pkg for $15.00. I will put this in my little storage room to use for some of my extra stockpile. We also found the hubby some neat t-shirts with fish and fishing logos on it for a mere 50 cents. I found a really cool pair of walking shoes for $1.00 they are soooooo comfortable! There was alot of little of this and that. The best purchase hubby bought for us was a brand new still in box 12x20 canopy to use for my yard sales for $50.00 My dad has one he has had for years that he used to park his car under. I cannot stress how nice this will be as whenever i decide to have a sale, it likes to rain UGH! But, this will be nice for shade also. For the most part it was nice all day today. Later this afternoon soon gave way to rain and for the most part put a damper on the sales around town. Most people just started closing up. One place we went to just put everything out at the curb and said it was all free. Geesh.....people can be like vulchers when it comes to something like this! You should have seen all the people grabbing this and that and getting soaked in the rain. It didn't seem to bother them a bit ! Yea, I guess I am one of them. We soon had our little car filled as much as we could fill it and decided it was time to head home. Another day of garage saleling here and gone.

refreshed, and a pontoon, It can't get any better than that!

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. As you know I took most of the week off. It was all getting very overwhelming for me so the break from it all felt really good plus, gave me the chance to get caught up on things. With 2 garage sales almost back to back it was very tiring and stressful. Our lake is having their annual Lake wide sales starting today through this weekend and for the first time since I have lived here I am forfieting in on it.. Anyways last Saturday was kinda a recoup day for me. Sunday afternoon we had the kids over here for a cookout. Monday was our 4th year anniviversy. For the first time in months I slept in. Ahhh...what a great feeling. Both of us stayed home and chilled. It felt good! Tuesday we bought a 24 ft pontoon with a 35 johnson outboard motor.Hubby has only wanted one for 4 yrs now.The price was right. It had to be fixed as the tube had too much pressure as you can see from the picture. oops! But, no biggie. It is being fixed and will be as good as new. It needs a bikini top also. This is also not a problem. We will buy one. We hope to do alot of fishing and cruising on the lake now. The rest of the week was spent cleaning. My floors are clean, the laundry is caught up, the grass is mowed, everything is put away now that needs to be. Dishes are done. It can't get any better than that!