Allow Me To Rant A Moment....

but I am getting a little ticked off about the state of our economy and such. I went grocery shopping and almost all the items I got two weeks ago have gone up considerably in price. This is at Wal-Mart, mind you. I know that everything is getting more expensive, but I don't think they realize how much those 10-50 cent mark-ups add up!! By the time your done shopping all those little mark-ups could get you some more milk, gas, etc. I have talked to several friends and family members who are also either losing their job or getting laid off, and it's scary. I'm concerned. Not that it will do a lick of good; I just felt like I needed to get some of this off my chest. We all need to pray that things will get better, and pray for those who are losing jobs and are having trouble feeding their families! I know God has us in His hands and He will see us all through these hard times. Sorry for the no-pictured, not very happy post, but sometimes I feel we need to address these things! On a high note, gas has gone down to $4.03 here after being at almost $4.20 for a while! I promise next post will be much more cheerful! We need all the cheerfullness we can get! God Bless! TTFN!

A Fabulous Fourth!

What a glorious weekend! What fun we all had! Dylan wore his patriotic hat to the fireworks.
This is my other precious niece Aubrey. She is Mitch's sister's baby. Her and Chloe are only about 3 weeks apart. As you can see she is a special needs baby. Doesn't she look adorable all dolled up in her red, white, and blue? She is getting glasses next week and she is only 5 months old, bless her heart! They are hoping she will be able to see a lot better.
Of course Daddy had to try on Dylan's hat and ham it up for me!

I love this picture! My mom, Chloe, and another of my nieces, Alyssa. She is Mitch's sister's step daughter and we hardly get to see her which upsets me. She is darling and we miss her so much when she goes back to her mom's.
I know I was supposed to be watching the fireworks, but I looked down and here was this opportunity! I love how they are all so engrossed in the fireworks and Alyssa couldn't sit down the whole time!
It wasn't working out getting a good pic. of the fireworks, so this is as good as it gets:)
Fourth of July! Here is Short Round so excited to be going for a ride!
Here is Mitch with Aubrey. Believe it or not this was his first time holding her. He was so afraid because she has problems and thought he would hurt her. Yes, I know it is precious. I almost cried!

She had to try on Uncle Mitch's cool dude glasses. She looks so cute!!
Short Round and I.
Of course, I can't post on my blog without showing one of my yard sale buys! Isn't this old typewriter great? It is in such good shape, and it still works!
Oooooh, yummy watermelon!
The ultimate fashion diva:) The swimsuit she has on says "Harley Davidson" all over it!

Here we are to the best part of the weekend! A Beatles tribute band came to our little town. Can't you just hear "Hey, Jude"?
They started the first set in this attire and sang the early songs, then changed into the Sgt. Pepper outfits for the last set. They sounded just like the Beatles; even called eachother John, Paul, etc. and spoke with Liverpool accents!
Malachi with "Paul". Malachi loves Beatles music and had such a good time.
Here I am with Paul, John, Ringo, and George. Aren't they a hoot? We had such fun!

To end things on a high note, we woke up Saturday morning to kittens! They're a whole day old! Aaawww, precious, huh? TTFN!

My Lovely Friend

Look what my lovely new friend Tangee sent me! She made them herself! I absolutely love them! It was so sweet and thoughtful of her. Thank you again, Tangee! You can find the link to her blog in my favorite blogs.
I need to share one of my niece's 4 month pictures. She is so beautiful!!
I also need to share one of my favorite finds from yard saling. Of course, I got lots of other things, but these glasses I just love! They are so colorful and cheerful and fun! TTFN!

A Little Taste of Summer

Ah, Summertime. I thought I would share some of my summer things. These are my Shasta Daisies. I've had them for years and had to transplant them, and they just keep flourishing! I just wish they bloomed longer!
My peonies just started blooming today! I love them!
Fresh strawberries just started yesterday! We had our first strawberry shortcake last night. Oh boy, do I love strawberry season! These are the biscuits I always make. I make them for shortcake, holidays, everything. They turn out perfect everytime! Here's the recipe:
Bath Buns
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix these together; after, cut 3 Tablespoons
shortening(I use veg. oil) into flour mixture.
Add 1/2 cup sugar, mix, then add 1 egg, mix(it will be
dry right now, but just trust me:), then just add
enough milk till it makes a soft dough. Instead of
cutting them into fancy buns(they are more like
biscuits than buns), I take some out with my hands
roll it around in flour, then plop it on the pan.
Cook them at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

I found this recipe in a bunch of old recipes that came with some auction stuff a few years ago. It was in the Household Magazine from 1930! It didn't even have an oven temp.(it said to bake them in a quick oven), and no amount of time to be left in. I just experimented till I found the right temp. and time. I hope everyone can try them! They are so good!

Yum, yum! We have shortcake this way-with strawberries on biscuits with milk over top. I am interested to know how others have their shortcake, so let me know!
I have this setting out on my counter. I love this season! I don't like the heat, but I sure do love the flowers, picnics, grilling, campfires, cool evenings with fireflys(they are all over right now!), swimming, and the abundance of the harvest at the end of the season. The flower in the middle is an heirloom rose from my Mom's and the two flowers on the sides are one each of my columbines. I wish I could send the smell of the flowers and strawberries through so each of you could enjoy them too! I hope you all are enjoying your summer where you are! Get out and chase some fireflys! TTFN!

I Got My Pink Swap Items!!

I recieved my stuff from Cena yesterday! Isn't that one of the cutest bags you've ever seen? Right up my alley. Pink and brown! That is one of my favorite color combos! I also got a grungy candle(also very up my alley), notepaper, and.....
this beautiful and fun necklace and earring set! I love jewelry(what red blooded woman doesn't?), and it has such pretty colors! I hope I can find an outfit in my closet to wear it with to church for Father's Day tomorrow! Thank you so much, Cena! I love it all! TTFN!

Swap Fun!

I got my first swap package! Yea! This pic. above is all the stuff I got from Elisabeth for the Desert Island Swap. She made me some cool shell jewelry that I will love for this summer. She also sent a tropical candle, bookmark, dolphin stickers, some shells, candy, gel pens, and some way cool metallic colored pencils! It was so fun to do the swap. You just don't know what you're going to get and it's neat seeing other peoples talents!
Okay Cena, if you are on here, stop right there! Unless you've already gotten your stuff:)
This is the stuff I sent to Cena for the Pink Swap! I looooved picking this stuff out! It was so much fun! I could go crazy all the time with pink! My favorite find was the pink, black, and white teacup! I found it at an antique show a couple of weeks ago! What made it so cool is that her favorite colors other than pink are black and white, so I was excited! I hope she likes it all!
One of my favorite things to make are bookmarks. The possibilities are limitless and they are small, so it doesn't take a long time to make.

I had so much fun with these swaps! Unfortunately, my summer is getting crazy and I don't think I will have time to sign up for more for a while. Every year I ponder the thought that summer is supposed to be nice and slow and relaxing, but all that happens for me is everything goes into hyper drive!! TTFN!

Elisabeth, NO PEEKING!!

I'm finally done with my projects for the Desert Island Swap! This stuff is for my swap partner, Elisabeth. I hope she isn't looking! If she is, she better turn back! This was somewhat of a challenge as she likes royal and brighter colors, and I am a pastel girl! She is also a big fan of Johnny Depp(who isn't!).
She makes jewelry, so I hope she can use these beads!


I am so excited about the swap! This was my first one, so I really don't know what to expect. As soon as my stuff arrives from her I will definitely be posting pics! TTFN!